How are there only two weeks left in the regular season? It felt like it just started a few months ago, and now we’re at the end! That always makes me sad because I love the grind of MLB DFS. Following these teams and players every day is something I genuinely enjoy, and there’s nothing else like it in sports. With that said, let’s look at this Saturday slate!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
How are there only two weeks left in the regular season? It felt like it just started a few months ago, and now we’re at the end! That always makes me sad because I love the grind of MLB DFS. Following these teams and players every day is something I genuinely enjoy, and there’s nothing else like it in sports. With that said, let’s look at this Saturday slate!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
Starting Pitcher Strategy
Having three players in the cash game section is rare, but that’s what this slate calls for. We have three aces in brilliant spots, and it will be nearly impossible to fade all of them. That’s why we tried to go with a cheaper guy as our GPP option, but many people will pair these aces and try to save up with their hitters. With that said, let’s look at these aces!
Cash Game Recommendations:
Tyler Glasnow (TB) at BAL
If Glasnow played a full season, he’d likely be the frontrunner for AL Cy Young. The Rays righty has scored at least 36 FanDuel points in 12 of his last 13 starts, generating a 2.58 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 12.2 K/9 rate in that span. Not many guys are doing that right now, and it’s scary that he gets to pitch in one of the most spacious ballparks here. In his last start against the O’s, Glasnow dropped 46 FanDuel points!
Pablo Lopez (MIN) at CWS
Lopez doesn’t get credit for being an ace, but that’s what he is right now. The Twins hurler is one of the league leaders in strikeouts, sporting a 2.68 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and 10.6 K/9 rate across his last 17 starts. That’s terrible news for the ChiSox, sitting 25th in runs scored, 29th in wOBA, and last in OBP. Pablo has provided a 2.45 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 11.0 K/9 rate in their two matchups this season! In addition, he’s a -230 favorite!
Corbin Burnes (MIL) vs. WAS
Burnes took down NL Cy Young honors last season, and he’s pitching like that recently. The Brewers ace has a 2.76 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 9.8 K/9 rate since June 1. That’s quite the stretch, and it looks even better since he gets a home start against Washington. The Nationals rank 27th in xwOBA, while Burnes enters this matchup as a -270 favorite!
GPP Recommendations:
J.P. France (HOU) at KC
The Astros are one of the best organizations at churning out starters, and they found another fantastic find with France. The young righty allowed 10 runs against Boston a few weeks ago but has a 2.96 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in his other 20 starts this season. That’s all you can hope for from such an affordable player, especially since he faces a Royals team that ranks bottom five in runs scored, OBP, OPS, and wOBA.
Top Lineup Stacks
San Francisco Giants (vs. Kyle Freeland)
Using anyone in Coors Field is a cheat code. The Giants always go nuts when they get the benefit of hitting there, projected to score a slate-high six runs in this spot. That’s no surprise when considering their matchup because they will face Kyle Freeland. Freeland has a 5.64 ERA and 1.54 WHIP since his third start of the year!
The Cubs have been climbing up the standings for the last two months, and their surging offense has carried them to this point. They’re Top 5 in the NL in almost every offensive statistic since the All-Star break. That makes them a scary stack against a soft-tosser like Zach Davies, collecting a 6.81 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in another ugly season.
Trevor Williams isn’t horrible, but he’s a guy we always want to stack against. The Nationals righty has a 5.44 ERA and 1.55 WHIP despite outperforming his advanced numbers almost every year. We want to exploit that in a hitter’s haven like Miller Park, especially since Milwaukee has been playing much better over the last two months.
Core Studs
- Big Pete has had a frustrating year with the Mets, but it’s certainly not his fault. He’s second in the NL with 45 homers and 111 RBI, accruing a .410 OBP, .844 SLG, and 1.254 OPS across his last 10 games. We also love that he gets a matchup with a struggling southpaw, with Andrew Abbott accumulating a 6.51 ERA and 1.66 WHIP across his previous six starts.
- Goldy is a consummate professional, and he will finish the season strong for this struggling St. Louis team. The perennial All-Star has a .384 OBP and .899 OPS since the start of last year. He’s also slaughtered southpaws throughout his career, falling just shy of a 1.000 OPS against them.
- Harper got off to a slow start in his return from the IL, but he’s been rolling for over a month now. Since August 5, Harper has a .431 OBP, .677 SLG, and 1.109 OPS. That’s 35 games of dominance, making him an easy play against a righty with a 4.75 ERA and 1.32 WHIP.
- Bellinger has to be one of the frontrunners for NL MVP. The outfielder has had a resurgent season in Chicago, sporting a .316 AVG, .545 SLG and .903 OPS. He’s also got 25 homers and 20 steals, crushing it in the heart of this Cubs lineup. He also gets the platoon advantage against Davies, and we already talked about how much of a disaster he’s been.
- Flores hitting in Coors Field sounds terrific. Over his last 49 games, Wilmer has a .299 AVG, .372 OBP, .599 SLG, and .971 OPS. That makes him an easy pick in Coors against a lefty, totaling a .943 OPS against southpaws this season. Not to mention, Flores has a .368 OBP in 39 at-bats against Freeland.
Value Plays/Punts
- Slater always bats leadoff or cleanup against lefties, and it’s easy to understand why. Over the last three years, Slater has a .365 OBP, .465 SLG, and .830 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor. That makes him tough to fade in such a great lineup spot for the highest-projected offense, especially since Slater has a .342 OBP and 38 at-bats against Freeland.
- Suzuki was benched a few months ago because of some ineffective play, but he’s been Chicago’s best bat over the last month. Since August 1, Suzuki has a .348 AVG, .389 OBP, .689 SLG, and 1.078 OPS. That makes this pricing difficult to understand, especially since he has such a promising matchup against Davies.
- This young Milwaukee bat has been sneaky good recently, and he’s one of the best values out there right now. Monasterio has a .350 AVG, .413 OBP, .500 SLG, and .913 OPS across his last 11 outings. That’s incredible from a player in this price range, and he’s an easy pick in a Milwaukee stack.
- Wallner wallops some baseballs, but most of his damage is done against right-handers. With the platoon advantage in his favor, Wallner has a .392 OBP, .537 SLG and .928 OPS. That’s hard to overlook from such a cheap player, particularly since he faces a righty with a 5.65 ERA and 1.52 WHIP.
- The Baez contract looks like a nightmare for Detroit, but he could be a sneaky GPP option in this matchup. We say that because he’s always better against left-handers, posting a .810 OPS against them over the last three years. This is not a southpaw we’re scared of either, with Tyler Anderson amassing a 5.36 ERA and 1.48 WHIP.
Hitter Strategy
Stacking a Coors Field game can always be tricky. Fortunately, it’s between the Rockies and the Giants, so there should be plenty of value to pick from. Pairing those guys with players from the Tigers, Brewers, Mets, Cubs, Twins, Cardinals, and Phillies should give us plenty to choose from, and that’s going to be imperative with so many great pitchers toeing the rubber!
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
