The injuries this week have been out of control. I have numerous season-long leagues with full ILs, and that’s a sad reality about playing season-long fantasy. The good news is that we have DFS to avoid that silliness, which is one of the most intriguing aspects of playing DFS. We have a ton to discuss for this Saturday slate, so let’s go ahead and get into it!
Today’s MLB DFS & Player Props Picks
Saturday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
| PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
VALUE |
RISK |
| Zach Wheeler (PHI) vs. CWS |
$10,500 |
$11,000 |
Low |
Low |
| Corbin Burnes (BAL) at KC |
$9,000 |
$11,200 |
Low |
Low |
| Javier Assad (CHC) vs. MIA |
$7,900 |
$8,900 |
Medium |
Medium |
| Bailey Ober (MIN) vs. DET |
$7,000 |
$8,800 |
Medium |
Medium |
Zach Wheeler (PHI) vs. CWS
Wheeler has developed into one of the best pitchers in baseball, and we certainly can’t fade him in a home matchup with Chicago. Let’s start there because the White Sox rank last in wOBA, OPS, and runs scored. That’s no surprise since they’re missing their three best hitters, which is bad news against a pitcher with a 3.00 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 11.4 K/9 rate. All of that has him entering this matchup as a -300 favorite!
The injuries this week have been out of control. I have numerous season-long leagues with full ILs, and that’s a sad reality about playing season-long fantasy. The good news is that we have DFS to avoid that silliness, which is one of the most intriguing aspects of playing DFS. We have a ton to discuss for this Saturday slate, so let’s go ahead and get into it!
Today’s MLB DFS & Player Props Picks
Saturday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
| PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
VALUE |
RISK |
| Zach Wheeler (PHI) vs. CWS |
$10,500 |
$11,000 |
Low |
Low |
| Corbin Burnes (BAL) at KC |
$9,000 |
$11,200 |
Low |
Low |
| Javier Assad (CHC) vs. MIA |
$7,900 |
$8,900 |
Medium |
Medium |
| Bailey Ober (MIN) vs. DET |
$7,000 |
$8,800 |
Medium |
Medium |
Zach Wheeler (PHI) vs. CWS
Wheeler has developed into one of the best pitchers in baseball, and we certainly can’t fade him in a home matchup with Chicago. Let’s start there because the White Sox rank last in wOBA, OPS, and runs scored. That’s no surprise since they’re missing their three best hitters, which is bad news against a pitcher with a 3.00 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 11.4 K/9 rate. All of that has him entering this matchup as a -300 favorite!
Corbin Burnes (BAL) at KC
The Royals have a better lineup than most people anticipated, but they were still 26th in total offense last season. We expect them to regress closer to that number, with an ace like Burnes helping that regression. The former Cy Young winner has a 2.28 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 9.5 K/9 rate in another spectacular season.
Javier Assad (CHC) vs. MIA
It’s hard to understand why everyone is overlooking this guy. The Cubs righty had a 2.20 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in the final three months of last season and has a 2.16 ERA and 0.96 WHIP through the opening three weeks of this year. That would make him a worthy option against anyone, but he faces a Miami team that ranks 28th in OBP and 29th in wOBA. Look for him to be a -200 favorite!
Bailey Ober (MIN) vs. DET
This is a risky option, but Ober is too cheap to fade against Detroit. The Motor City Kitties rank 26th in wOBA and 27th in runs scored while posting one of the worst K rates in baseball. We love that with the way Ober has looked in his last two starts, allowing just one run across 11 innings. One of those was against Detroit, which is no surprise since Ober has at least 27 FanDuel points in all four matchups with the Tigers since the start of last year.
Suggested Lineup Stacks
Anytime a Rockies pitcher is toeing the rubber in Coors Field, we will stack against them. They have the worst ERA in baseball and are sending out Dakota Hudson here. The Rockies righty has a 4.61 ERA and 1.45 WHIP over the last three years. That’s why the Mariners are projected to score 5.5 runs, the highest team total on this slate.
St. Louis Cardinals (vs. DL Hall)
The Cardinals can be a tough lineup to trust, but they have some talented bats. The reason we really likethem today is the matchup with the Milwaukee pitcher. Hall has a 7.11 ERA and 2.13 WHIP so far this season. That WHIP is one of the worst in baseball, and it looks even better since the Cards’ three best hitters all get the platoon advantage against him from the right side.
Core Studs
- It’s been a nightmarish start to the season for J-Rod, but this might be the series to get him going. The All-Star has at least 12 FanDuel points in three straight games and was the second-highest-scoring outfielder in the closing months of last season. That makes him tough to fade against a crappy pitcher in Coors Field.
- Goldy has always been a premier choice whenever he faces a left-hander. The perennial All-Star has a .430 OBP and 1.025 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor throughout his career. That’s funny because all of his success this season has come against southpaws, sporting a .563 OBP against them. That looks even better after we discussed DL Hall‘s ugly averages.
- Yordan is the best hitter in baseball, never finishing below a .877 OPS in any year since his call-up. His recent form is even more ridiculous, registering a .459 OBP and 1.171 OPS over his last 14 games. Alvarez has also had his way with righties throughout his dominant career, and there’s no chance we want to fade him against Trevor Williams, who has a 4.46 career ERA and 1.38 WHIP.
- Harper has always been one of the best bats in baseball, flirting with a .400 career OBP. He also has an OPS above .900, and he’s starting to get hot, posting a 1.144 OPS in his three-game hitting streak. Michael Soroka should keep that streak going, with the righty providing a 6.98 ERA and 1.76 WHIP.
Value Plays/Punts
- France has fallen off from a fantasy perspective, but this is an excellent spot for him to have a multi-hit game with some RBI opportunities. We say that because he typically bats fifth or sixth for Seattle, a prime RBI spot since they’re the highest-projected lineup on this slate. We also don’t mind that he’s hitting .278 through the opening weeks of the year.
- Stacking Goldy and Arenado used to be impossible, but those two have become affordable with their recent slumps. Much like Goldschmidt, Arenado has annihilated left-handers throughout his career. In fact, Nolan has a .373 OBP and .952 OPS against lefties. He also comes into this matchup with a hit in 16 of his last 17 games, generating a .329 AVG in that stretch!
- We wanted to find a cheap Cincy bat because we needed some exposure in this matchup. The Reds are one of the highest-projected lineups on this slate, with Patrick Sandoval providing a 4.17 ERA and 1.52 WHIP since the start of last year. That’s scary in that ballpark, especially since Candelario has a .833 OPS against lefties so far this year, typically batting in the heart of this lineup.
- The Twins are a tough team to trust right now, but Kiriloff has been a sneaky option whenever they face a righty. They face a week one here, with Reese Olson amassing an ugly 1.47 WHIP. That should bode well for Kiriloff, who has compiled a .342 OBP and .810 OPS against right-handers over the last three years.
Saturday’s Top 3 Underdog Fantasy and PrizePicks Player Props
Jose Butto: 5.0 Strikeouts – Lower
I wouldn’t trust this number if it were a good pitcher facing LA, but Butto is not that. The Mets righty will surely struggle with the best lineup in baseball, posting a 4.76 ERA and 1.40 WHIP coming into the year. Two big games against Detroit and Kansas City this year shouldn’t fool you into thinking Butto is good.
This guy has a 1.50 WHIP since the start of last season, and that alone should drive his pitch count up enough that it’ll be difficult to pick up 6-7 strikeouts. A road start against Cincy is scary, too, because Sandoval will have a hard time reaching five innings in this hitter’s haven against a dangerous Reds lineup.
We expect Seattle to flirt with double-digit runs, and if that happens, J-Rod should round the bases at least once!
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.