This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Eight games are on the table for your picking Saturday evening. Just one comes with a starter having a five-figure tag, which suggests we'll have plenty of bats from which to choose. Coors Field remains on the table, while I find the Dodgers to be the most obvious stackable offense and see some potential for fireworks between Pittsburgh and San Francisco. The second game of two between Detroit and Seattle is not included in the player pool.
For those interested, we've started an MLB DFS Slack channel for paid RotoWire subscribers. (There is a season-long one as well.) To join those channels, e-mail support@rotowire.com.
PITCHER
Michael Wacha, STL at SDP ($8,300): It's been easy to pick on the Padres of late, so why not continue to pile on? The biggest knock on Wacha is a lack of Ks, but San Diego is fanning 27.1 percent of the time against righties, suggesting he could see a mild boost Saturday. He's allowed only five runs over his last four starts and the Padres' have the league's second-worst wOBA against righties at .284, mixing in a paltry .119 ISO.
GPP Fade: Charlie Morton, HOU vs. TEX ($9,300): The Rangers' .302 wOBA, 82 wRC+, .159 ISO and 26.2 percent strikeout rate against righties likely won't scare off many Saturday. But I'm fading Morton simply because I believe he's due some regression. He has a career 16.8 percent strikeout rate against righties and 19 percent against lefties, and at 34 years of age, he doesn't suddenly seem capable of sustaining the current 21.9/38.0 rates he currently owns. He only has one quality start in his last three outings, and in the other two he combined to fan only five over nine innings. That's far too much volatility for me. I also used Sonny Gray Friday night, so Morton is likely destined for a Max Scherzer-like outing.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Kyle Freeland, COL vs. MIL ($7,000): If there's anything I can guarantee here, it's that Freeland's ownership will be so low, any return may be considered a boon. This game has the highest total, with the obvious Coors Field factor in play. Yet Freeland has a career 3.51 ERA at home compared to that of 4.64 on the road. He's fanned 21 in his last 21.0 innings, and while the Brewers are only whiffing 20.8 percent of the time against lefties, they sport just a .276 wOBA, 69 wRC+ and .137 ISO against southpaws.
CATCHER/FIRST BASE
Cody Bellinger, LAD vs. CIN ($3,300): The Dodgers' offensive struggles will really be put to the test Saturday against the gift that keeps on giving, Homer Bailey. Bailey simply isn't getting anyone out, allowing 15 runs and 21 hits over his last 14.0 innings, being particularly kind to lefties, who have a .402 wOBA against him. Bellinger has the lowest splits against righties of an incredibly stackable group that also includes Yasmani Grandal ($3,100), Joc Pederson ($2,500) and Matt Kemp ($3,400), owning a still usable .362 wOBA and 135 wRC+ in this scenario. That the Dodgers didn't pound Matt Harvey Friday may scare other managers away from stacking here.
SECOND BASE
Ozzie Albies, ATL at MIA ($4,700): As the top-priced option at the keystone and fourth-highest priced overall bat Saturday, Albies is going to have to produce at the rate he has over the first two games in Miami, where he's averaged 33.3 points. He's simply raking against lefties, posting obscene lines of .518 wOBA, 238 wRC+ and .419 ISO. You can argue those aren't sustainable, but I'd counter with Marlins' starter Jarlin Garcia's .154 BABIP being equally unsustainable. The seven runs Garcia allowed over four frames to the Cubs in his last outing could be a sign the league is catching up to the rookie after a hot start.
THIRD BASE
Colin Moran, PIT vs. SFG ($3,100): I'll touch on targeting lefties against Jeff Samardzija later in this column, but for Moran, the appeal here is simply a lack of options at the hot corner. If you're not willing to go north of 4k at this position, the midtier options are, well, middling at best, and the group behind Moran leaves plenty to be desired. The lack of power will always make him a better cash game option, but the .355 wOBA against righties suggests a stable floor for all formats. His current form (5-for-13, 6 RBI in his last four) doesn't hurt.
SHORTSTOP
Andrelton Simmons, LAA vs. MIN ($3,500): Simmons fits a similar bill to Moran, in that he's the worst of the best at his position, which falls off of a cliff after the top option of Trevor Story, who also isn't the most stable. Maybe gambling on Orlando Arcia ($3,000) or Brandon Crawford ($2,900, see below) makes sense, but if not, I'll take Simmons' safe floor and move on. He's hitting well above his career numbers, so maybe regression is coming, but for now, his .383 wOBA and 144 wRC+ play well here.
OUTFIELD
Corey Dickerson, PIT vs. SFG ($3,900): Dickerson has been white hot, going for at least 18.7 fantasy points in six of his last nine games. He sports a .374 wOBA, 141 wRC+ and .231 ISO against righties, trailing only Francisco Cervelli ($3,200) in the first two categories for the team lead. Giants' starter Jeff Samardzija has always been tougher on right-handed bats throughout his career, and while a limited sample size (37 batters faced), lefties have torched him for a .538 wOBA and 1.314 OPS to date.
David Dahl ($3,600)/Carlos Gonzalez ($3,300)/Gerardo Parra ($3,200), COL vs. MIL: It's anyone's guess which two of these three garner starting spots Saturday, I'll roll with Dahl, who sat Friday and still saw his price climb, and Parra who turned in four hits, though Gonzalez went yard while reaching base three times as well. But whichever two it is alongside Charlie Blackmon will occupy run-producing positions in the batting order, come with cheap tags and the obvious home field factor leading to an 11.5 run total. No need to overthink this one, just enjoy the relatively cheap shares against Chase Anderson, who has allowed nine runs in his last 10.2 innings.
Adam Frazier, PIT vs. SFG ($2,200): The third Pirate I'm suggesting here, Frazier's appeal comes strictly from Samardzija's struggles against lefties, his low price and likely spot atop the batting order. His stats aren't good, just a .317 wOBA against righties since 2017, so expectations are minimal, but the potential to provide a return exists along with some quality savings.
UTILITY
Brandon Belt, SFG at PIT ($3,600): Since leaving Atlanta last weekend, the Giants offense has provided only 10 runs in their last five games, so going all in against Chad Kuhl and his struggles against lefties isn't fully advisable. Cheaper options in Gregor Blanco ($2,500) or Brandon Crawford ($2,900) make some sense, but Belt seems to offer some upside, boasting a team-best .420 wOBA, 175 wRC+ and .307 ISO against opposite handed arms to date, also owning a nifty 63.0 percent fly ball rate. Since the start of 2017, Kuhl is allowing a .385 wOBA and 5.13 xFIP to lefties.
