This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Saturday's main slate offers six games, more than the usual Saturday evening, so players should have a little more wiggle room. At least you'd think so with 12 arms available, but it presents itself as another challenging outing where there's no clear option on the bump, and you're forced to choose between overpaying for safety or trying to stack bats while virtually punting pitching. It's the perfect slate to go full contrarian in tournament formats and swing for the fences.
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PITCHER
Clayton Kershaw, LAD vs. LAA ($10,800): The price is creeping up high enough to where you think you're getting vintage Kershaw, while the fact remains you're getting one the Dodgers are treating with white gloves. He's not going to work deep into the game, limiting inning and strikeout potential, especially when paired with the Angels 19.8 percent fan rate. But LAA also ranks 27th in the league with a .294 wOBA and 88 wRC+, giving Kershaw by far the most stable of floors. He's a virtual must play in cash formats, and the price isn't GPP prohibitive.
GPP Fade: Mike Clevinger, CLE vs. NYY ($9,500): This seems like an easy pivot for casual players, as the $1,300 savings for Clevinger seems to give a security blanket, especially when seeing he has a 10-strikeout, 50-point performance earlier against the Yankees. But he's allowed 10 runs over his last three starts (17 innings), and his strikeouts have become sporadic, fanning 10 or more three times or five or less three times in his last six. The Yankees rank second with a .335 wOBA and 112 wRC+ against righties, though whiffing a solid 23.4 percent of the time. They are, however, just not a lineup you target when looking for pitching, and I'm happy to pass on Clevinger at this price as a result.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Kyle Hendricks, CHC at SDP ($7,500): The options below Hendricks present all sorts of issues, so he's going to be the chalkiest pitcher at this price we've seen in a while. But San Diego ranks last in the league with a .285 wOBA and 80 wRC+, while also leading the league with a 26.0 percent strikeout rate.
If we're really looking to differentiate on the bump, Colorado's Jon Gray ($7,000) feels overpriced, but he has fanned 38 over his last 22.0 innings, possibly allowing for moderate scoring even if he allows a handful of runs.
CATCHER/FIRST BASE
Matt Olson, OAK at SFG ($3,100): An A's stack against Jeff Samardzija is obvious, juicy, and oh too affordable. Oakland has better bats against righties, but Samardzija is allowing a .402 wOBA to lefties, putting Olson clearly in play. His .252 ISO oozes power potential in this spot, and his .349 wOBA and 124 wRC+ certainly aren't pushovers.
Khris Davis, Matt Chatman and Stephen Piscotty all merit consideration as well, with at least one seemingly likely to feature deeper into this column.
SECOND BASE
Rougned Odor, TEX at BAL ($3,000): If you're not paying up at the keystone, there aren't (m)any sub-$3,000 options that merit consideration. Enter Odor, who has started to warm a bit of late, owning 17 hits and 9.5 or more fantasy points in 10 of his last 15 games. He still fans once every four at bats, but
O's starter Yefry Ramirez has a strikeout rate just north of 21 percent and a 4.73 home ERA. He looks ripe for picking on Saturday.
THIRD BASE
Nolan Arenado, COL vs. SEA ($4,600): Catching Arenado at home, against a lefty, just seems too good to be true. His overall .532 wOBA, 225 wRC+ and .398 ISO is elevated, literally and figuratively by Coors Field, to a .622 wOBA, 286 wRC+ and .509 ISO within his friendly confines. It looks like Wade LeBlanc has no chance, and his 4.11 road ERA won't suggest the contrary. And amazingly, he's not the highest-priced option at the hot corner.
SHORTSTOP
Jean Segura, SEA at COL ($3,800): There are definitely better options in the Seattle lineup against the aforementioned Gray, but Segura checks in as the worst of the best options at a position that is otherwise a punt, and playing at Coors Field for under 4k still screams value. Segura's .342 wOBA and 121 wRC+ certainly aren't bad, and Gray, for all of his swing and miss tendencies, still is allowing a .366 wOBA to same-handed bats at home.
OUTFIELD
Khris Davis, OAK at SFG ($3,400): As mentioned previously, plenty of A's could feature on this limited slate, and given their cumulative price, they are my preferred stack. We also touched on Giants' starter Jeff Samardzija's struggles, but this play is largely about Davis. He boasts a .377 wOBA, 144 wRC+ and robust .279 ISO against righties. He's seeing a big ball of late as well, with at least nine points in six straight and 20-plus points in three of those. Arm soreness held him out Friday, so be sure that he's in the lineup, but that ambiguity figures to just reduce his ownership and add to the appeal.
Shin-soo Choo, TEX at BAL ($3,300): Finding a safer floor seems impossible here; Choo has reached based in every game since May 12. That alone merits consideration, but that he boasts a team-leading .411 wOBA, 160 wRC+ and .254 ISO against righties suggests plenty of upside at a very average price, and a matchup against Yefry Ramirez shouldn't scare anyone away.
Mark Trumbo, BAL vs. TEX ($3,100): The safe play in the O's lineup is and always will be Manny Machado, who isn't overpriced in a plus matchup. But Trumbo hits righties well, and his .213 ISO offers at least a glimmer of upside. His 26.6 percent strikeout rate is offset some by a .340 wOBA, and he may present a safer floor than usual against Austin Bibens-Dirkx, who is allowing a .409 wOBA on the road to righties.
UTILITY
Buster Posey, SFG vs. OAK ($2,800): This game features two very vulnerable pitchers against two less than ideal offenses. Posey comes at a minimal cost, and leads the Giants' regulars with a .381 wOBA and 144 wRC+ against lefties. His power seems nearly gone, but the .408 wOBA Brett Anderson is allowing to righties gives him a very stable floor that should out produce his tag.
