This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A nine-game main slate awaits Saturday afternoon, with first pitches all going between 4:05 and 4:10 pm. EDT. All teams have listed pitchers, but none of them seem fantasy friendly. It's not a slate for the faint of heart when it comes to spending on the bump. You'll to choose wisely and possibly not shoot for the moon, but rather take the safe option and get some offensive help.
Pitching
Dylan Cease ($10,700) has been brilliant lately. He's allowed just one run total across his last six starts, spanning 34.1 innings, and his 13.4 K/9 lead the league, giving him clear upside. But he's worked six-plus innings in only half of those starts. We're nitpicking, but paired with a matchup against a patient Giants' lineup that doesn't whiff a lot, and there is some volatility. He's the clear pay up option, but not a must use for me. I'm not touching Martin Perez ($10,000) against the Mets, so that lands me on Logan Webb ($9,800) as my top arm choice. He's in fine form, averaging 39.6 FanDuel points (FDP) across his last six, and we could easily see him matching Cease for a slight discount. The White Sox have been better of late, but the still boast just a .288 wOBA, 88 wRC+ and .112 ISO against righties.
George Kirby ($8,500) highlights our options against Athletics or Tigers offenses. He's faced Oakland twice already, allowing four runs while striking out 15 across 11 innings, averaging 38 FDP, making him a likely popular choice, and rightfully so. Staying with this theme, Kris Bubic ($6,300) gets Detroit. Bubic has been pelted by virtually every offense he's faced, but did manage 22 FDP against Detroit earlier despite walking six. That flirts with 4x. I don't recommend rolling the dice, but if you want to go offensive heavy, there are worse gambles.
Spencer Strider ($7,700) is likely going to draw a lot of eyes, too, and frankly, I'm surprised by this relatively low price. We know he's a strikeout machine, and the Reds don't figure to change that, fanning 23.0 percent of the time. But we also knows he struggles with efficiency, which could limit his innings potential. And the ball flies in Cincinnati, so he may not be quite the slam dunk, but give the price point, 4x still seems a fair expectation.
Top Targets
Jose Altuve ($4,100) is an interesting case Saturday. On one hand, he has a robust .430 wOBA, 190 wRC+ and .396 ISO against lefties. On the other hand, he's 0-for-10 career against Patrick Sandoval and is just 3-for-22 overall in his last seven games.
Truth be told, if you're paying up for bats, it's Astros, the Angels duo and Cardinals. So that could leave Juan Soto ($4,000) completely ignored. He's quietly riding a seven-game hitting streak, and he's walked seven times in that stretch to boot. He likely still doesn't see many pitches to drive, but he'll surely find his way on base and put up some form of crooked fantasy number.
Bargain Bats
We absolutely want shares of the Braves' offense Saturday. They surprisingly struggled against Mike Minor yesterday, but then teed off on the Reds' bullpen, and Cincy starter Tyler Mahle has been anything but consistent. Austin Riley ($3,400) looks favorably priced compared to others in this lineup. He homered yesterday, is 5-for-8 over his last two games, and is 4-of-5 with a homer against Mahle.
Rhys Hoskins ($3,300) has homered in three straight, has a .420 wOBA, 170 wRC+ and .320 ISO entering a matchup with rookie Matthew Liberatore.
I wouldn't go overboard, but if you don't trust Bubic above, which I don't, a Tiger or two to round out lineups could prove rewarding. Bubic is allowing a .540 wOBA and 1.286 OPS to lefties, which should lead to plenty of interest in Riley Greene ($2,600).
Stack to Consider
Brewers vs. Pirates (Bryse Wilson): Christian Yelich ($3,400), Rowdy Tellez ($3,200), Kolton Wong ($2,900)
Stacking Brewers is never easy, as they somehow find a way to produce runs, but it's rare we know where that production is coming from consistently. The target here is Wilson, who hasn't proven capable of getting Major League hitters out, though his 8.29 ERA isn't quite as bad as his 5.26 FIP. Still, he's allowing lefties to post a .469 wOBA and .967 OPS against him at home. That's the play here, as we'll ignore the Brewers' splits against righties, and simply snag three lefties with the potential to produce. We know the power upside Tellez brings. Wong has hit safely in three of four and provided double-digit fantasy points in four of six. And don't look now, but Yelich is riding a 10-game hitting streak. If you trust the Brewers splits over Wilson's, Keston Hiura ($2,600) and a team-leading .448 wOBA and .358 ISO are on the table.
