This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Just six games are on FanDuel's Saturday main slate, with first pitch at 7:05 p.m. EDT. As we'll see almost every night, the Dodgers are the slate's biggest favorite to win, so again their starter (Roki Sasaki, $8,800) is in a great spot even if I question his innings potential. The slate's highest run total is Texas-Boston at nine runs, as was the case Friday, which didn't manifest.
Also similar to Friday, we've got outbound winds in San Diego and Los Angeles, giving a slight boost to bats there.
Pitching
Bryce Miller, SEA vs. ATH ($9,900)
Boring an unoriginal, but with Miller not being the slate's top-priced arm, we'll start with him. Seattle pitchers are almost always going to be in this column, especially at home. He faces an Athletics lineup that's just 5-for-32 (.156) with 11 strikeouts against him. No need to overthink this, Miller is an ideal cash lineup play with GPP appeal as well.
Spencer Arrighetti, HOU vs. NYM ($8,400)
Arrighetti struck out 29.0 percent of the batters he faced at home last season, with a 3.43 xFIP against a 4.06 ERA. Control remains an issue, as he walked 16 across 17.0 innings during the spring, which pushes pitch counts up and limits his inning potential, but his ability to miss bats gives him GPP upside Saturday.
Osvaldo Bido, ATH vs. SEA ($7,200)
Bido had a bit of a rough spring, allowing five homers across 16.2 innings, but he also fanned 18 i that span. That's in line with his 26.2 percent K rate over last season's second half. I'll almost always consider both sides of a pitching matchup when in Seattle thanks to the ballpark factor, and through two games, the Mariners have tallied four runs while striking out 20 times.
Top Targets
Dodgers, always Dodgers, right? Mookie Betts ($4,100) carried them last night, Shohei Ohtani ($4,500) isn't into the 5k range, even on a smaller slate, and I'm perfectly fine considering Teoscar Hernandez ($3,600) and/or Freddie Freeman ($3,700). The key here is the top of the order isn't yet overpriced, so it's feasible to get a mini-stack built with any combo of these options.
Yordan Alvarez ($4,100) is hitless through two games, but that likely changes Saturday, as he's 7-for-13 (.538) with two homers off Mets starter Griffin Canning.
Bargain Bats
Given the elevated run total, considering both sides of Boston-Texas is an obvious play, but neither offense is firing out of the gates. Boston starter Walker Buehler was worse on the road last season, allowing a .407 wOBA to lefties and .405 to righties. If we want to be different and not target the obvious Ranger names, Joc Pederson ($2,900) is 4-for-13 (.308) with a homer off Buehler. He should be in the lineup in an LvR matchup, and hits right behind the top names in this order. On the other side, Alex Bregman ($3,300) is the lone Red Sox with some success off Rangers' starter Tyler Mahle, going 3-for-9.
Diamondbacks' starter Brandon Pfaadt had a 5.09 ERA at home last season, and a 4.80 ERA through spring, so perhaps Cubs bats are there for you to round out your builds with. BvP is not an long-term strategy in DFS, but in the early season I trust it slightly more as we await a larger sample size of advanced metrics. Dansby Swanson ($2,800) is 4-for-10 off Pfaadt.
Stack to Consider
Braves vs. Randy Vasquez (SDP): Marcell Ozuna ($3,700), Matt Olson ($3,400), Austin Riley ($3,300)
Atlanta's schedule, opening in San Diego and Los Angeles, was a tough draw, and having dropped their first two, it feels like a desperation time Saturday despite how early in the year it is. Vasquez was decent at home last year, but still carried a 4.60 xFIP and didn't miss bats, striking out just 6.2 per nine. This trio should hit 2-3-4, giving us maximum at bat potential, plenty of thump, and are fairly priced. Ozuna has shown a nice eye early, walking three times, as has Olson, walking four times. Riley has left the yard once, and the other two are due.
