This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
I usually don't cover Saturday slates, but I'm ready to fill in and get started with the second half. These next two weeks are the most important time of the season as clubs need to decide if they want to be buyers or sellers before the fast-approaching trade deadline. That's not a huge deal from a DFS standpoint, but anything to get the competitive juices flowing in a 162-game schedule is beneficial for baseball. With that in mind, let's get into Saturday's slate.
Pitching
Yusei Kikuchi, TOR vs. DET ($9,000)
Kikuchi got shelled to the tune of seven runs in his final start before the break, yet we're willing to overlook that in this matchup. Let's start there because Detroit ranks 20th in runs scored, 25th in wOBA and 27th in OBP. That's awesome when looking at Kikcuhi's home splits of a 4.19 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 9.2 K/9 rate. His strikeout stuff has been even better recently as he's registered an 11.8 K/9 rate across eight outings.
Brady Singer, KC vs. CWS ($8,100)
KC has been one of the biggest surprises in baseball, and Singer has been one of the AL's most underrated arms. The righty has allowed one run or fewer in 12 of his 19 starts while generating a 3.20 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. Three of his five stinkers came against the best offenses in baseball, but Chicago is far from that sitting last in runs scored, OBP, OPS and xwOBA. Singer has recorded a 2.38 ERA and 0.79 WHIP in their two matchups this year and enters Saturday as a -200 favorite.
Cristopher Sanchez, PHI at PIT ($7,600)
Sanchez was a fill-in for the All-Star team and earned it with a fantastic first half. The lefty has posted a 2.96 ERA and 1.23 WHIP while conceding no more than two runs from 13 of his 18 starts. Sanchez should be able to add to that stat against Pittsburgh as the club is ranked 21st in runs scored, 25th in K rate, 26th in OBP and 28th in wOBA. He's faced them twice since the start of last season and has only given up five hits and one run across 11 innings.
Top Targets
Bobby Witt Jr, KC (vs. Jonathan Cannon) $6,300
Witt is one of the best all-around players in fantasy, averaging 10.8 DraftKings points per game. That's the second-highest total on this slate, with the shortstop posting a .471 AVG, .863 SLG and 1.345 OPS across his last 13 outings. That form would make Witt an easy option against anyone due to the 66 homers and 101 steals since his call-up 2.5 years ago. Cannon isn't a concerning matchup with a 4.70 ERA and 1.37 WHIP over his last nine starts. If you want to stack KC, we could also use Salvador Perez ($4,900) and Maikel Garcia ($4,500).
Matt Chapman, SF (vs. Kyle Freeland) $4,800
This is one of the best spots on the schedule. Not only is Chapman facing one of the worst pitchers in Coors Field, he also has some of the best overall splits. Let's start there because Chapman has collected a .383 OBP and .936 OPS against lefties this year. That's frightening for Freeland with his 6.00 ERA and 1.62 WHIP. Chapman also lists a .372 OBP and .904 OPS from his last 22 outings and always performs well in Coors. San Fran is one of the safest stacks as the highest-projected offense with Heliot Ramos ($5,000), Patrick Bailey ($4,800) and Jorge Soler ($4,800) all looking like great options with the platoon advantage in their favor.
Bargain Bats
Alec Burleson, STL (vs. Bryce Elder) $4,000
It's hard to believe Burleson is only $4K. This outfielder has quietly been the Cards' best bat the last two months by maintaining a .303 AVG, .541 SLG and .875 OPS in 55 games. Almost all of that damage has come against right-handers this season with a .362 OBP, .571 SLG and .933 OPS against. That should be easy to duplicate against Elder, who holds a 5.71 ERA and 1.62 WHIP. Stacking St. Louis should work against Elder as Paul Goldschmidt ($4,000), Nolan Arenado ($3,900) and Nolan Gorman ($3,800) all look like solid selections.
Rob Refsnyder, BOS (vs. Justin Wrobleski) $3,700
Whenever the BoSox square off against a southpaw, Refsnyder is the first player who pops into my head. He bats third when they face a lefty while providing a .442 OBP and .942 OPS with the platoon advantage. There aren't many better splits in baseball, and we're not worried about a matchup with Wrobleski. He's making his third career start for this shorthanded LA team with a 6.30 ERA and 1.40 WHIP. We also love Boston as a stack, and we'll dive into that below.
Stacks to Consider
Diamondbacks at Cubs (Kyle Hendricks): Ketel Marte ($5,500), Christian Walker ($5,300), Corbin Carroll ($4,600), Joc Pederson ($4,700)
Hendricks had one of his best starts in years last time out, but that's clearly an outlier. The slow-pitching veteran still has a 6.78 ERA and 1.51 WHIP while allowing at least seven runs in four 2024 starts. That sort of shelling potential is scary against a surging Arizona team that's produced 29 runs over their last four outings.
If we want to stack Arizona, we have to kick things off with the starting All-Star second baseman. That's Marte, who maintains a .292 AVG, .362 OBP, .515 SLG and .877 OPS. He's also got a .475 OBP and 1.072 OPS across his last 18 appearances. Walker is nearly as hot with a .467 OBP, .661 SLG and 1.128 OPS in 16 games. Carroll is projected to bat leadoff, and he's registered an .804 OPS from his last 11 matchups while stealing five bases. Pederson should hit in the heart of the order and has posted a .379 OBP and .886 OPS against righties this year.
Red Sox at Dodgers (Justin Wrobleski): Rafael Devers ($6,000), Tyler O'Neill ($5,000), Rob Refsnyder ($3,700)
We just discussed how Wrobleski is making his third career start, and it's not like he impressed anyone in the minors with a 4.35 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in two starts at Triple-A while giving up seven runs through 10 innings in the bigs. That's terrifying against the Red Sox as they're ranked Top-10 in nearly every offensive metric.
Boston is usually one of the best stacks, and Devers is the primary reason why. The All-Star has managed a .378 OBP and .977 OPS this season while accumulating a 1.272 OPS over his last 18 outings. We already talked about how Refsnyder boasts the platoon advantage against Wrobleski, yet O'Neill is in the same boat while notching a .438 OBP, .615 SLG and 1.053 OPS against lefties this year.
