This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Nine games await Saturday evening's FanDuel main slate, with first pitch at 7:05 p.m. EDT. Pittsburgh is the only team without a listed starter, giving us 17 arms to sort through. Only five of them come with a price north of $9,000, so offense should be readily available. The sportsbooks agree, as two games have double-digit run totals with three more sitting just below at 9.5. That suggests paying for a solid arm and finding some different, less traditionally targeted bats can and will be a successful lineup construction.
Weather looks suspect for Cincinnati at Pittsburgh, so using anyone in that contest could require some late lineup adjustments.
Pitching
Brandon Woodruff, MIL at CWS ($11,100): This slate certainly screams pay up for arms, but the question is can we trust Woodruff to throw enough innings to justify the enormous price? The matchup couldn't be better; the White Sox rank 28th against righties with a .292 wOBA and 83 wRC+. Woodruff comes with an 11.6 K/9 rate, but he's only thrown 16.1 innings overall. He may not need 90 pitches to return decently, but I question the overall potential at the price. Nonetheless, he's poised to limit damage at a minimum.
Steven Matz, STL at KC ($9,400): Matz has to be the most polarizing option on this slate. Kansas City ranks 25th with a .303 wOBA off lefties, adding an 88 wRC+ and 23.8 percent K rate. Matz has been terrific of late, allowing just two runs across his last four starts and six across his last six, five times going for 34 or more FDP. But he's Steven Matz. Don't we expect some regression? Perhaps it's not here, but the Royals have been compitent lately. I'd rather pay up or down and let Matz be someone else's concern, but there's a lot of trends that suggest another impressive outing.
Brandon Williamson, CIN vs. PIT ($7,500): I have great interest in Andrew Heaney against the Giants' left-handed heavy lineup that fans at a 25.1 percent clip off southpaws, but for over $1,000 in savings, Williamson peaks interest. He's fanned 16 across his last 11.0 innings, and the Pirates come with just a 92 wRC+ and 23.2 percent K rate against lefties. Those numbers are mediocre, but watching them against lefties simply doesn't pass the eye test. The fanned nine times Friday in 5.2 frames in an identical situation.
Top Targets
The Dodgers have only scored eight runs in their first two games against Colorado, so they aren't lighting the Rockies up. Maybe an outburst is overdue, but either way they are the easiest lineup to build around. Rockies' starter Peter Lambert is allowing a .420 wOBA and .972 OPS to lefties, so Freddie Freeman ($4,500) gets column space again. He's posted double-digit fantasy points in seven straight and 11 of his last 12.
It's an odd slate in that there seem to be targetable offenses, but minimal must use one offs. Because of an expensive stack listed below, it further challenges me to find some difference makers that won't be heavily targeted. Milwaukee's offense hasn't been trustworthy nightly, but we have to expect some regression from White Sox starter Jesse Scholtens, who isn't missing bats and allowed 1.7 HR/9 in Triple-A. Christian Yelich ($3,800) is the safest Brewer option.
Bargain Bats
There hasn't been much consistent offensive upside in the Seattle lineup all season, but grabbing shares against the slate's cheapest arm is a tried and true strategy, even if Cole Irvin isn't likely to work deep. Teoscar Hernandez ($2,800) has a team-best .271 ISO off lefties, giving him some cheap power potential.
Kansas City starter Cole Ragans is an interesting case Saturday. He had sollid numbers in Triple-A, and has been pretty solid since coming up as well. Facing a struggling St. Louis lineup, he arguable merits consideration as a cheap arm. But nothing prior to this season suggests he's capable of conisistently getting big league hitters out. Current form prevents me from stacking Cardinals, who are all incredibly cheap, but taking a shot on Tyler O'Neill ($2,600) works for me. He's got a .399 wOBA, 156 wRC+ and .257 ISO off lefties.
Two bad offenses get matchups with bad pitchers in Washington. Oakland's Luis Medina is allowing a 1.53 WHIP overall, and .388 wOBA to lefties on the road. I'll back CJ Abrams ($3,100) atop the Nationals lineup as a result. He's cooled but still has a .297 average and 121 wRC+ in the second half. On the other side of this matchup, Nats starter Jake Irvin is allowing a .377 wOBA to lefties against just .293 to righties. JJ Bleday ($2,700) or Seth Brown ($2,600) offer some pop in the top portion of the A's lineup.
Stacks to Consider
Diamondbacks vs. Rich Hill: Christian Walker ($3,400), Ketel Marte ($3,300), Lourdes Gurriel ($3,100)
Arizona's offense has faded severely lately, but that's lowered prices enough to target them across the board against Hill, who has allowed eight runs over his last eight innings. Walker has a .381 wOBA and .309 ISO off lefties, while Marte sits with a .378 wOBA, but less power potential with a .192 ISO. The third piece is tougher. Gurriel likely gives us a third option in the heart of the order, and while the .332 wOBA isn't great, he's at least slightly above average with a 106 wRC+. I'd have interest in Carson Kelly ($2,100) at his near minimal price if he's in the lineup, which isn't a given after he caught last night.
Astros vs. Tyler Anderson: Yordan Alvarez ($4,200), Kyle Tucker ($4,100), Alex Bregman ($3,200)
For as obvious as building around the Dodgers likely is, Houston presents the clear and obvious stacking opportunity. They mash lefties overall, and this trio has had great success off Anderson to boot. Tucker leads the way with a .415 wOBA, 170 wRC+ and .245 ISO, and is 5-for-6 with three extra-base hits off Anderson. Alvarez has a .398 wOBA, 158 wRC+ and .292 ISO off lefties and is 2-for-6 off Anderson with a homer. Bregman's presence makes this stack more affordable. He hasn't hit lefties well this year, with just a .248 wOBA and pathetic 53 wRC+. But he doesn't strike out so we'll get balls in play, which gives him at least a shot at returning value. He's 3-for-7 with two homers and three walks off Anderson.
