This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A compact eight-game main slate awaits Saturday afternoon for FanDuel, with games starting between 4:05 and 4:10 p.m. EDT. Only two arms are priced in five-figures with three more coming in the 9k tier, representing a third of our options on the bump. Half of Saturday's starters are left-handed, seemingly giving us some spots to target for and against.
White Sox-Marlins is our low run total spot at just 7.5 expected runs, but the rest of the slate isn't expected to be void of offense as four games have a 9.0 run total, and two more sit at 8.5 runs. The slate looks dry across the board, with some possible wind assistance to hitters in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.
Pitching
MacKenzie Gore, WSH vs. STL ($9,600): All eyes, rightfully so, should be on Garrett Crochet atop this pitching slate, as the Marlins are the league's worst offense against lefties. But he's so expensive he'll cripple your offensive build. For $1,900 cheaper, you can get Gore who faces the league's second-worst offense against lefties. St. Louis has a .273 wOBA, 77 wRC+ and .115 ISO off southpaws. Gore has just one quality start in his last seven outings but has topped 37 fantasy points four times in that stretch with a 58 fantasy point ceiling, and failed to go five innings just once.
Cade Povich, BAL at OAK ($7,600): The Orioles are the biggest favorite on this slate with their moneyline sitting at (-178), so the odds are clearly in Povich's favor of giving us at least five decent innings. And while the rookie has only one quality start to his resume, he's lasted at least 4.2 innings in every start, again putting the odds in our favor. Oakland isn't a pushover lineup, coming in with a league-average 100 wRC+ but solid enough for us to target a 23.9 percent K rate off lefties. Povich showed elite swing and miss potential in Triple-A that's yet to translate to the highest stage, but does have 15 in his last 21.1 innings while allowing just six earned runs. At this price, he's in a position to flirt with a 4x return on value.
Yariel Rodriguez, TOR at SEA ($7,300): The bottom of this slate offers some pitching appeal, with Yonny Chirinos facing the light hitting White Sox. But these bottom-priced options are there largely due to a lack of innings potential, and in order to combat that we need strikeouts, something the Mariners are happy to provide. Seattle fans at a massive 28.7 percent against righties while bringing just a 94 wRC+ and .294 wOBA. Rodriguez had a 14.6 K/9 rate at Triple-A, and it's been an okay enough 8.5 per nine in 24.1 big league innings. He can give us five-plus strikeouts here even if he doesn't go five frames, something he's done just once all year.
Top Targets
There are only three bats on this slate priced at $4,000 or greater, so paying up isn't a necessity and we can probably get some options others may ignore that can pop. Luis Robert ($3,700) seems to fit that bill, because who targets the White Sox offensively? He's riding an eight-game hitting streak, collecting 12 knocks, three homers, seven RBI, seven runs, four walks and three steals in that span.
St. Louis' Lance Lynn is on a two-game heater but has a 3.59 ERA with a 4.03 xFIP, so he's not likely to work continued clean innings. And he's allowing a .388 wOBA to lefties on the road, making CJ Abrams ($3,600) an appealing target. Abrams offers multiple paths to fantasy points thanks to his speed, willingness to walk and decent power, boasting a .232 ISO off righties.
Heliot Ramos ($3,400) is a seemingly automatic play when facing a lefty, carrying a .549 wOBA, 267 wRC+ and .429 ISO off them into today's game in Cleveland.
Bargain Bats
James Wood ($2,800) offers almost the same appeal as his teammate in this matchup against Lynn and comes cheaper. He's yet to show pop at the major league level, but he's hit safely in four of his first five games, resulting in a .394 wOBA and 157 wRC+ off righties in a small sample. Luis Garcia ($3,000) has three homers over his last two games. Dare we consider a Nationals stack for GPPs?
Mets-Pirates has a solid 9.0 run total and no bat priced over $3,500, so both sides of this game look targetable. Bryan Reynolds ($3,300) seems always to be in the mix for the Bucs, but if we're banking on stats to provide a boost, Ke'Bryan Hayes ($2,500) is in a solid spot, carrying a team-best .433 wOBA, 183 wRC+ and .224 ISO off lefties into Saturday.
LaMonte Wade ($2,800) is seemingly a better real life option than a fantasy one, and offers minimal to no power upside. But he just gets on base, allowing him to score some fantasy points. I don't trust the Giants to play him in an LvL matchup, but Wade has a .466 wOBA and 210 wRC+ off same-handed pitching.
Stack to Consider
Mets vs. Bailey Falter (Pirates): Francisco Lindor ($3,500), Pete Alonso ($3,300), J.D. Martinez ($3,100)
The Mets lineup offers a plethora of options with positive splits off lefties, and none are overpriced making for both obvious targets and some lesser rostered dart throw options. This stack is the former, taking the biggest names in the heart of their order. Martinez has the best splits and comes the cheapest, sitting with a .429 wOBA, 186 wRC+ and .242 ISO off southpaws. We know Alonso brings power upside, sitting with a .281 ISO to go with a .366 wOBA and 143 wRC+. And Lindor boasts a .388 wOBA, 158 wRC+ and .268 ISO. These teams combined for 16 runs yesterday, we have a solid 9.0 run total and possible favorable winds to left field, making for a nice spot for three right-handed options.
