This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Only six games are on Saturday's main slate, with a late 7:05 p.m. EDT first pitch. At least half of those games have run totals of nine or more, unsurprisingly led by Philadelphia at Colorado, so we should have plenty of reliable offensive options. All teams have listed starting pitchers, giving us 12 to digest. Weather does look like a bit of concern, as Baltimore and Denver both have a reasonable chance of rain which could really shorten this slate if a postponement is forced. Both will have to be monitored up until first pitch.
Pitching
Anthony DeSclafani, SF at ARI ($9,900): Feeling confident about a pitcher on this slate isn't easy. Sure, Zac Gallen is stable, and his matchup brings strikeout upside, but he's super expensive. As such, I'll target his adversary in hopes he can match Gallen in a low-scoring affair. DeSclafani will look to bounce back from his worst start of the season, but he's earned five quality starts in seven tries. The inning longevity creates the floor here, though the upside appears limited. Arizona fans only 19.0 percent of the time, and DeSclafani is averaging only 6.6 strikeouts per nine innings. Perhaps that doesn't profile as the right target for your builds, but he looks relatively safe and won't break your budget.
Adrian Houser, MIL vs. KC ($8,400): We have to question how many innings Houser can give us, as he has just 4.2 on the season. Can he go further to qualify for a win/quality start? If so, there's ample upside to make him the pitcher to target Saturday evening. He struck out five in his season debut, and though a ridiculously small sample, his ERA (3.86) was more than double his FIP (1.79). Pair that with the matchup against Kansas City, who have a .290 wOBA, 79 wRC+ and 24.3 percent strikeout rate, and there's the makings of a nice fantasy return.
Brandon Bielak, HOU at CWS ($6,400): I admittedly did not enjoy breaking down this pitching slate. Its limited, and I don't love the price points or the matchups. So as such, why not just take the lowest priced option and move on? The White Sox haven't been awful offensively of late, but still bring just a .291 wOBA and 81 wRC+ into Saturday. They fan a moderate 22.1 percent of the time, not a huge number but we're not expecting elite upside from Bielak. Walks have plagued Bielak, but the White Sox don't take many walks. Should that trend continue, we could squeeze five innings out of him, making a 4x return possible.
Top Targets
That Bryce Harper ($4,100) isn't the slate's highest-priced bat is somewhat surprising. It would be equally surprising if he's not the highest-used option in cash formats. He's got multiple hits in consecutive games and has a seven-game run scoring streak presently. And he gets to face a righty in Coors Field. The appeal should be very obvious.
It's never a bad idea to target Yordan Alvarez ($4,200), and I like him a lot Saturday for GPPs. With Harper presenting such an obvious option to lead lineups, Alvarez gives you a nice building block that should be far less used. He's homered in consecutive days, has hit in nine straight and 14 of his last 15, and brings a .406 wOBA, 163 wRC+ and .307 ISO off righties into Saturday's matchup against a slumping Dylan Cease, who's allowed 17 runs across his last 14 innings.
Bargain Bats
Manny Machado ($3,000) hasn't been his robust self all year but is still feasting off lefties, boasting a .441 wOBA and 183 wRC+ off them to date. It comes with a meager .095 ISO, but that could play up against Julio Urias, against whom he is 13-for-32 (.406) with four homers, eight RBI and a 1.254 OPS. Trent Grisham ($2,700) also has favorable splits in an LvL matchup but is 0-for-9 off Urias in his career.
Ranger Suarez is a solid arm, but he's got a tough task in making his return from the IL and season debut in Colorado. Kris Bryant ($3,300) continues to hit lefties well, bringing a .408 wOBA, 143 wRC+ and .343 ISO into Saturday.
Baltimore is a lineup that's discounted throughout, making me tempted to stack them. But Pirates starter Roansy Contreras has shown enough potential to potentially shut them down, and he doesn't have targetable splits against either sided hitters, allowing a .343 wOBA to lefties and .328 to righties. As such, a piece or two from the top of the O's lineup to round out yours is my preference, with Cedric Mullins ($3,600), and/or Anthony Santander ($3,000) the leading options.
Stack to Consider
Dodgers vs. Joe Musgrove: Max Muncy ($4,100), Freddie Freeman ($3,600), Mookie Betts ($3,500)
Musgrove looked much better in his last start, but he still has a 6.75 ERA and 6.22 FIP. It's a small sample size, but he's allowing a .524 wOBA and 1.255 wOBA to righties, putting a discounted Betts into play, who is 6-for-15 (.313) with four walks against the Padres' starter. Freeman and Muncy are also BvP plays, but this looks like a slate where Dodger bats will be ignored due to some fine other options. This lefty pairing is a combined 20-for-52 (.385) against Musgrove with two homers, nine RBI and 11 walks, creating a nice floor and ceiling potential.
