This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A limited five-game slate is available for Saturday night's FanDuel main slate. As of Friday evening, Oakland had not made their pitching plans known, so we've only got nine arms to choose from, but likely all 10 in play to target against, because honestly, when do we not want bats against the As? Only one arm is priced in five-figures, though four more come in at 9k or greater, giving us ample high-end options to digest. And with the limited options, one is likely needed to anchor your lineup.
Pitching
Jon Gray, TEX vs. OAK ($9,600): Let's be honest; none of the top three pitchers Saturday should be faded. They all face bottom seven offenses statistically off righties, all of which strike out at least 23.6 percent of the time. Gray lands here as the cheapest, which is literally the only distinguishing feature. Oakland has a meager 88 wRC+ and 25.0 percent K rate. Gray has gone for 30 or more FanDuel points (FDP) in four of his last five, and while Oakland got to him one in two prior meetings, he's averaged 31 FDP in those two starts.
Lucas Giolito, CLE at LAA ($8.500): It's a steep price to pay for what's essentially a gut feel, but I'm banking on Giolito to have some pride here. He was jettisoned by the Angels earlier and hasn't pitched well of late, allowing 14 runs over his last 8.2 frames, and 34 across his last 35.2 frames. Los Angeles ranks 12th with a marginally above average 103 wRC+ off righties, but fan a targetable 24.5 percent of the time. This is more appealing if Shohei Ohtani remains sidelined, and there's no cash game floor here. But Giolito has shown 40 FDP-plus upside in two of his last five outings.
Chase Anderson, COL at SF ($6,700): There's a clear case to be made for punting pitching Saturday, which says take Anderson and load up on bats. Anderson does have a 30-FDP outing to his credit recently, and the Giants aren't exactly a juggernaut. They come with a nice 24.7 percent K rate and below average 95 wRC+. He earned 28 FDP against the Giants previously, but it was back in June, when he allowed three runs while striking out seven across 5.1 innings. Unless he's absolutely shelled, I'd expect the Rockies to allow him to pitch into the middle innings, giving him a shot at a return on this price.
Top Targets
The offensive onus is on Corey Seager ($4,300) with Adolis Garcia sidelined, and he responded with a homer Friday night. He's now 6-for-14 off Oakland pitching this season with two homers, two doubles and four RBI.
Cristian Javier has struggled against lefties, allowing a .370 wOBA to them at home against .239 to righties. He's also allowed multiple runs in 12 straight starts, making it through six innings just twice, so we should expect the Padres to scratch. Juan Soto ($3,600) has earned FDP in every game since August 25, and has a team-leading .396 wOBA, 156 wRC+ and .261 ISO off righties, setting up a nice floor and high upside potential for a fair price.
Bryan Reynolds ($3,500) doesn't really qualify as a top target or a bargain. But he's quietly riding a nine-game hitting streak where he's homered and scored six runs, and is 2-for-3 with a homer off Braves' starter Charlie Morton.
Bargain Bats
Jeremy Pena ($2,700) should be a building block for all lineups at this price. He went 1-for-4 Friday from the two-hole, giving him 10 hits in his last five games and 13 in his last eight. Padres' starter Seth Lugo is in a terrific groove, but the price point makes Pena almost risk-free.
The Guardians don't have positive splits off lefties overall, but that shouldn't stop us from attacking against Angels starter Tyler Anderson, who has allowed 22 runs across his last five starts, spanning 23.2 innings. Josh Naylor ($3,100) is in a power funk, but has 12 hits in his last 10 games. He ranks atop the Cleveland regular bats with a .343 wOBA off lefties, and Anderson has been more vulnerable to lefties, allowing a .381 wOBA.
Keep an eye out for Evan Carter. He's not in the player pool as of Friday evening, but managed a hit and a stolen base in his Major League debut, and would be a free square at an expected low price.
Stack to Consider
Braves vs. Johan Oviedo: Sean Murphy ($3,400), Michael Harris ($3,100), Eddie Rosario ($2,900)
We know the potency of the Atlanta lineup top to bottom, so I think this limited slate makes for an opportune time to target the middle to bottom of the order on the cheap and build up elsewhere. The team has 10-plus hits in four straight games. Oviedo seems to be fading to the finish, allowing 14 runs and 16 walks over his last five starts, and is surrendering a .369 wOBA to lefties in that stretch. Rosario should slot into the five or six hole depending on Austin Riley's availability, and he homered Friday and has eight hits in his last four games. Harris can be a wild card, he could hit seventh behind Murphy and Rosario if Riley remains out, or he could hit ninth and turn the lineup over, allowing run scoring chances from the top of the order. Murphy, meanwhile, has sat two straight games so figures to get back in Saturday. He's in a power drought, not homering since August 13, but has been drawing walks regularly, and pairs nicely as a part of this bottom order stack.
