This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
With five games on Saturday's main slate at FanDuel, we have less than half the number of players to sort through after yesterday's massive 12-gamer. First pitch comes at 6:40 p.m. EDT, and it's compact, stretching just to 7:15 p.m. No pitcher is priced in five-figures, so we'll have more financial flexibility for our offense no matter the choice.
Weather is a major factor here. We have rain expectancy in Baltimore, Cincinnati and Atlanta. It's too early to know if it will be a nuisance, cause delays or postponements, but it needs to be heavily monitored with pivots ready. We'll assume all games play for this column and consider all matchups, but you must track this throughout the afternoon and evening. The Reds at (-180) are this slate's largest favorite. Orioles-Royals has the slate's highest total at 9.0, while other games are showing an 8.5 number.
Pitching
Nick Lodolo, CIN vs. WSH ($9,300): The slate's top two pitchers are Lodolo and Kris Bubic ($9,600), both lefties in positive matchups against teams that struggle against southpaws. Bubic, statistically, has the better matchup, but I'll back Lodolo at home with the better offense backing him. Washington has a 25.7 percent K rate, .273 wOBA and 72 wRC+ against lefties. Lodolo's strikeouts are down, but the matchup suggests it improves and he's off his best strikeout showing of the season last time out.
Jameson Taillon, CHC at MIL ($8,600): Taillon isn't a sexy pick, but he's trending positively, allowing just two runs and eight hits across his last 12 innings, and has been solid in all of his outings since his season debut. There's familiarity given the divisional matchup, with current Brewers going 29-for-106 (.274) with a .746 OPS and a 25.2 percent K rate. Again, not sexy, but enough to think Taillon can flirt with a 30 point fantasy outing.
Roki Sasaki, LAD at ATL ($7,900): There's plenty to knock Sasaki on; he's not being allowed to throw heavy innings, he's striking out just 7.1 per nine and walking 6.4 per nine, and his 3.55 ERA comes with a 5.24 xFIP. And yes, Atlanta's bats have been better since a woeful opening week. But despite a moderate 22.5 percent K rate, they have a lineup full of free swingers and aggressive approaches. Call it a hunch, but this looks like a spot for Sasaki to take advantage of that, possibly make it six innings through efficiency and boost the strikeout totals. We only need 31.6 FDP for a 4x return.
Top Targets
Washington's Trevor Williams is getting pelted by left-handed bats, allowing a .449 wOBA and 1.058 OPS, surrendering four homers to 80 batters faced. Cincinnati's lineup is right-hand heavy, so this looks like a day to use Elly De La Cruz ($3,900) confidently.
Texas' Patrick Corbin hasn't been bad to date after being someone we'd routinely target against last season. Still, he's the slate's cheapest pitching option for a reason. His splits are puzzling, being more vulnerable to same-handed bats, but the Mariners don't cooperate there, as they have been generally bad against lefties all year. But with the slate's second-highest run expectancy, I want some share. Julio Rodriguez ($3,300) isn't priced as a top option, but he's hit in 10 of his last 11, including homers in two of five. Randy Arozarena ($3,500) has reached in seven straight and merits consideration as well.
It's never bad to consider a Dodger bat regardless of matchup. And the matchup is largely unchanged from Friday with Atlanta running another righty starter out. Freddie Freeman ($3,700) didn't flash Friday, but still carries a robust .531 wOBA, 244 wRC+ and .412 ISO off opposite-handed arms.
Bargain Bats
The Cubs are crushing lefties, with Kyle Tucker's ($4,300) .383 wOBA and 147 wRC+ ranking seventh in this lineup! That means we can target throughout the lineup against Jose Quintana and not have to pay top dollar. Less obvious options include Dansby Swanson ($3,100), who has seven hits and two homers in his last four, and Nico Hoerner ($3,000), who's reached base in five straight.
If playing the left-hand splits against Williams and not wanting to pay a premium for that, TJ Friedl ($2,800) or Gavin Lux ($2,700) offer lower price points or reasonable stacking options with De La Cruz.
Stack to Consider
Royals vs. Tomoyuki Sugano (Orioles): Bobby Witt ($3,800), Maikel Garcia ($2,900), Jonathan India ($2,700)
Sugano doesn't have targetable splits left or right, but he appears due regression, entering Saturday with a 3.00 ERA but 5.17 FIP, and doesn't miss bats, striking out just 4.6 per nine. Witt saw his 22-game hitting streak snapped Friday, so we'll look for him to reassert himself here. India has been hitting leadoff lately and has hit in six of his last eight while offering three-position flexibility. Garcia offers two positional options and has hit in six of nine. You can question the upside of this stack, and that's fair, but it's cheap so the lack of big power may not be needed. A 1-2-4 lineup option for just $9,400 doesn't need much more than 30 fantasy points for a fair return. If we get a big fly, that's handled already.
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