This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
After all the outdoor series got a day off Friday in case Opening Day was postponed, Saturday will mark the second full 15-game slate of the season, beginning at 1:05 PM Eastern time. Below, you'll find which individual pitchers and hitters are primed to provide the best value, as well as the top lineup stacking options in this expansive slate.
Pitching Overview
A pair of $50 pitchers are likely to headline many lineups. Stephen Strasburg is coming off an injury-plagued campaign, but he's shown the ability to dominate when healthy. His 10.80 K/9 in 2018 actually slightly exceeded his career 10.57 mark, and it's not hard to imagine his ERA returning closer to his career 3.14 mark after ballooning to 3.74 last season. The Mets won on Opening Day at the Nationals' expense to improve to 36-13 in their last 49 season openers, but things tend to only go downhill from there for New York. Meanwhile, James Paxton's much-anticipated debut for New York's more successful team will come against the lowly Orioles.
Some of the top value in this slate can be found among pitchers with middling price tags. Tyler Anderson ($35) had three starts with at least 7.2 scoreless innings last season, and many owners will be banking on another such performance from the southpaw in Miami. Facing a toothless Marlins lineup in Miami's cavernous ballpark (0.75 park factor last season) is an ideal scenario for a guy who calls Coors Field (1.27 park factor in 2018) home. Sticking in the NL West, Dereck Rodriguez ($40) impressed with a 2.81 ERA as a rookie last year, and he pitched 14 innings of two-run ball with seven hits allowed and a 13:4 K:BB against the Padres. Bargain-hunting owners willing to take on some risk can stick with the Giants-Padres game and turn to San Diego rookie southpaw Nick Margevicius ($25) against San Francisco's anemic offense.
Key Values/Chalk
Rays righty Tyler Glasnow struggled in spring training, and those struggles are likely to carry over into the regular season against Houston's potent lineup. Newcomer Michael Brantley ($19) stands out as a guy to target on the Astros given his reasonable price and .380 wOBA against righties last season.
Even without partner in crime Justin Upton (toe), Mike Trout should be worth paying up for at $25 with a vanilla lefty in Brett Anderson on the mound for Oakland. On the opposite end of the price spectrum, Teoscar Hernandez ($11) sports a higher career wOBA in righty-on-righty matchups (.334) than against lefties (.321). He's hit third and fourth in the lineup during Toronto's first two games, so Hernandez is a nice low-cost option against Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull for owners looking to spend big at other positions.
It didn't take Robinson Cano ($20) long to ingratiate himself to his new fanbase, as he drove in the game's only two runs on Opening Day - including a solo homer off Max Scherzer. If you're not a believer in Strasburg, Cano could work out as an against-the-grain option at a light-hitting position.
Stacks
The Orioles will be overmatched by pretty much anyone they play, but the disparity is especially great against the Yankees in the Bronx. Baltimore's going with a bullpen game behind opener Nate Karns, so don't worry too much about lefty/righty splits. Besides the usual suspects like Aaron Judge ($25) and Giancarlo Stanton ($21), Luke Voit ($20) stands out as a player in pinstripes to target. Voit burst onto the scene late last season after being acquired from the Cardinals via trade, mashing 14 homers in 39 games with the Yankees. New York's coaching staff certainly thinks that production is no fluke, considering Voit was chosen over many qualified alternatives to bat cleanup in the opener. He rewarded that choice by launching a three-run homer in his first at-bat and not making an out all game.
There could well be some serious offensive fireworks coming from both the Rangers and Cubs in Texas. Globe Life Park in Arlington led the league with a 1.35 park factor in 2018 and starters Yu Darvish (CHC) and Edinson Volquez (TEX) made a combined eight appearances last season. Chicago, in particular, possesses some players that can carry fantasy lineups, such as Kris Bryant ($23).
The Mariners have made life miserable for the Red Sox thus far, and the right-handed hitters in Seattle's lineup are primed to keep the good times rolling against lefty Eduardo Rodriguez.
