It’s rare that we have almost all the games in one slate on a Saturday, but that’s what MLB has given us here! We love that from a DFS perspective because it gives us many teams to talk about. There are four games during the day, but the other 11 games all start after 7ET. We will zone in on those games because that’s where all the massive player pools will sit. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the pitchers!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
It’s rare that we have almost all the games in one slate on a Saturday, but that’s what MLB has given us here! We love that from a DFS perspective because it gives us many teams to talk about. There are four games during the day, but the other 11 games all start after 7ET. We will zone in on those games because that’s where all the massive player pools will sit. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the pitchers!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
Starting Pitcher Strategy
These first few days after the break are always interesting from a pitching perspective. These teams like to start fresh and restart their rotations on the first Friday back. That means we have numerous top-notch guys taking the mound, which made it nearly impossible to limit it to four guys. What was even more difficult was finding some value plays. All of these guys are in fantastic spots, but not many of them are cheap! There’s also some question marks in these rotations, so please keep that in mind if there are some changes.
Cash Game Recommendations:
Spencer Strider (ATL) vs. CWS
Strider fell just short of an NL Cy Young last season, but he should have a few on his shelf when it’s all said and done. Since the start of last season, Strider has been sporting a 3.01 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. The craziest statistic is his K rate, striking out 368 batters across just 236 innings. We haven’t seen anything like that, and it should be easy to duplicate against a 27th-ranked White Sox offense.
Zach Eflin (TB) at KC
Eflin is quietly having a monster season in Tampa. The right-hander has a 3.25 ERA and 0.99 WHIP, scoring at least 18 FanDuel points in every start this year. He has at least 28 fantasy points in 14 of 17 starts and should reach that at ease against Kansas City. The Royals rank bottom-three in runs scored, OBP, OPS, and xwOBA. We also don’t mind that Eflin enters this matchup as a -250 favorite!
GPP Recommendations:
Pablo Lopez (MIN) at OAK
Lopez made the All-Star team this season and is amid a career year. The Twinkies righty has a 3.89 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 11.2 K/9 rate. That’s the best strikeout stuff we’ve seen from this guy, posting a 2.72 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 11.8 K.9 rate across his last six outings. That form should carry over against Oakland, who rank last in runs scored, OPS, and xwOBA since the start of last year. In their last matchup, Lopez threw six scoreless innings!
George Kirby (SEA) vs. DET
Kirby is my favorite video game character, and it pleases me to write up this pitcher anytime he toes the rubber. The Seattle sophomore has a 3.09 ERA and 1.04 WHIP this year. That’s actually worse than his unbelievable minor-league averages, and he’s facing a minor-league lineup here. The Motor City Kitties rank 28th in runs scored and wOBA, with Kirby entering this matchup as a -300 favorite.
Top Lineup Stacks
It’s hard to understand why Lyles still has a job in MLB. This guy has a 1-11 record, no thanks to his 6.29 ERA. That’s no fluke either, with Lyles lamenting a 5.19 career ERA and 1.42 WHIP. This guy has been getting blown up for over a decade now, and there’s no way he holds down a Tampa lineup that ranks near the top of nearly every offensive category. They’ve faced off five times since the start of last year, with Tampa totaling at least four runs in four of those! This rotation is also in flux, but we don’t really care who Tampa faces because this is one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball.
Minnesota Twins (vs. NA)
Oakland hasn’t announced their rotation yet, but it doesn’t really matter. That’s probably the issue because this team can’t find a starter to throw out there. The A’s rank last in both ERA and WHIP, sending out gas cans every night. It’s not like Minnesota has been mauling opposing pitchers, but they have plenty of talented pieces to pummel the worst pitching staff in baseball.
The Yankees have been one of the worst offenses in baseball since Aaron Judge went down, but a trip to Coors Field could get them right. That’s the highest-scoring ballpark in the league, with the Yanks projected to score nearly six runs in this game. That becomes less surprising when considering the matchup, with Connor Seabold compiling a 6.65 ERA and 1.51 WHIP.
Core Studs
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| 1B |
Paul Goldschmidt (STL) |
$5,500 |
$3,900 |
| OF |
Byron Buxton (MIN) |
$5,600 |
$3,300 |
| 2B |
Luis Arraez (MIA) |
$5,000 |
$3,000 |
| SS |
Wander Franco (TB) |
$5,900 |
$3,800 |
| 3B |
Alex Bregman (HOU) |
$4,200 |
$3,200 |
- Goldy has been one of the best players in the NL throughout the last decade, and he’s tough to fade in a matchup like this. Jake Irvin is toeing the rubber for the Nats, posting a 4.60 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. That’s scary against a guy with a .391 OBP, .539 SLG, and .930 OPS since the start of last year.
- Bux has been struggling to keep his average above .200, but this guy still has some elite power. Buxton has a .538 SLG since 2020 and should go nuts against this weak Oakland pitching staff. We also love that he had the All-Star break to get healthy because Bux has been dealing with nicks and bruises all season.
- Arraez is going to win the NL batting title. This guy’s numbers against right-handers have been even better, though, tallying a .439 OBP and .920 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor. Kyle Gibson is a great matchup, too, generating a 4.60 ERA and 1.31 WHIP.
- Franco is amid a breakout season in Tampa, and we definitely want to use him this weekend against the Royals. They’re sending out either Lyles or Cole Ragans, but neither guy has an eRA below 5.00. That’s scary against the third-highest-scoring player at the shortstop position.
- Bregman has been excellent throughout his career, and we love the form he carries into this matchup. AB has a .360 OBP and .801 OPS across his last 20 games. His biggest asset here is a matchup with Reid Detmers, with Bregman flirting with a .400 OBP and .900 OPS against left-handers throughout his career.
Value Plays/Punts
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| OF |
Giancarlo Stanton (NYY) |
$5,000 |
$3,500 |
| 1B/OF |
Joey Meneses (WAS) |
$3,600 |
$2,800 |
| 2B |
Brandon Lowe (TB) |
$4,200 |
$2,900 |
| OF |
Nolan Jones (COL) |
$4,100 |
$3,200 |
| 1B/OF |
Alex Kirilloff (MIN) |
$2,400 |
$2,600 |
- It’s been a nightmarish season for Stanton, but a trip to Colorado could get him going. This is one of the best power hitters in the history of baseball, totaling a .534 career SLG and .885 OPS. He’ll return to that form soon, and facing a gas can in Coors is the best way to kickstart him after homering on Friday.
- Meneses is in the best stretch of his career right now. The three-hole hitter for the Nats has homered four times over his last three games. That sort of power surge makes him enticing against Steven Matz, maintaining a 4.65 ERA and 1.51 WHIP. Not to mention, Meneses has a .890 OPS against southpaws since his call-up.
- Lowe has been slow to get going, but this stud will find it sooner rather than later. Facing a righty like Lyles should put him in the right direction, with Lowe posting a .829 OPS against righties over the last three years. He’s also expected to be in the heart of this terrifying Tampa lineup and should have plenty of RBI opportunities. If Ragans takes the mount instead, pivot to some of the Rays righties.
- Jones has been one of the Rockies best hitters this season. The rookie has five homers and five steals to go along with a .289 AVG, .377 OBP, .477 SLG, and .856 OPS. Those sorts of averages take a boost in a place like Coors Field, and we don’t mind that he has the platoon advantage against Clarke Schmidt‘s 4.40 ERA and 1.39 WHIP.
- Kirilloff is just too cheap. This guy has been in the heart of the Twins lineup all season, accruing a .372 OBP and .767 OPS. That’s really all you can ask for from such a cheap player, and it should continue since he faces the worst pitching staff in baseball.
Hitter Strategy
We already discussed how we need to pay up for pitchers, but it’s a good slate to do that! We have plenty of cheap bats to build around, with the Twins, Rays, Yankees, Cardinals, Phillies, and Rangers all looking like the best lineups on the board. You’ll be able to find plenty of value between all of those teams to pair with those expensive arms, and that’s the strategy we want to go with today!
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
