Saturday's usual split schedule leaves us with nearly even afternoon and evening slates. The former kicks off at 2:15 p.m. EDT and features six games while the latter begins at 7:05 p.m. EDT and includes seven. There are strong offerings on both, but our focus will be on the evening one for the purposes of this article.
Pitching
Jacob Misiorowski ($9,400) and MacKenzie Gore ($8,600) represent the top options and they've followed similar patterns by being inconsistent after impressive openings. Misiorowski boasts the superior strikeout upside with a moderate matchup against Pittsburgh, so I'd slightly prefer him. Gore is still a strong play against the Athletics in Texas.
Bryce Elder ($8,100) has to at least be mentioned since he's averaged 21.8 DK points to begin 2026, the second-highest mark of any available pitcher on the slate. He's gone on similar runs in previous years only to crash back to a more reasonable level, yet he's a value selection based solely on recent results. The Phillies have also been very weak (.299 wOBA) to this point.
Two other pitchers in the same range are Jeffrey Springs ($8,000) and Ryan Weathers ($7,700). Weathers has been more impressive maintaining a 31 percent strikeout rate, though Saturday's matchup is important with Springs facing a Rangers side fanning at the AL's third-highest rate (24.9 percent) while the Astros do so at the third-lowest mark (19.3). I'd slightly lean Springs, but both should be considered.
It's not a great day for punt plays, though Walbert Urena ($6,600) is a name to keep in mind when it comes to savings. The Angels have pushed him aggressively through their system. Urena is wild, yet also offers strikeout stuff to provide a boom-or-bust profile heading into a favorable matchup against the Royals. He worked 6.0 innings during his last outing and should be able to last a relatively normal amount after making his big-league debut as a reliever.
Find out which projected starters are going and when with RotoWire's Probable Pitchers page!
Top Hitters
Cole Ragans hasn't looked like himself throughout April, causing many to speculate he's hiding an injury. He possesses the talent to turn things on at any point and resemble a Cy Young contender, but his struggles have been noteworthy enough to consider building portions of a lineup to get exposure against him. Zach Neto ($5,500) and Mike Trout ($6,000) are the obvious choices.
Mike Burrows hasn't had particularly bad skills, yet he's struggled in various ways to begin his tenure with the Astros. That makes the Yankees a team to look at with Ben Rice ($5,500) and Cody Bellinger ($4,500) both reasonable recommendations.
Value Bats
Spencer Torkelson ($2,900) has established himself as a streaky player, and he's heating up after a dreadful start by homering in three straight - which isn't predictive of what will come on Saturday. On the other hand, Brady Singer hasn't been impressive so far and Great American Ballpark remains an excellent park for power.
Urena is a decent punt play, but his inability to consistently throw strikes will hurt him at some point. The Royals don't necessarily look like the best lineup to take advantage, but it's worth getting some cheap exposure to their lineup just in case. Carter Jensen ($3,900) has been among their better bats while a bit expensive with Kyle Isbel ($2,600) and Jac Caglianone ($2,900) at more reasonable valuations.
Stacks to Consider
Cubs at Dodgers (Roki Sasaki): Nico Hoerner ($5,300), Ian Happ ($3,900), Seiya Suzuki ($4,100)
Sasaki continues to search for success stateside, and it hasn't come in four 2026 starts based on a 5.9 K-BB% and 14.1 BB% paired with a 2.04 HR/9. He does generate some whiffs, but everything else in his profile remains favorable for stacking against. The Cubs have produced a .351 wOBA, the third-highest mark in the league. Perhaps the most surprising part regarding their best hitters is the low salaries as only Hoerner and Pete Crow-Armstrong ($5,100) are the only expensive ones.
Reds vs. Tigers (Jack Flaherty): Matt McLain ($3,200), Elly De La Cruz ($6,300), Sal Stewart ($5,000)
Flaherty has been inconsistent so far as he's generally limited runs while also walking 20 across 23.1 innings. Putting that many runners on base is dangerous at Great American Ballpark, and the Reds offer several hitters who can make him pay. The downside of this stack is the opposite of the Cubs with Cincinnati's lineup on the pricier side despite generally underwhelming.
Use our DraftKings MLB Lineup Optimizer to discover more expert recommendations, customize the player pool, set exposure percentage and mass-enter DFS lineups.
