Happy 4th of July to all of our subscribers and welcome to one of the more enjoyable days of the baseball season. While there isn't much during the day, DraftKings offers an 11-game main slate starting at 7:05 p.m. EDT. That's more than typical for a Saturday, and it's also worth noting there's a special Independence Day contest with a $17.76 entry fee boasting $150,000 in prizes - including $50,000 to first place.
Pitchers
There are two true aces to consider with tight valuation. Hunter Brown ($10,300) arguably offers the most upside as he leads the pitcher pool in K rate (30.2) by a narrow margin over Chris Sale ($10,800). The downside for Brown is that the Rays represent a tough matchup and don't strike out much, so Sale is a reasonable pivot at home against the Mets.
Jesus Luzardo ($8,800) and Sonny Gray ($8,300) stand out among the next tier. Luzardo lists the better strikeout rate while facing the Royals, though Gray gets an easier opponent in the Angels.
Sean Burke ($7,400) begins our discussion on the value end. He's been excellent for long stretches, including posting a minimum of 19.8 DK points during each of his last three starts. He draws the Guardians on Saturday, and they've managed a .286 wOBA and 24.7 percent K rate the last 30 days.
Given all the games, it may not come as a surprise several other bargain options exist. Robbie Ray ($6,700) has been inconsistent, but has been solid of late having registered at least 23 DK points from each of his last three outings. There's some additional risk beyond his typical inconsistency as he'll be at Coors Field. Sean Manaea ($6,600) has stretched out to a typical starter's workload, yet doesn't hold much upside while still reaching mid-10s points even in a tough matchup against Atlanta.
Find out which projected starters are going and when with RotoWire's Probable Pitchers page!
Top Hitters
The Dodgers have popped even more than normal a few times during the last week. Saturday could bring further success as they draw Griffin Canning, so both Freddie Freeman ($5,800) and Andy Pages ($5,300) are decent lineup building blocks.
It's always worth noting when Great American Ballpark is on the schedule. Brandon Young has been more mediocre than awful while JJ Bleday ($4,300) and Sal Stewart ($4,700) have both been recently hitting well.
Value Bats
Shota Imanaga is a good pitcher with a homer problem, which makes him a decent target of a mini-stack or even a one-off. Nelson Velazquez ($3,200) has regularly been the Cardinals' cleanup batter against lefties and has popped for a couple of big performances the last few weeks.
Nate Eaton ($2,300) has operated at leadoff against each of the last three lefties the Red Sox have faced. He's produced mixed results during that small sample, but did go off for 28 DK points once. Facing Sam Aldegheri should give Boston the opportunity to record some runs and Eaton to rack up fantasy scoring.
Stacks to Consider
Brewers at Diamondbacks (Merrill Kelly): Jackson Chourio ($5,300), Brice Turang ($5,100), William Contreras ($4,700)
Kelly had been one of the steadier selections, though hasn't been able to turn it around after a back injury by only carrying a 3.9 K-BB%, a 13.0 K% and 1.98 HR/9. Milwaukee has consistently been one of the league's better offense ranking sixth in wOBA the last month. Chase Field doesn't offer the same reputation as other hitter-friendly parks, but it's one of the best for enhancing runs.
Marlins at Athletics (Aaron Civale): Liam Hicks ($5,000), Kyle Stowers ($4,800), Xavier Edwards ($5,200)
The Marlins aren't the most obvious stack, yet there are strong reasons to do so on Saturday. Civale has gotten crushed at home having allowed a 6.83 ERA and a 1.99 WHIP through 27.2 innings. Miami also enters with the seventh-highest wOBA during the last 30 days. Their roster is valued up, though not nearly as much as the Dodgers.
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