We have a slightly different featured Saturday schedule with a seven-game MLB main slate kicking off at 4:05 p.m. EDT. There are two other slates beginning at 1:10 and 7:15 consisting of four and five matchups, respectively.
An oddly-timed main offering is matched by the strangeness of the player pool. The poorest lineups generally offer the best matchups while there aren't many hitter-friendly parks to target. Toss in a lack of value pitchers, and this is a tough slate to build rosters. On the other hand, that should create plenty of opportunities to build unique lineups in ways that fit your preferred playing style.
Pitchers
It's hard to believe, but Zack Wheeler ($10,000) has looked mostly like himself after returning from thoracic outlet surgery. There's a question about his upside on Saturday as he faces a Cleveland roster that strikes out at the third-lowest rate in the league. And Wheeler comes in with a modest - relative to his cost - K rate of 25 percent.
There are bigger names available, though Max Meyer ($8,500) lists the slate's highest starter strikeout at 26.7. The Mets have shown modest offensive improvement the last two weeks, yet are still below-average and fanned at a 21 percent clip during that stretch. Freddy Peralta ($8,700) is on the other side of that matchup and also worth considering.
There are two volatile options on the lower-end. Framber Valdez ($7,500) draws an Orioles lineup in a deep slump while Grant Holmes ($7,700) has been equally inconsistent and faces a surprisingly tough matchup against the Nationals' side boasting the third-highest wOBA the last 14 days with a K rate of only 18.9. I'd lean Valdez, but he hasn't done well this season.
See which projected starters are going and when with RotoWire's Probable Pitchers page!
Top Hitters
There are a few weaker teams that jump out due to their exploitable matchups on the main slate. Perhaps the clearest is the Twins as they're set to face Jovani Moran and Brayan Bello, the latter being particularly subpar this year. Byron Buxton ($5,900) has done well leading off while averaging just under 12 DK points since returning from injury.
Let's continue the theme of picking off productive players within underwhelming lineups with a favorable opponent. The next stop takes us to Detroit with the Tigers going up against Brandon Young and his 5.12 SIERA. There aren't many Tigers' bats currently excelling, though Kevin McGonigle ($4,800) and Riley Greene ($4,300) are relatively cheap for being featured in this section.
Value Bats
Erick Fedde has been susceptible to homers all season having allowed at least one across four straight appearances and five of the last six. Even though the Giants aren't hitting well, they're still worth considering due to the matchup. Willy Adames ($3,500) got off to a slow start, but has averaged 8.7 DK points during his last 10 games and enters Saturday at a reduced salary.
Carson Benge ($3,500) is starting to look more comfortable in the Majors and has maintained the leadoff spot for the last 11 matchups where he's averaged 9.9 DK points.
Stacks to Consider
White Sox at Giants (Adrian Houser): Sam Antonacci ($4,100), Munetaka Murakami ($5,600), Miguel Vargas ($4,700)
The White Sox has been very productive by posting a league-leading .355 wOBA the last two weeks. There are different combinations to roster with Colson Montgomery ($4,400) one notable omission here. This isn't a perfect Saturday stack due to the poor offensive environment at Oracle Park, yet the matchup against Houser arguably balances that out as he's only produced a 12.1 percent strikeout rate that's paired with a 1.48 WHIP and 1.50 HR/9.
Phillies vs. Guardians (Slade Cecconi): Trea Turner ($4,500), Bryce Harper ($5,400), Kyle Schwarber ($6,000)
There aren't many strong hitting stadiums on this slate, so this play is more about betting on Citizens Bank Park's factors rather than the matchup against Cecconi. The Phillies have been inconsistent on offensive, but there's no denying the talent in the top third of their order. It's not a great day to jam in expensive hitters due to the lack of strong value among the starters, though this would likely be a unique combo that could be up for a strong effort relative to the rest of the more obvious selections.
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