This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
We've got eight games to sort through on FanDuel's Saturday main contest, which kicks off at 7:05 p.m. EDT. Big names and hot starters sit atop this pitching slate, with three arms checking in at five-figures and three more at least $9,000. The Dodgers are without a listed starter, but that still gives us only 40 percent of the pitching slate as a payup option. It's going to allow for some creative builds and expected offense across the slate.
That said, we don't have a matchup with a listed total of at least 10 runs. Even more surprisingly, San Francsisco-Oakland carries the slate's lowest number at 7.5. Weather looks clear throughout, so it's all systems go for these eight games.
Pitching
Blake Snell, SD vs. LAD ($10,500): Snell is in ridiculous form, with only elevated pitch counts keeping him from a plethora of quality starts. He's only allowed six runs over his last 13 starts while striking out 108 across 74.0 innings. Snell has failed to reach 40 FDP just four times during this stretch while not topping 30 points only once. That sets up the floor/ceiling here. The matchup with the Dodgers doesn't scream "target me", though maybe that gets us low roster percentages. There's familiarity with this lineup, and Snell is allowing a .217 average with a .708 OPS from 214 Dodger plate appearances while earning a 26.7 percent K rate.
Steven Matz, STL vs. COL ($9,000): I'm personally a little shocked Matz has pitched his way into this column, but here we are. Since reentering the rotation after a bullpen/opener stint, he's given up one or no runs in four of five starts while striking out 27 over 26.2 innings. It's resulted in Matz producing at least 34 FDP four times, a nice floor but with a rising value. What's going in his favor is the matchup. Colorado simply can't hit lefties as they enter Saturday with a league-worst 70 wRC+ along with a .297 wOBA and 26.7 percent K rate. Personal opinion out of the way, the form and matchup suggest Matz is in store for success.
Paul Blackburn, OAK vs. SF ($7,800): Another arm I never envisioned writing about and/or recommending. The game's low 7.5 run total draws attention, and it'll be easy for managers to just toss Ross Stripling into their pitching spot and move on. But I simply don't see any upside in Stripling as he hasn't struck out more than three batters in an outing since mid-May and has only worked six innings twice all season. The floor there may be stable given the opponent, but again, no upside. Blackburn has been the opposite by flashing and then getting shelled, though he's limited teams to two runs or less in three of his last four. San Francisco carries a league-average 100 wRC+ off righties, but do have swing and miss tendencies having fanned 24.8 percent of the time. If the books are right and this is a low scoring game, I'm expecting it to be relatively even and not an 8-0 Giants win. Fingers crossed!
Top Targets
With as many bargain options as we'll discuss below and some potential value on the mound, this looks like an ideal slate to be able to fit Shohei Ohtani ($4,600) into builds. He's a decent 6-for-14 with a homer off George Kirby, has hit in nine straight and will likely look to atone for Friday's three strikeouts.
While the Mets have punted the final two months of the season, Francisco Lindor ($3,800) is seemingly enjoying the stress-free environment. He's gone 10-for-26 (.385) with three homers, seven RBI, six runs and three walks over his last seven games while posting double-digit fantasy points five times.
Juan Soto ($4,100) is another hot bat to consider to anchor your lineups. We don't know what the Dodgers plan to do on the mound and therefore can't target splits, though they'll likely piece together things to likely give Soto some hacks at less-than-stellar arms. He's homered in three straight with 13 hits and four walks in his last seven games.
Bargain Bats
Milwaukee has been so bad off lefties that Bailey Falter may merit consideration as a pitching option. The exception has been William Contreras ($3,100), who's produced a robust .431 wOBA, 173 wRC+ and .297 ISO off southpaws. He should be a popular paydown option.
Teoscar Hernandez ($2,900) profiles similarly with a team-best .383 wOBA off lefties while adding a 152 wRC+ and .283 ISO off lefties and hitting in six straight and seven of eight while coming in at a low salary for a likely cleanup hitter.
I went with a Cardinals stack with moderate success Friday night, and they look to be in a solid spot again Saturday against lefty Ty Blach. He's posted limited innings and that makes splits a poor indicator, yet he's been worse on the road and surprisingly hit harder by lefties, putting Nolan Gorman ($3,500) on radars with his team-best .388 wOBA. That said, Nolan Arenado ($3,200) is valued too low for his run-producing potential as he brings a .256 ISO and 137 wRC+ off lefties into this matchup.
We can all admit it's pretty much over for Noah Syndergaard, though he did limit the Astros in his Guardians debut despite not striking anyone out. If he continues to pitch to contact, and we trust the .378 wOBA he's allowing to lefties, Andrew Benintendi ($2,900) gives us a low ceiling contact option (13.9 percent K rate) to round out lineups. If taking a dart throw in this White Sox roster, perhaps Oscar Colas ($2,200) pops at his near minimum salary.
Stack to Consider
Orioles vs. Tylor Megill: Anthony Santander ($3,600), Ryan Mountcastle ($3,500), Ryan O'Hearn ($2,900)
I found this slate difficult to stack as we've got low run totals across the board, decent pitching or arms facing subpar offenses. The Orioles appear to be the lone exception. Megill has been woeful on the road with a 7.99 ERA (6.05 FIP) while allowing a .388 wOBA and .870 OPS to lefties and .439/1.034 to righties. The struggle here can be that Baltimore is deep and we don't know how they'll line up, so shifting around once the batting order is released could be prudent. That said, we saw Friday how the O's can produce throughout their starting nine. Mountcastle has managed poor splits off righties, but is white hot at 14-for-25 in his last seven games. Santander profiles similarly with only a .338 wOBA off righties, but also four double-digit fantasy point outings in five games prior to a mini 0-for-9 slump. O'Hearn is a wild card. He balances our budget, hits in the heart of this lineup, and has produced a .360 wOBA and 131 wRC+ off righties - the second-best numbers in this lineup behind the more expensive Gunnar Henderson. The entire Baltimore offense is in play here, so perhaps build through your favorites elsewhere and grab multiple pieces here to round out.
