After six games on the early slate, Saturday night brings a solid eight-game main slate of fantasy baseball on DraftKings, which gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET. Four of the eight games are divisional matchups, with one game from the NL Central, one from the AL Central, one from the NL West and one from the AL West to close things out. There are some great matchups to attack and avoid in play on Saturday, and with less than two months left in the regular season, there’s plenty of drama to be found as the divisional and Wild Card races start to take shape.
As usual, it’s vital to keep up with any updates leading up to game time. You can monitor all the latest injury, weather and lineup news by installing the DK Live app and following DraftKings Network on X (@DKNetwork). I’m also on X (@ZT_Sports), where you can keep up with all my picks as the regular season races play out and we get geared up for what should be an outstanding postseason.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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PITCHER
Stud
Blake Snell, San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers ($11,100) – Taking on the Dodgers’ potent lineup is a high-risk play, but Snell has been so locked in that I’m willing to take the risk on him this Saturday night. Both he and Corbin Burnes ($11,700) are very high-priced due to their extremely high ceiling, especially in contrast to the rest of the starting pitchers on this slate. Snell is worth paying up for even in this matchup, though, due to how dominant he has been.
Over his past 13 starts, Snell has compiled a 0.73 ERA with a 2.44 FIP and 108 strikeouts in 74 innings. He has allowed zero or one run in 12 of those 13 starts and hasn’t given up more than two runs since May 19. He averaged 26.7 DKFP per start over that span, including four starts with over 35 DKFP. Snell also had success against the Dodgers early in the season, allowing four runs on five hits with 10 strikeouts over 12 innings. After the Dodgers’ late rally Friday, Snell will look to level the series in San Diego Saturday night. His dominant form should set him up well for success, even in this tough matchup.
Other Option – Corbin Burnes ($11,700), Kenta Maeda ($9,500)
Value
Steven Matz, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Colorado Rockies ($6,900) – The Rockies’ offensive numbers are always a little tricky to analyze due to the elevation inflation at Coors Field. On the road, they have scored the second-fewest runs of any team in the Majors and have just a .299 road team wOBA. They offer a favorable matchup for Matz to continue his remarkable resurgence and bring great value under $7K.
The season started as a disaster for Matz, who struggled so badly that he was sent to the bullpen. He figured things out while working eight games in relief with a 2.81 ERA, 2.71 FIP and 1.13 WHIP after allowing a 5.72 ERA, 4.80 FIP and 1.75 WHIP in his first 10 games, all starts. Matz regained his rotation slot five starts ago and has gone 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA, 2.78 FIP and 0.86 WHIP. Matz has at least 19 DKFP in four of his last five starts and has gone six scoreless innings in each of his last two outings. Since this game is in St. Louis, facing the Rockies should be a good spot for him to keep rolling.
Other Options – Kyle Gibson ($7,900), Ross Stripling ($5,500)
INFIELD
Stud
Pete Alonso, New York Mets at Baltimore Orioles ($5,600) – While the season has turned sour on the Mets, both Alonso and Francisco Lindor ($5,400) have been solid fantasy plays lately, as they continue to produce good numbers despite the chaos and the lack of depth around them on the roster. Alonso has five homers in his last 10 games and has hit .333 with a .392 ISO and .451 wOBA over his 13 most recent games. He has a 45.2% hard-hit rate and a 19.0% barrel rate over that span and definitely seems to be over the bone bruise that sidelined him earlier this summer. He brings good power potential against Kyle Gibson ($7,900), who has a 5.55 home ERA and a 1.58 home WHIP. Even though the Orioles are hot and the Mets are sliding, Alonso and Lindor are strong cornerstones for your fantasy lineup.
Stud
Ha-Seong Kim, San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers ($5,000) – Kim has caught fire lately and can be used at either 2B or 3B, depending on how he fits best into your lineup. He has been locked into the leadoff spot for San Diego and hit a blistering .392 in his 20 games since the All-Star break. In those 20 games, Kim averaged 12.6 DKFP per contest with five home runs, eight stolen bases, 10 RBI, 15 runs scored and a .483 wOBA. He has thrived all season against southpaws with a .317 batting average, seven homers and a .414 wOBA. He should be set up to stay hot in this matchup with Ryan Yarbrough ($5,900) and the Dodgers.
Other Options – Francisco Lindor ($5,400), Nolan Arenado ($5,100), Amed Rosario ($4,000)
Value
Luis Rengifo, Los Angeles Angels vs. Seattle Mariners ($3,700) – Rengifo has moved into the leadoff spot for the Angels since the All-Star break and has become a great value play. He has seven multi-hit games in his past 13 contests with a .315 batting average, four home runs and a .436 wOBA. He only has five stolen bases on the season but has provided good power for a leadoff hitter and has been getting on base in front of Shohei Ohtani ($6,700) and the rest of the Angels’ power producers. He is a solid play under $4K with plenty of upside for as long as this heater lasts.
Value
Brayan Rocchio, Cleveland Guardians vs. Chicago White Sox ($2,100) – Rocchio should get a long look in the Guardians’ lineup for the rest of the season after the team traded Amed Rosario ($4,000) to the Dodgers. Rocchio is the No. 5 prospect in Cleveland’s system and the No. 51 prospect in all of baseball, per MLB Pipeline, and the 22-year-old can provide salary relief at 3B or SS on this slate. In his 89 games at Triple-A, Rocchio hit .291 with three homers, a .361 wOBA and 19 stolen bases. Over his last 18 games in Triple-A, he had a .347 average with six doubles, a home run and a pair of stolen bases. After being called up, he went 1-for-3 with a walk and seven DKFP on Wednesday and collected another hit on Friday. He profiles as a contact-first, line-drive hitter, and he should stay in the lineup as the Guardians evaluate if he’s ready to step into an everyday role.
Other Options – Eugenio Suarez ($3,300), Brendan Rodgers ($2,800)
OUTFIELD
Stud
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels vs. Seattle Mariners ($6,700) – Ohtani’s consistency at the plate has been incredible, especially when you consider that he continues to take his regular turn in the rotation. As a hitter, Ohtani produced 13.4 DKFP per game over his past 20 games by hitting .349 with eight home runs, three stolen bases, 11 RBI and 23 walks. Teams are obviously working around him, yet he has at least eight DKFP in nine straight games coming into Saturday’s matchup with George Kirby ($10,000). Ohtani has gone 6-for-14 (.429) with a home run in his previous career meetings with Kirby. If you can make his hefty salary fit under your cap, Ohtani is the best bat on Saturday night’s slate.
Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels ($5,300) – Rodriguez has been mired in a bit of a sophomore slump for much of the season, but he has finally found his groove. Rodriguez has 17 hits in his past 13 games, batting .293 with four doubles, four stolen bases and five home runs to compile a .328 ISO and .402 wOBA. He has hit .267 on the season against lefties, so he’s on the strong side of his splits against Tyler Anderson ($8,300). After posting 27 DKFP on Friday, Rodriguez has averaged 13.9 DKFP per game over his past 10 contests and always brings a high ceiling with his power and speed combo.
Other Options – Fernando Tatis Jr. ($6,300), Luis Robert Jr. ($5,900), Bryan Reynolds ($4,600)
Value
Tyler O’Neill, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Colorado Rockies ($3,400) – O’Neill extended his hitting streak to seven games on Friday night, and during that streak, the 28-year-old righty has gone 10-for-27 (.370) with a .455 wOBA. He has averaged 8.2 DKFP in his 13 games since coming off the IL, and he gets a good matchup against lefty Ty Blach ($5,300) and the Rockies on Saturday night. This matchup between Colorado and St. Louis is tied with the Mets-Orioles game for the highest run total of the night on DraftKings Sportsbook, and O’Neill is an affordable way to get a piece of the production.
Value
Oscar Gonzalez, Cleveland Guardians vs. Chicago White Sox ($2,400) – The 25-year-old showed intriguing upside last year and got some attention as a preseason breakout candidate. He struggled early in the year, though, and was sent to Triple-A in early May. He didn’t set Triple-A on fire right away either, but he did find a groove and hit .308 with six homers and a .386 wOBA over his final 25 games before being called back up. Since rejoining the team, Gonzalez has gone 7-for-17 (.412) with a triple, two walks and two runs scored. He brings good power potential and nice value upside in this matchup with Michael Kopech ($8,600). Gonzalez hit cleanup Friday and should help fill the power void left by Josh Naylor (side) landing on the IL. Using Gonzalez and Rocchio as cheap plays from the Guardians is one way to save up to spend on Shohei.
Other Options – Hunter Renfroe ($3,700), J.J. Bleday ($2,900), Dylan Carlson ($2,200)
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
