On a Saturday packed with Major League Baseball throughout the day, there are 10 games on the main featured slate on DraftKings, which gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET. Six of the 10 games are divisional contests and three of the other games are interleague matchups, with an AL matchup in Seattle serving as the late-night hammer.
As always when playing DFS fantasy baseball, be sure to monitor any updates leading up to the first pitch. You can keep up with 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 $175K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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PITCHER
Stud
Brandon Woodruff, Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago White Sox ($10,800) – Woodruff was sidelined for almost four months with a shoulder strain, but he has been very effective when available this season and gets a good matchup against the White Sox Saturday night. Woodruff returned from his extended absence last Sunday and allowed just two runs on four hits over five strong innings with nine strikeouts. He didn’t get any run support and took the loss but still produced 22.9 DKFP. He’ll look for similar results but hopefully more run support as his teammates face Jesse Scholtens ($5,700).
Woodruff has been a strong fantasy option over the past several seasons due to his high strikeout rate. He has an 11.57 K/9 rate in his limited work this season and has been over 10.5 K/9 in each of the past four seasons as well. Over the last 30 days, the White Sox have a 25% K%, which is the eighth-highest in the majors. They have also scored the seventh-fewest runs over that span while posting a .291 team wOBA, which is the second-lowest in the MLB. They should be a good matchup for Woodruff, who brings a high ceiling with his punchout potential.
Other Options – Zac Gallen ($11,600), Andrew Heaney ($8,600)
Value
Steven Matz, St. Louis Cardinals at Kansas City Royals ($7,700) – Matz was an absolute mess early in the season and was banished to the bullpen. He figured things out, though, and has been an excellent option since returning to the rotation just before the All-Star break. In his six starts since then, he went 3-0 with a 1.65 ERA, 2.69 FIP and 0.92 WHIP. He also picked up 33 strikeouts in 32 2⁄3 innings to average 20.25 DKFP per start.
The Royals have been playing a little better lately, but they are still a good matchup for Matz. He should be able to return value from this salary under $8K and has a good shot at a win against Kansas City, who has the second-fewest wins in the MLB this season.
Other Options – Michael Soroka ($7,500), Cole Ragans ($5,500)
INFIELD
Stud
Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves at New York Mets ($6,000) – Riley went yard on Friday night as the Braves rolled past the Mets. He now has 27 homers on the season, 11 of which have come in his 22 most recent games. During that stretch, he went 33-for-91 (.363) with six doubles and a triple to go with his 11 homers. He compiled a .491 wOBA in those games and averaged 13.6 DKFP per contest. Riley has established himself as one of the best power options on almost any slate, and he is a strong pay-up play even though he’s in a tougher matchup against Kodai Senga ($9,600). This will be the first time the Braves have a chance to face Senga since he joined their division rivals.
Stud
Jose Altuve, Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Angels ($5,800) – Altuve had his third straight multi-hit game in Friday night’s rout of the Angels and extended his hitting streak to 13 games. During his streak, he hit .434 (23-for-53) with three doubles, three home runs and six stolen bases. Hitting leadoff in a productive lineup gives him plenty of run-creation opportunities, and he has averaged an impressive 15 DKFP during his current hitting streak. On Saturday, he will take on lefty Tyler Anderson ($8,000), who he is 3-for-11 against in the past with a home run.
Other Options – Freddie Freeman ($6,500), Bobby Witt Jr. ($5,900), C.J. Abrams ($4,400)
Value
Ke’Bryan Hayes, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds ($3,300) – Hayes has homered in three of his past four games and seems to be back to full strength after missing a month with a back injury. In eight games since returning, he went 9-for-32 (.281) and in his last four games, he went 8-for-17 (.471) with those three home runs and a .677 wOBA. Hayes has also returned to the top three in the order in that span, which gives him more opportunities to produce. He led off against the last two lefties the Pirates have faced and will likely do the same against Brandon Williamson ($6,600). Hayes has hit .281 so far this season against lefties with a .333 wOBA, and he has hit .329 with a .386 wOBA at home. On the strong side of both of those splits, he should be a good value play at 3B Saturday.
Value
Ty France, Seattle Mariners vs. Baltimore Orioles ($3,100) – France has had a down year overall, but he has found a nice groove lately and brings good value from the middle of the Mariners’ lineup. Seattle is looking to make a playoff surge and getting a boost from France. In his 13 most recent contests, France went 16-for-45 (.356) with two homers and a .420 wOBA. He has a 44.7% hard-hit in that span, which is a significant step up from his 36.1% hard-hit rate on the season. He has also been better for much of the year against lefties like Cole Irvin ($6,000) and has a .303 batting average and .349 wOBA in the split.
Other Options – Luis Rengifo ($3,800), Ryan O’Hearn ($3,000), Jordan Diaz ($2,500)
OUTFIELD
Stud
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Colorado Rockies ($6,600) – I’m back on Betts for a second straight day in my picks since he’s in another great home matchup against Peter Lambert ($5,000) and the Rockies. Betts went 21-for-63 (.333) in his past 16 games with 11 extra-base hits, including four homers and an average of 11.75 DKFP per game. He is always right in the middle of the Dodgers’ run production, with 17 runs scored and 11 RBI in those 16 contests. The Dodgers lit up Lambert for five runs on five hits in just one inning earlier this season, and he has allowed nine runs in eight innings over his two most recent outings. The Dodgers should be poised to pile up production, and Betts should be a strong pay-up play.
Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Cincinnati Reds ($4,400) – Reynolds and Hayes can be teamed up as a solid mini-stack at the top of the Pirates’ lineup. After a scorching start and an injury, Reynolds has settled back into a nice groove after the All-Star break. He went 26-for-77 (.338) in his past 19 games with two doubles, six home runs and a .421 wOBA. Thirteen of his 15 homers this season have come against lefties like Williamson, and he has a .348 wOBA in the split. Williamson has a 5.40 road ERA, and all 13 of the home runs he has allowed have been hit by right-handed hitters, who have a .338 wOBA against him on the season. Hayes and Reynolds are an affordable 1-2 combo that makes a lot of sense Saturday night.
Other Options – Ronald Acuña Jr. ($6,800), Julio Rodríguez ($5,500), Christian Yelich ($5,500)
Value
David Peralta, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Colorado Rockies ($2,900) – Peralta is an affordable way to get a piece of the Dodgers’ expected production on Saturday night. The veteran lefty has hit safely in each of his past seven games with multiple at-bats. During that stretch, he has gone 9-for-23 (.391) with four doubles, seven runs scored, nine RBI and a pair of stolen bases to average 10.7 DKFP per contest. For a play under $3K, Peralta is a very nice option, even though he doesn’t quite have as much raw power potential as some of the more expensive plays.
Value
Lawrence Butler, Oakland Athletics vs. Washington Nationals ($2,000) – Like Betts, Butler is back in my picks for a second straight day, but unlike Betts, he didn’t deliver on Friday. In his MLB debut, he went 0-for-4, but he still brings good upside at this minimum salary. He was just ranked the No. 5 prospect in the system by MLB Pipeline and brings plenty of upside with an intriguing blend of power and speed. He began this season at Double-A, where he hit .285 with 13 stolen bases and 10 home runs in 67 games. He played 22 games after being promoted to Triple-A and produced eight stolen bases, five home runs and a .280 batting average. The lefty had a wOBA over .360 at each stop and has been rising as a prospect since breaking through in the Arizona Fall League last year. He didn’t come through Friday, but he remained a good punt play with a high ceiling on Saturday.
Other Options – Tyler O’Neill ($3,600), Tommy Pham ($3,300), Henry Davis ($2,900)
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $175K 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.
