It’s another stuffed Saturday of Major League Baseball action giving players all kinds of ways to get involved in contests on DraftKings. There are afternoon slates and turbo slates throughout the day leading up to a nice, five-game slate on Saturday night that locks at 7:10 p.m. ET and includes some great matchups throughout the evening and night. The second game of the Cubs-Marlins doubleheader is on this slate along with a matchup from Coors Field and the nightcap from San Diego.
Let’s take a look at the best DFS options from Saturday night’s five-game slate.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $125K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]
For up-to-the-minute news, analysis and lineups, download the DK Live app. You also can follow DK Network on Twitter @dknetwork.
PITCHER
Stud
Shota Imanaga, Chicago Cubs vs. Miami Marlins ($9,400) – Imanaga is the highest-priced pitcher on the slate this Saturday night for a good reason, and he’s an option to consider paying up for in this great matchup against the Marlins. So far in his first MLB season, the 30-year-old lefty from Japan has allowed just one run over 15 1⁄3 innings, and that one run was unearned. He has a 0.00 ERA along with a 1.51 FIP and a 3.44 SIERA. In his three starts, he has piled up 16 strikeouts, which has resulted in 22.6 DKFP per outing. The only game that was a fantasy disappointment came in a start that was shortened due to a rain delay.
Imanaga will look to keep rolling as he faces the Marlins, who have scored only 3.7 runs per game this season while hitting only .214 as a team. They rank in the bottom five in the league in average, ISO, wOBA and home runs, and they have struggled even more against lefties, hitting just .192 as a team with a 0.075 ISO in that split.
Value
Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals vs. Baltimore Orioles ($7,800) – Ragans and the Royals take on the Orioles Saturday night, and he’s my favorite value starter of the night. The Coors Field effect is a huge risk factor with Luis Castillo ($7,600), who does bring upside, but I like Ragans’ outlook against the O’s a little bit better. In three of his four starts this season, the 26-year-old lefty has produced over 22 DKFP, with the only letdown a home start against Houston. He bounced back from that outing by allowing just five hits in six shutout innings against the Mets last Sunday, earning 25.3 DKFP. On the season, Ragans has 29 strikeouts in 23 1⁄3 innings with an impressive 1.93 ERA and 2.30 FIP. He spun a great game against Baltimore in their first meeting of the season, holding the O’s to one hit over 6 1⁄3 innings with seven strikeouts for 26.5 DKFP in a no-decision. While he’s still in search of his first win of the season, Ragans has shown enough upside to be a strong play under $8,000 and brings good strikeout potential.
INFIELD
Stud
Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers at Atlanta Braves ($5,400) – Semien homered for the second straight day on Friday night and has four homers on the season while hitting .295 with a .205 ISO and .379 wOBA from the leadoff spot in the Rangers’ lineup. He’ll go against Charlie Morton ($7,900) of the Braves in Atlanta on Saturday night, and he is 6-for-17 (.353) against Morton in their past meetings with two extra-base hits and a pair of walks. Semien has offered a nice blend of power and speed from the leadoff spot for Texas over the past few seasons and is off to another strong start this year.
Stud
Michael Busch, Chicago Cubs vs. Miami Marlins ($4,500) – Busch’s salary has risen to catch up with his hot start, but the rookie is still worth a look since the Cubs are in a great spot against Roddery Munoz ($4,000), who will be making his MLB debut. Munoz has allowed 14 runs with 12 walks across 10 2⁄3 at Triple-A, and the Cubs will look to take advantage of the matchup against the 24-year-old righty in Game 2 of their doubleheader. Busch has posted a .317 batting average with six homers and a .452 wOBA in his first 18 games this season, averaging an impressive 9.4 DKFP per game. Busch got Friday off against a lefty, but he should be ready to return for a big Saturday of production against the Fish.
Value
Josh H. Smith, Texas Rangers at Atlanta Braves ($3,300) – Smith has helped fill in at 3B for Josh Jung (wrist) and has been very productive overall. He hit safely in 10 straight starts before going 0-for-3 with a walk on Friday. Over his last 12 games, he has gone 11-for-37 (.297) with two doubles, six runs scored and six RBI. He doesn’t bring elite power or speed, but he has consistently been productive in a good lineup at this affordable price. He should be in the lineup against Morton and brings good value at either spot on the left side of the infield.
Value
Otto Lopez, Miami Marlins at Chicago Cubs ($2,000) – Even though I like Imanaga a lot, there’s still value available in the Marlins lineup. Lopez will likely end up in the lineup at one of his many positions for the second game of the doubleheader. He is eligible at both 2B and SS on DraftKings but might play 3B as well. Lopez earned a call-up by going 15-for-27 (.556) with four doubles and two homers at Triple-A after being claimed off waivers from the Giants. The 25-year-old has good splits against lefties and is a good contact hitter, who should be a good value as a punt play in a middle infield spot to enable spending at other positions on Saturday.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves vs. Texas Rangers ($6,400) – Acuña went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks on Friday. Even though he only has one home run this season, he has still been a solid fantasy producer due to his .286 average with eight stolen bases. Seven of those eight steals have come in his last nine games, and he went 12-for-34 (.353) over that stretch with three extra-base hits including his home run. Most of his damage has come against righties this season, so he should be in a good spot against Nathan Eovaldi ($8,300) as a pay-up outfield play.
Stud
Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners at Colorado Rockies ($5,700) – While he’s still looking for his first home run of the season, Rodriguez has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games with an at-bat, going 11-for-42 (.262) with two doubles and two stolen bases over that stretch. It will be very interesting to see how Coors plays since it will be chilly but clear after Friday’s game was snowed out. Rodriguez has enough upside with his speed to still be a good play even if his power is a little slow to come around this season. He’ll be in a good matchup against Rockies’ starter Dakota Hudson ($5,700), who has given up 11 runs in 17 1/3 innings over his first three starts, going 0-3 and allowing righties to post a .305 wOBA against him.
Value
Jonatan Clase, Seattle Mariners at Colorado Rockies ($3,000) – The 21-year-old Clase has already infused some much-needed energy into the Mariners order, and his salary is still workable at $3,000. He can be part of a nice wraparound stack in the outfield with Rodriguez and possibly J.P. Crawford ($4,200) and Jorge Polanco ($4,900). Last year in the minors, Clase showed a high ceiling with 20 homers and 79 stolen bases in 129 games split between High-A and Triple-A. He had two homers and three steals in his 12 games at Triple-A this season before being called up for his debut on Monday. He has only gone 2-for-11 in his three games since being called up but does have a double, two RBI and a stolen base to still average 7.0 DKFP per contest. As I keep saying, I’m going to keep coming back to him until his salary catches up with his upside.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $125K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (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 skill 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.
