This Saturday is another jam-packed day of baseball with multiple slates and contests throughout the day. The featured evening slate on DraftKings gets underway at 7:15 p.m. ET, including five solid matchups. The action starts with two divisional games as the Red Sox and Yankees meet in Fenway while the Rangers visit the Mariners in the AL West. Two more games get underway at 9:10 p.m. ET with the Pirates invading Coors Field to face the Rockies and the Dodgers hosting the Royals. The late-night hammer is a matchup between the Diamondbacks and White Sox that should bring plenty of value plays even though both teams are struggling.
With 10 teams to consider, there are some favorable matchups to attack as you put together your team for this Saturday night. Let’s take a look at some of the top plays available.
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PITCHER
Stud
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Kansas City Royals ($10,100) – Yamamoto is the most expensive pitcher on Saturday’s slate for a good reason, and the 25-year-old rookie brings huge upside even though he’s facing the Royals, who have gotten off to a strong start this season. Yamamoto shut down the mighty Yankees last Friday and put up 27.4 DKFP, proving he’s capable of posting big games in any matchup. Yamamoto got a couple extra days off since he threw a season-high 106 pitches in that no-decision. He has allowed two runs or fewer in six of his last eight starts, putting up over 23 DKFP in each of those outings. He has improved to 6-2 in his 13 MLB starts with a 3.00 ERA, 2.63 FIP and 10.4 K/9. He has at least seven strikeouts in four straight outings, and that punchout potential gives him a high ceiling even though the Royals have been great at strikeout suppression this season.
Value
Tommy Henry, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Chicago White Sox ($6,100) – The cheap pitching options are scarce on Saturday night, but Henry is an intriguing play at barely over $6,000. Henry showed good strikeout potential with 32 strikeouts in 31 2⁄3 innings in six starts for the Reno Aces while compiling a 3.41 ERA. That was enough to get him a chance as a bulk reliever behind Scott McGough ($4,000) last Sunday, and the 26-year-old lefty delivered a win by allowing two runs over 2 1⁄3 innings against the Giants. Henry showed the potential for more upside earlier this season with over 15 DKFP in two starts, including an impressive six-inning, six-strikeout win over the Cardinals that earned him 23.9 DKFP. Pitching behind an opener should actually help him qualify for the win and facing the White Sox is an ideal matchup. Chicago’s offense has scored the fewest runs in the MLB this season, averaging just 3.0 runs per game this year with an MLB-low .218 team batting average and a team wRC+ of just 78. Since the league average is defined as 100 wRC+, the White Sox have been well below average at the plate which should let Henry post strong returns from this very affordable salary this Saturday.
INFIELD
Stud
Anthony Volpe, New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox ($4,900) – Volpe has been excellent this season for the Yankees and established himself as the leadoff hitter at the top of one of the best lineups in baseball. The 23-year-old has picked his batting average up to .271 after hitting just .209 last season. Volpe has hit .273 with a .304 wOBA over his last 25 games and has also been more aggressive on the basepaths. He swiped two bags on Friday night against the Red Sox as part of his 15 DKFP to start the series. The Yankees should be in a good spot against Cooper Criswell ($5,800) on Saturday. Criswell has given up 14 runs in his 25 innings at Fenway this season and lost to the lowly White Sox in his last start. While Volpe doesn’t have the star power of Bobby Witt Jr. ($6,400), Mookie Betts ($6,200) or Corey Seager ($5,400) at SS, he comes at a much lower salary and should be in a good enough spot to return good value Saturday night.
Stud
Ke’Bryan Hayes, Pittsburgh Pirates at Colorado Rockies ($4,300) – Hayes and the Pirates will be popular plays this Saturday as they take on the Rockies with the help of the Coors Field elevation. Hayes is an especially strong option since the Rockies will give the ball to lefty Ty Blach ($5,100), who has been good against lefties but has let righties hit .357 with a .401 wOBA. Hayes has had a ho-hum start to the season and missed some time with a back injury, but he has looked better since his return and has been absolutely crushing lefties. Both of Hayes’ two homers this season have come off of southpaws, who he has hit .341 against with a .421 wOBA. Getting him at barely over $4,000 in this matchup makes him an excellent play against Blach and a good way to get Coors exposure without breaking the bank.
Value
Connor Wong, Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees ($3,600) – Wong is another hitter excelling against lefties this season. The Red Sox catcher has been a breakout star this season, hitting .330 overall with five homers and a .372 wOBA. Against lefties, he has been even better with a .351 average and .404 wOBA. On Saturday night, Wong and the Red Sox will face lefty Carlos Rodon ($8,300), who has won seven straight starts. Still, Wong’s production and price make him a good play behind the plate, where offense can sometimes be hard to find.
Value
Adael Amador, Colorado Rockies vs. Pittsburgh Pirates ($2,600) – The Rockies have been giving the 21-year-old Amador a look at 2B while Brendan Rodgers (hamstring) is sidelined, and Amador has flashed some upside while also showing he has plenty of room left to grow. Amador definitely brings speed and has stolen a base while going 3-for-18 (.167) with five hard-hit batted ball events, per Statcast. Amador doesn’t have an extra-base hit yet in the MLB, but he had seven homers and two doubles in his 170 at-bats in Double-A. In that stint with the Hartford Yard Goats, Amador had 22 stolen bases in 25 attempts in 46 games. Amador brings both speed and power potential as a bargain play under $3,000 and is another good way to get a piece of what could be a Coors slugfest at an affordable salary.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox ($6,700) – Saving salary is a great strategy, but you also have to find the right stars to spend up on, and lately, Judge has been exactly the right bat to spend big for. The righty just keeps right on mashing in every matchup and ever situation, making him a great play for DFS. Judge had 13 DKFP on Friday, going 1-for-4 with a double and a walk which actually brought his average down since he has produced 18.2 DKFP per game over his last 13 contests. Judge has 12 homers in his last 21 games while hitting .382 with a .582 wOBA and jaw-dropping 290 wRC+. Judge has been unstoppable in just about every split, and since the Yankees face a favorable matchup against Criswell, he should be set to post another huge number to be worth his elevated salary.
Stud
Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates at Colorado Rockies ($4,600) – Reynolds has been remarkably consistent for the last few years and is on the path to turn in another solid season for Pittsburgh. He’s hitting .265 with nine homers, five stolen bases and a .335 wOBA in his 69 games this season, and the switch-hitter has been especially solid against lefties like Blach. He is hitting .284 with a .344 wOBA in the split. He comes into this matchup riding a 12-game hitting streak after going 2-for-4 with a home run in the series opener. Reynolds has gone 17-for-50 (.340) during the streak with seven extra-base hits including two home runs and a .418 wOBA. He’d be a good play at this salary in this matchup regardless of where this game was being played. The fact that it’s at Coors makes him an even stronger mid-range option with a higher ceiling.
Value
Michael A. Taylor, Pittsburgh Pirates at Colorado Rockies ($2,900) – Reynolds’ teammate Michael A. Taylor is a great value to consider as well since he could get the start since Blach has been good against lefties. Taylor is only hitting .204 on the season but has picked up a hit in each of his last three games with multiple at-bats. He’s also had three stolen bases over the last week, so he brings speed potential as well. He is the defensive replacement, so if the Pirates have the lead, he’s unlikely to be lifted late in the game as well.
Value
Kyle Isbel, Kansas City Royals at Los Angeles Dodgers ($2,200) – If you need to go even cheaper in an outfield spot or don’t trust Taylor, Isbel is worth a look at his salary, which is barely over the minimum in this matchup with Yamamoto. Isbel is hitting .225 with four homers, four stolen bases and a .305 wOBA on the season. He has hit safely in six of his last eight games, going 8-for-24 (.333) with a double and a triple for a .356 wOBA. The 27-year-old lefty has a 46.7% hard-hit rate over his last 11 games, so he brings more potential than his bargain basement salary indicates and can be a nice salary saver this Saturday.
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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.
