This holiday weekend continues with a busy Saturday of baseball with a focused four-game main slate ready to roll under the lights. The first two games on the slate begin at 7:15 p.m. ET when the DraftKings contests lock for the night. The two spotlight matchups at 7:15 are each key NL matchups between playoff contenders. The Phillies visit the Braves in an NL East showdown, and the Brewers are in Los Angeles to take on the Dodgers in another potential playoff preview. The other NL West teams are also on the small slate as the Padres host the Diamondbacks after Friday night’s wild walk-off win and the Rockies welcome the Royals to Coors Field.
Even with only eight teams on the slate, there are some great options to consider for your fantasy baseball lineup. Whether you’re looking for pau-up plays or bargain shopping, check out my top studs and values Saturday’s slate below.
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PITCHER
Stud
Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals at Colorado Rockies ($8,200) – Lugo leads the MLB in ERA and is tied for the lead in wins, but he’s only the third-most expensive pitcher on the slate since he’s pitching at Coors Field. Lugo has proven to be one of the best free agent signings from last offseason and has helped the Royals stay in contention in the AL Wild Card race. He has a 2.17 ERA, 3.21 FIP, an 8.15 K/9 and 11 wins in his 18 starts. The 34-year-old veteran has worked at least six innings in each of his last eight starts and has gone 6-1 with a 2.52 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 64 1⁄3 innings over his last 10 starts. He was especially dominant in his most recent start, holding the Guardians scoreless for six innings with 10 strikeouts for 34.5 DKFP. The only real question regarding Lugo this Saturday is the Coors Field factor, and he actually has had success in Denver during his career. In 14 innings at Coors, he has 20 strikeouts and a 3.21 ERA. The matchup against the Rockies is also favorable since they rank in the top six in K% and the bottom six in wRC+ over the last 30 days. With his salary reduced to compensate for the added risk, I’m still in on Lugo even at elevation this Saturday.
Value
Matt Waldron, San Diego Padres vs. Arizona Diamondbacks ($7,600) – Waldron has had a few ups and downs this season, which are typical when dealing with a knuckleballer. For the most part, though, he has been impressive going 5-7 with a 3.56 ERA and 3.61 FIP. He gave up a pair of homers and struggled a bit in Boston last Sunday, but in each of his nine previous starts, he held opponents to two earned runs or fewer. In those nine starts, he went 4-2 with a 1.95 ERA, 2.67 FIP and 8.95 K/9. He beat Arizona as part of that run, giving up just one run on three hits in six innings and earning 20.5 DKFP. Waldron had over 19 DKFP in five of six games before totaling only 5.6 DKFP last Sunday. Arizona’s offense has been heating up lately, but Waldron should still be a good value play as he looks to bounce back in San Diego on Saturday.
INFIELD
Stud
Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals at Colorado Rockies ($6,500) – Witt continues to post impressive numbers for the Royals and brings both power and speed potential any time he’s on the slate. If the Royals can get to Austin Gomber ($5,100), Witt could be right in the middle of plenty of run production at Coors. After picking up two more hits on Friday in the series opener, he is hitting .330 with a .398 wOBA over his last 23 games. He has four multi-hit performances in his last five contests, including two home runs. His .321 batting average is second in the MLB, and he has been even better against lefties, hitting .339 with a .376 wOBA in the split.
Stud
Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves at Philadelphia Phillies ($5,000) – Riley has been heating up since coming off the IL and has helped the Braves offense stay productive despite multiple key injuries. He has picked it up over his last 20 games, going 25-for-69 (.362) with six doubles, eight home runs, a .435 ISO and a .510 wOBA. He smashed his 11th homer of the season on Friday night against Aaron Nola and finished with 20 DKFP. He has at least 14 DKFP in three of his last four games, and he also has a good history against Ranger Suarez ($9,600), going 7-for-17 (.412) with four extra-base hits including a home run.
Value
Rafael Marchan, Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves ($2,500) – With J.T. Realmuto (knee) on the IL, the Phillies have platooned Marchan and Garrett Stubbs ($2,600) behind the plate. Whichever one starts Saturday night against the Brave will be a good value option since both come very affordably with good upside. Marchan had two hits on Friday night and has gone 11-for-41 (.268) with three homers and a .358 wOBA in his 13 games since being called up. The 25-year-old has been rotating with the 31-year-old veteran Stubbs, who has gone 7-for-23 (.304) in his last seven games with a double and a home run. Whichever Phillies catcher starts, he’ll be a good low-cost solution behind the plate on this small slate.
Value
Chris Taylor, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Milwaukee Brewers ($2,400) – It has been a rough year for Taylor overall, but the 33-year-old versatile veteran has shown he may be snapping out of his funk. He’s still hitting only .156 with a .235 wOBA on the year, but over his last 10 games, he has gone 8-for-26 (.308) with a double, a home run and two stolen bases to produce 7.5 DKFP per contest. Manager Dave Roberts made it clear that Taylor will get a longer run at 3B to help stabilize the position until Max Muncy (oblique) is ready to return. Since he fits at 2B or 3B and comes so cheap, Taylor is a solid value play to help balance out your lineup on Saturday.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Brenton Doyle, Colorado Rockies vs. Kansas City Royals ($4,800) – Doyle continues to be a great way to get some Coors exposure without overpaying an inflated salary. The 26-year-old brings both power and speed potential, giving him a very high ceiling. On the season, he has 10 homers and 20 stolen bases while hitting a solid .274 with a .335 wOBA. He has caught fire and picked up multiple hits in each of the four games on the Rockies’ current homestand, going 10-for-15 (.667) with four doubles and three home runs for a .912 wOBA and .867 ISO. He averaged 22.5 DKFP in those four games and will continue to bring a high ceiling even in this less-than-ideal matchup against Lugo.
Stud
Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks at San Diego Padres ($4,700) – Carroll is still hitting only .213 on the season, but he’s showing signs of turning things around over his last few contests. He had two doubles on Friday night and has hit safely in seven of his last 10 games while averaging 6.2 DKFP per game and going 9-for-40 (.225) with four doubles and a stolen base. He had 14 DKFP in the series opener against the Padres and will look to keep his resurgence going against Waldron and the Padres on Saturday. He’s still a little risky given his long-term form this season, but he brings a high ceiling under $5,000 since he has both power and speed potential much like Doyle.
Value
Jackson Merrill, San Diego Padres vs. Arizona Diamondbacks ($4,000) – It’s a good day to be a young rookie OF named Jackson. Merrill has been excellent lately for the Padres, hitting .325 with nine homers and a .453 wOBA over his last 21 games. Eight of his 12 homers this season have come against righties like Brandon Pfaadt ($7,800), and he has a .372 wOBA and 148 wRC+ against righties on the season. Merrill had three RBI and 16 DKFP on Friday and has averaged 9.8 DKFP over his last 10 games.
Value
Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers at Los Angeles Dodgers ($3,300) – The other rookie Jackson has also been heating up lately, and he comes a little bit cheaper in his matchup with James Paxton ($7,100). Chourio started the season on fire but then hit a rough patch after the league adjusted to him. Over his last 11 games, though, he seems to have made his own adjustment, going 15-for-36 (.417) with three doubles, two home runs, nine runs scored and a stolen base. He has averaged 10.2 DraftKings points per game during his streak and is a strong value option under $3,500.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]
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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.
