After some fun afternoon matchups, Major League Baseball has nine games on the main slate for Saturday night. The Cubs and Royals have the top two starting pitchers going head-to-head in Kansas City in one of the interleague games on the slate, while the Red Sox and Yankees continue their rivalry in one of the three divisional matchups. It’s a busy schedule with plenty of options and seven of the games get underway within 10 minutes of the start of the contests at 7:05 p.m. ET.
With 18 teams in action, there is no shortage of strong options worth considering. Let’s take a look at the top values and bargains on Saturday night’s main slate.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
For up-to-the-minute news, analysis and lineups, download the DK Network app. You also can follow DK Network on Twitter @dknetwork.
PITCHER
Stud
Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals vs. Chicago Cubs ($9,700) – Lugo is set up for what should be a great pitching matchup against Shota Imanaga ($9,900) at Kauffman Stadium. The 34-year-old veteran has been one of the best pickups of the past offseason and has been excellent for the Royals. He already has a career-high with 12 wins in his 21 starts with a 2.38 ERA, 3.22 FIP and 8.1 K/9. In his last start, he dominated the other Chicago team, holding the White Sox to one run on three hits in a complete game to earn 34.4 fantasy points. He has over 21 fantasy points in four of his past six outings and over 27 fantasy points in each of his last three home starts. The Cubs should be a favorable matchup since they rank in the bottom 10 in the MLB in runs scored and wOBA over the last 30 days. Lugo can move into a tie with Chris Sale for the most wins in the MLB if he gets a win on Saturday.
Value
Max Meyer, Miami Marlins at Milwaukee Brewers ($7,500) – The Marlins recalled Meyer after leaving him in Triple-A to manage his workload and help his development even though the MLB team has had serious needs in the rotation. Meyer was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft and is the No. 3 prospect in the Marlins’ system and the No. 79 prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. He had 69 strikeouts in his 58 innings in Triple-A with a 4.34 ERA and 4.43 FIP. He looked even sharper in three starts in the MLB in April, going 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA, 3.73 FIP and a 7.4 K/9. In those three starts, he had 12.9, 19.1 and 25.3 fantasy points. His best start during that stretch came against the Braves, allowing one run in six innings with seven strikeouts. He has a similar ceiling in this matchup with the Brewers, but the Marlins will continue to keep a close eye on his workload, even though he isn’t on a hard innings limit for the season.
INFIELD
Stud
Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals vs. Chicago Cubs ($6,300) – Witt has had an incredible July and if the Royals make the playoffs, he’ll be in the conversation for AL MVP, which he is currently +650 with the third-lowest odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. Over his last 19 games, he went 38-for-75 (.507) with six doubles, six home runs and two triples. He hit safely in all but one of those games and added a stolen base as well. Even in a tougher matchup against Imanaga, Witt offers premium upside and has consistently produced double-digit fantasy points, making him a great place to pay up to start your lineup this Saturday.
Stud
Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Pittsburgh Pirates ($5,500) – Marte has also been having a great month, hitting .338 (23-for-68) with five home runs, a .420 wOBA and three stolen bases. He homered in three straight games against the Royals earlier this week and doubled in the first game of this series Friday. Marte averaged 18.5 fantasy points per game during that short span, and he will look to stay hot against lefty Marco Gonzales ($5,600) and the Pirates. The switch-hitting Marte has hit .350 against southpaws this season with 13 of his 22 homers and a .454 wOBA on that side of the split. Especially since he’s a little cheaper than Witt, Marte is my top bat on Saturday’s slate.
Value
Xavier Edwards, Miami Marlins at Milwaukee Brewers ($3,400) – Edwards moved up to the second spot in the lineup for the last two games for the Marlins, and the young speedster will be a great value if he continues to hit in that premiere lineup spot. Since being called up on July 2, Edwards has hit .380 (27-for-71) with three doubles and six stolen bases. He doesn’t offer much power, but he has started to be more aggressive on the basepaths with five stolen bases over his last nine games. Last year, Edwards swiped 37 bags between Triple-A and the Marlins, and he will be a great value at this salary if he continues to emerge as an offensive contributor for Miami. There is some opportunity cost since he fills the SS slot, but on a per-dollar basis, he’s a strong alternative to Witt.
Value
Tyler Nevin, Oakland Athletics at Los Angeles Angels ($2,800) – Nevin is a cheap option at either corner infield spot, who brings good upside in the suddenly-productive A’s lineup. He spent some time in the minors after a slump but seemed to figure things out, hitting .296 with four homers and a .420 wOBA in 14 games. Since returning his playing time has been sporadic, but he’s usually in the batting order against lefties like Tyler Anderson ($7,900). Four of his six MLB home runs have come against southpaws, and he had nine fantasy points on Friday in the first game of this series in Anaheim. If he’s in the lineup, he’s a nice cost-saving option that brings power potential.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees at Boston Red Sox ($6,400) – Despite the Yankees’ recent slide, Judge continues to put up monster numbers. He leads the MLB with 36 homers and 89 RBI while hitting .306 with a .460 wOBA and an average of 11.4 fantasy points per game. He homered on Friday at Fenway and has four homers in his last 10 games while hitting .333 and averaging 12.6 fantasy points per game. Judge and the Yankees will face Kutter Crawford ($9,300), who gave up five homers and six runs to the Dodgers in his last start. Judge has homered twice off Crawford in his career even though he is only 3-for-16 (.188) in their past meetings. If you have the salary, Judge is always a strong pay-up play to consider based on his power potential.
Stud
Jazz Chisholm Jr., Miami Marlins at Milwaukee Brewers ($4,600) – Jazz is one of the biggest names rumored to be on the block before the MLB Trade Deadline, and he’s playing well to showcase what he could bring to a contender who needs an outfield bat. He’s hitting .249 with 13 homers and 22 stolen bases on the season. He has picked up the pace lately with four stolen bases in his last eight games and three homers in his last 14 games. He had double-digit fantasy points in three of his last four contests and in five of his last eight. He should be in a good matchup against Aaron Civale ($6,200), who has been knocked around this season, especially by lefties like Chisholm, who has a .353 wOBA against him this season.
Value
Lawrence Butler, Oakland Athletics at Los Angeles Angels ($3,700) – Butler’s emergence as a great fantasy play and key contributor has been instrumental in the A’s offense becoming one of the best in baseball over the last 30 days. Butler has been crushing everything he has seen in July, going 28-for-73 (.384) in his last 20 games with six doubles, nine home runs and three stolen bases. His .547 wOBA and .507 ISO show how impressive his power production has been, which is also backed up by his 63.2% hard-hit rate over that stretch, per Statcast. Butler is still a great bargain under $4,000, and I don’t even mind the lefty-lefty matchup against Tyler Anderson, which should keep his ownership down since it does raise his risk slightly.
Value
Victor Robles, Seattle Mariners at Chicago White Sox ($2,800) – Robles landed with the Mariners after the Nationals cut him loose earlier this season. His arrival was well-timed with Dominic Canzone (adductor) and Julio Rodriguez (ankle) landing on IL, opening up playing time. He has made the most of his opportunity and even moved into the leadoff spot on Friday in Seattle’s first game against the White Sox. Since joining Seattle, Robles has hit an impressive .365 (20-for-55) with two homers, a .436 wOBA and eight stolen bases in 29 games. The Mariners’ offense has been slumping as a whole, but Robles continues to put up good points. If the team can get things going even a little, Robles has an even more upside. He’s a great play under $3,000 and can help you afford big bats in other slots while keeping your lineup’s ceiling high.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
