Major League Baseball has nine games on Saturday night’s schedule including several regional rivalries, a couple of important divisional games and a game at Coors Field which is expected to provide plenty of offense. Almost every matchup is stuffed with intriguing storylines and fantasy options, so it should be a great Saturday night slate on DraftKings. The contests begin at 7:10 p.m. ET with five games in the early wave. Two games follow an hour later, and two games on the West Coast wrap things up in Los Angeles and Seattle.
Let’s take a look at some of the top fantasy options on the board for this nine-game main slate.
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PITCHER
Stud
Logan Gilbert, Seattle Mariners vs. New York Mets, $9,700 – Gilbert and the Mariners begin the night tied with the Astros atop the AL West after beating the Mets 6-0 in the series opener. Gilbert will hope to keep New York’s bats quiet and continue his recent form but with more run support. He has lost three straight starts but allowed just one run in two of those appearances. He posted 23.1 fantasy points in his last start against the Phillies allowing just one run in six innings with seven strikeouts but took a hard-luck loss as the Mariners failed to score him a single run. He was knocked around by the Red Sox at Fenway two starts ago, but aside from that, he has allowed three runs or fewer in nine of his last 10 starts. On the year, he has a solid 3.05 ERA, 3.32 FIP and 8.7 K/9, although his 6-8 record is underwhelming due to inconsistent run support. His ERA and FIP would both be career bests. The 27-year-old righty has been even better at home with a 2.78 ERA and 9.6 K/9 while holding opponents to a .190 average. While the Mets aren’t an ideal matchup, Gilbert’s home numbers are strong enough to still make him a good pay-up play. He has posted over 23 fantasy points in four of his last five games and averaged 20.1 fantasy points per game on the season.
Value
Simeon Woods Richardson, Minnesota Twins vs. Cleveland Guardians, $6,700 – The Twins swept a doubleheader against Cleveland on Friday and closed to within 1 1/2 games of the Guardians for the top spot in the AL Central. The Guardians have dropped seven straight and have scored three runs or fewer in each of their last four contests. Woods Richardson will have to step up down the stretch for the Twins, who announced on Friday that Joe Ryan will miss extended time. The 23-year-old Woods Richardson has gone 3-2 in 19 starts this season with a 3.87 ERA and 3.71 FIP. He has at least four strikeouts in 11 of his last 12 outings and had six strikeouts in his most recent start last Sunday. He finished with 9.6 fantasy points in that game, though, since he only lasted four innings against the White Sox. Like Gilbert, he has been stronger at home than on the road this season. His 8.9 K/9 rate at Target Field, where he has a 3.40 ERA, makes him an especially attractive option this Saturday as he looks to keep the Guardians sliding and help the Twins move to within a game of first place.
INFIELD
Stud
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves at Colorado Rockies, $5,300 – Olson and the Braves get a great matchup against Dakota Hudson ($5,500) and the Rockies at Coors Field. Atlanta’s lineup will likely be a popular stack, and Olson is a good place to start since Hudson has let lefties post a .396 wOBA against him this season and hit eight of the 10 homers he has allowed. Hudson has 2-12 on the season with an ugly 5.84 ERA and 5.34 FIP. At home, he has an 8.26 ERA and has allowed a .433 wOBA. Olson always brings plenty of power potential, even though his power numbers are a little down this year with only 18 homers so far after pounding a career-high 54 long balls last year. He’s hitting only .227 on the season, but he has been better lately, hitting .271 over his last 16 games with five homers and a .376 wOBA. He has hit safely in 12 of those 16 games, and his salary is still relatively low based on his down season so far. At this price, he should be a good value option at Coors Field in this matchup.
Stud
Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates at Los Angeles Dodgers, $5,300 – Cruz has impressive raw physical abilities and brings a high ceiling to any matchup. The 25-year-old has a career-high 18 homers on the season and a solid .334 wOBA and has added 11 stolen bases. On Friday against the Dodgers, he had his second straight three-hit game and is batting an impressive .333 (24-for-72) since the All-Star break with half of his hits going for extra bases including four home runs. He had a .423 wOBA and a 52.2% hard-hit rate during that span, according to Statcast. He’ll look to keep crushing against River Ryan ($9,000) in what should be a fun rookie pitching showcase between Ryan and Paul Skenes ($10,200).
Value
Jackson Holliday, Baltimore Orioles at Tampa Bay Rays, $3,200 – Holliday’s still remarkably affordable given his success since his most recent call-up. The Orioles stud prospect struggled in his first look at the MLB this season but has gone 9-for-32 (.281) with four home runs and an average of 11.2 fantasy points per game since rejoining the O’s on July 31. He moved up to sixth in the lineup on Friday, the highest he has hit in his MLB career. The 20-year-old lefty has a high ceiling with his power and speed potential and is a great play at this price on Saturday night.
Value
Noelvi Marte, Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers, $3,000 – Marte is a good low-cost option at the hot corner and seems to have found his footing after a slow start following his suspension. He’s hitting only .194 on the year but has hit safely in five straight games while going 7-for-23 (.304) with three doubles, a home run and a .367 wOBA. The 22-year-old hit .316 with a .357 wOBA in his 35 MLB games last season, and he looks ready to be a meaningful contributor once again after needing some time to ramp up.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Cody Bellinger, Chicago Cubs at Chicago White Sox, $5,300 – After missing Wednesday’s game and getting Thursday’s scheduled off-day, Bellinger was back in the lineup Friday night and went 3-for-4 with a home run and 26 fantasy points. He has gone 13-for-36 (.361) since coming off IL at the end of July with a double, three home runs and an average of 10.7 fantasy points per game. He has a favorable matchup against Chris Flexen ($5,600), who has let lefties hit 12 homers on their way to a .377 wOBA so far this season. Bellinger is a strong option at a pretty affordable salary as long as he is in the lineup for a second straight night on Saturday.
Stud
Jorge Soler, Atlanta Braves at Colorado Rockies, $5,100 – Soler has been batting leadoff for the Braves since being re-acquired at the MLB Trade Deadline. While the results have been mixed overall, he has hit safely in four straight games and went 2-for-5 with a home run in the series opener in Colorado. He had 19 fantasy points in that contest and always brings big-time power upside.
Value
Sal Frelick, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Cincinnati Reds, $2,800 – Milwaukee’s offense has been suddenly scorching hot, scoring at least eight runs in four straight wins against the Braves and Reds. Frelick is one of the young hitters at the core of the surge and remains very affordable under $3,000. He has hit .273 in his first full season in the MLB with 15 stolen bases and a pair of home runs. In his last 10 games, he has gone 12-for-33 (.364) with a triple, a stolen base and an average of 7.6 fantasy points per game. His teammate Garrett Mitchell ($3,400) is another value play who brings a little more power, but Frelick, Mitchell and the rest of the Brewers’ left-handed hitters are good value plays against Nick Martinez ($5,900), who has let lefties hit five home runs and post a .306 wOBA this season.
Value
Ramon Laureano, Atlanta Braves at Colorado Rockies, $2,700 – Getting Laureano at this salary in this matchup seems like a steal. Laureano homered on Friday at Coors Field and has gone 8-for-31 (.258) with a .326 wOBA and one stolen base since returning from an oblique injury that sidelined him for three weeks. He has hit safely in each of his six starts since returning and it makes sense if he gets another start on Saturday.
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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 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.
