Saturday night’s DFS fantasy baseball slate includes eight games in another busy night of baseball. Six of the eight games start right away after contests lock at 7:05 p.m. ET with only two games following later from out West. The Rockies host the Padres in a Coors Field contest at 8:10 p.m. ET, and in the final matchup of the night, the Angels host the Braves. Pennant races are starting to heat up with just about six weeks left in the regular season and plenty of playoff positions still to be determined.
With 16 teams in play, there are plenty of players to target as you build your Saturday night roster. Check out a few of my favorite studs and values which bring plenty of potential production.
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
Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Angels, $11,000 – Sale’s rebirth with the Braves has been spectacular. He has been consistently excellent, allowing two earned runs or fewer in 11 straight outings and posting a 2.15 ERA and 1.71 FIP over that span. Sale has also been racking up strikeouts with 95 K’s in his 67 innings in those 11 starts. He leads the National League with an 11.8 K/9 rate and had double-digit strikeouts in each of his last two starts. In his last start, he out-dueled Blake Snell by allowing just three hits in seven shutout innings with 12 strikeouts to earn 38 fantasy points. He gets a more fantasy-friendly matchup this Saturday against the Angels, who have scored the fifth-fewest runs in the MLB and rank in the bottom third of the league in wOBA and wRC+ on the season and over the last 30 days. The Braves dropped the series opener on Friday and start the day just one game ahead of the Mets for the final NL Wild Card spot, so this will be a huge spot for Sale to step up and spin another gem.
Value
David Festa, Minnesota Twins at Texas Rangers, $6,700 – Festa gave up 12 runs in 10 innings in his first two MLB starts and was sent back to the minors. He was right back up in the bigs after just one appearance and has been much better since his return. In his four starts since returning, he has allowed only four runs on 12 hits in 17 2/3 innings with 25 strikeouts. He averaged 18.3 fantasy points per start over that span with a high point of 30.9 fantasy points two starts ago on the road against the Cubs. The 24-year-old righty was ranked the Twins’ No. 6 prospect by MLB Pipeline, and he’s going to be key for the Twins in their Wild Card quest since they’re without ace Joe Ryan (triceps) for a while. Festa is in a pretty good spot against the Rangers, who have the fifth-worst wOBA in the MLB over the last 30 days and have hit just .231 as a team over that span.
INFIELD
Stud
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers at St. Louis Cardinals, $6,000 – Betts has been playing in the OF since returning from injury but is still eligible at both SS and OF on DraftKings, making him fit nicely in multiple roster builds. Betts has collected two hits in each of his four starts since returning, going 8-for-19 (.421) with two homers, a double, a stolen base and an average of 15.25 fantasy points per game. He is hitting .310 on the season with 12 homers, 10 stolen bases and a .394 wOBA. He always has a high power and speed ceiling and is clearly over the hand injury that kept him sidelined for almost two months.
Stud
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Angels, $5,400 – After smashing 54 homers last season, Olson has taken a step back this year, but his recent production has been encouraging after his slow start. He has eight homers in his last 20 games and has hit .257 with a .404 wOBA and 18 RBI. He’ll be in a good matchup to bring good thump at 1B since he’ll be facing Angels’ starter Griffin Canning ($6,200), who has allowed lefties to hit .278 with a .368 wOBA and 13 homers off him this season.
Value
Donovan Solano, San Diego Padres at Colorado Rockies, $3,700 – With a matchup at Coors Field against lefty Kyle Freeland ($5,300), everyone will be trying to get a piece of the Padres at Coors Field. One relatively affordable way to get some exposure is by using Solano at either one of your corner infield spots. Solano hasn’t been an everyday player for the Padres when everyone is healthy, but he usually gets the start when the team is up against a lefty. Solano is hitting a solid .307 with a .343 wOBA overall, but he has been even better against lefties hitting .321 with a .388 wOBA. He has seven multi-hit games in his last 14 games with at least three plate appearances, and he usually finds a way to produce solid fantasy points when he’s in the lineup even though he isn’t an elite power option like Olson or Betts.
Value
Shay Whitcomb, Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox, $2,000 – I highlighted Whitcomb in my values from yesterday, so I was bummed when he didn’t get into the lineup after being called up. I think they’ll find a way to get him his first MLB appearance on Saturday against Chris Flexen ($5,100), especially with Alex Bregman (elbow) dealing with an issue. Whitcomb has huge potential both short-term and long-term. He led the minors in homers last year and dramatically cut down on his strikeouts this season while still smashing 25 homers with an impressive .392 wOBA in his 108 games this season for the Sugar Land Space Cowboys. He also added 26 stolen bases, giving him multiple ways to put up big fantasy points.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox, $6,000 – Alvarez is another Astro who makes sense in that favorable matchup against Flexen. The streaky lefty has been heating up in August, hitting .370 (17-for-46) with five homers and a .508 wOBA in his 13 games this month. Flexen has gone just 2-11 with the White Sox this season and posted a 6.75 road ERA. He has been especially hittable by lefties, who have 12 homers and a .376 wOBA against him on the season. He should be a great matchup for Alvarez, allowing the big man to post another big game on Saturday.
Stud
Jackson Merrill, San Diego Padres at Colorado Rockies, $5,100 – Merrill picked up two more hits on Friday night and has nine multi-hit games in his last 24 games. He has piled up extra-base hits with seven doubles, four triples and five home runs in those contests while hitting .353 (30-for-85) with a .440 wOBA and 191 wRC+. Merrill has struggled a little bit against lefties this season, but I’m willing to look past the split since he has been so sizzling and brings such good upside at elevation.
Value
Will Brennan, Cleveland Guardians at Milwaukee Brewers, $2,800 – Brennan continues to be an elite value while hitting second in the Guardians’ order. He was sent down to Triple-A after the addition of Lane Thomas ($4,400), but he caught fire with Columbus, going 13-for-31 (.419) with a .488 wOBA and four stolen bases. Brennan has gone 11-for-25 (.440) in his seven games since returning with a double and a triple. He doesn’t typically bring elite speed or power but does a great job getting on base and sits in a great run production spot in the Cleveland batting order, giving him a high ceiling under $3,000.
Value
Grant McCray, San Francisco Giants at Oakland Athletics, $2,500 – While Breenan is fairly proven and consistent, McCray is another way to attack the cheap outfield spot. There is a lot of “swing-and-miss” in the 23-year-old lefties game, but he does bring a high ceiling when he hits since he has both power and speed upside. He started the last two games in CF for the Giants after being called up on Wednesday. He homered and had 21 fantasy points on Thursday, flashing his power potential that resulted in four homers and a .406 wOBA in his last 20 games in Triple-A. McCray also had 14 stolen bases this season between Double-A and Triple-A, but last year he showed even more potential in that category with 52 stolen bases for the Eugene Emeralds in High-A. He’s boom or bust but brings a high ceiling ideal for GPP lineups.
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!
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.
