This Saturday, the MLB has eight games on the schedule for under the lights, providing a solid featured slate of fantasy baseball action on DraftKings. The first of those games begins at 7:05 p.m. in Arlington, where the Rangers host the Angels. That matchup is one of three divisional matchups on the board, which also includes a matchup of division leaders in Los Angeles and a critical matchup between the Royals and Twins, who are both currently holding playoff spots in the AL Wild Card race.
With 16 teams taking the field on Saturday night, several strong strategies can be used when building your lineup. Whether you’re stacking one matchup or picking from a variety of teams, make sure to get your entries ready to roll for what should be a spectacular Saturday slate. My top options are broken down below:
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PITCHER
Stud
Spencer Schwellenbach, Atlanta Braves vs. Toronto Blue Jays ($9,400) – Schwellenbach has gone 5-6 over his 16 starts in his first MLB season, but his numbers have been better than his record. He has 104 strikeouts in 92 2/3 innings with a 3.69 ERA and 3.12 FIP. He has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his last seven outings including two tough matchups with the Phillies, a game against the Mets and a game at Coors Field.
The 24-year-old rookie has a higher strikeout rate at home than on the road, giving him an even higher ceiling against the Blue Jays on Saturday night. Toronto is giving their younger hitters extra playing time as the season winds down and ranks in the bottom 10 in the MLB in runs scored and wOBA over the last 14 days.
Schwellenbach had seven strikeouts or more in seven straight starts before only posting two strikeouts in his most recent outing. The strikeouts should return on Saturday, making him a great option to build around as your top-starting pitcher.
Value
Tobias Myers, Milwaukee Brewers vs Colorado Rockies ($7,300) – Myers is another rookie putting together a solid season for a playoff contender. The 26-year-old is 6-5 in 22 games with a 3.00 ERA, a 4.21 FIP and 8.0 K/9. He has also been strong down the stretch, allowing three earned runs or fewer in each of his last nine outings. He had 45 strikeouts in 50 innings over that span and posted a pair of starts with over 30 fantasy points.
Myers gets a very favorable matchup on Saturday against the Rockies, who have struggled away from Coors Field. They have the highest K% in the MLB over the last 30 days and the highest K% on the road all season. They hit just .217 as a team on the road, the lowest mark in the MLB. Myers did get a little wild in his last start on Sunday, but he’ll look to eliminate the walks and crank up the strikeouts in this strong value spot Saturday.
INFIELD
Stud
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers at Los Angeles Angels ($7,000) – Ohtani homered again on Friday night, giving him 45 bombs on the season to go with 46 stolen bases as he continues his pursuit of being the first player to have 50 of each in the same season. He finished with 17 fantasy points in the series opener and has averaged 15.5 fantasy points per game over his last 15 games. He has 19 hits, six home runs and nine stolen bases in those 15 games with a .420 wOBA. He’ll likely be atop the order on Saturday night in a great matchup against Gavin Williams ($6,700), who is filling in for Alex Cobb, who was scratched with a blister. Facing Williams, Ohtani is very expensive but brings great upside if you can make his salary work at 1B or in the OF.
Stud
Josh Jung, Texas Rangers vs. Los Angeles Angels ($4,200) – After missing most of the season with an injury, Jung has locked in and looked strong over the last week. He went 13-for-32 (.406) in his last eight games with two home runs, three stolen bases and an average of 11.3 fantasy points per game. Jung and the Rangers take on lefty Tyler Anderson ($7,600) on Saturday, and last season, Jung crushed lefties for a .327 average and .418 wOBA. On the strong side of his splits and swinging a hot bat, Jung is an awesome option at the hot corner for just barely over $4,000.
Value
Will Wagner, Toronto Blue Jays at Atlanta Braves ($3,100) – Even though I don’t love his matchup, I still like the value Wagner brings at 2B in this matchup against Schwellenbach. He has been one of the best of the Jays’ recent callups and has been very productive since joining the club at the MLB Trade Deadline in the deal that sent Yusei Kikuchi to Houston. Wagner has hit .309 with two homers, a .349 wOBA and a 130 wRC+ in his 20 games for Toronto. He has a 50.9% hard-hit rate over that span and has averaged 8.0 fantasy points per start.
Value
Brayan Rocchio, Cleveland Guardians at Los Angeles Dodgers ($2,400) – The Guardians have carried the 23-year-old, switch-hitting Rocchio on their roster all season as a top defensive option at SS. His bat has been starting to catch up with the rest of his game over the last 15 games, and he has been a great value despite his underwhelming season-long numbers. Over that stretch, Rocchio is hitting .300 (12-for-40) with three home runs and a .381 wOBA. He’s still only hitting .215 on the season with a .282 wOBA, but his recent hot streak is enough to take a flier on him as a cheap option on Saturday against Justin Wrobleski ($8,000), who gave up 10 runs in his last start against Arizona.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners at St. Louis Cardinals ($5,100) – While it has been a disappointing season for Rodriguez overall, he has been picking things up lately and comes into Saturday night’s matchup with a nine-game hitting streak. He has three home runs and three stolen bases over that span with a .389 batting average and .473 wOBA. He has at least 7.0 fantasy points in each of those nine games while averaging 14.4 fantasy points per contest. On Saturday, he and the M’s will take on Kyle Gibson ($7,200), who has been inconsistent over his last few outings alternating strong outings with a few games in which he was shelled.
Stud
Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Colorado Rockies ($4,500) – Chourio and the Brewers take on lefty Ty Blach ($5,200) on Saturday night. His own nine-game hitting streak came to an end on Friday, but he’s still 13-for-39 (.333) over his last 10 games with four homers, two stolen bases and a .495 wOBA. The 20-year-old rookie has hit 14 of his 19 homers at home and has a .353 wOBA at home against lefties. Chourio brings a high ceiling at just $4,500 with his power and speed potential.
Value
Tommy Pham, Kansas City Royals vs. Minnesota Twins ($3,600) – Pham has been on quite the journey this season, spending time with the White Sox and Cardinals before landing with the Royals. While I’m not a huge fan of the way he got to KC, he has been very productive since arriving and taking over as the team’s primary leadoff hitter. He has gone 7-for-21 (.333) with two doubles and a home run in his five games with the team, averaging 8.8 fantasy points per game. Hitting in front of Bobby Witt Jr. ($6,700) and the rest of the Royals’ big bats should continue to provide him plenty of upside to be a solid play at this price.
Value
Brewer Hicklen, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Colorado Rockies ($2,000) – If you’re spending up on Shohei or other huge stars, you’ll need to find some value options that still bring some upside. Hicklen is a strong option that does just that at the minimum salary. Not only is he the first Brewer in franchise history whose name is Brewer, but the 28-year-old had a strong season at Triple-A with 21 homers and 42 stolen bases before being called up earlier this week. He got two starts against lefties but is still looking for his first hit of the season after going 0-for-5, although he did pick up his first stolen base of the season as a pinch runner on Friday. If he starts against Black, he’ll be a great salary-saver with a solid ceiling.
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 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.
