This Saturday night, the MLB continues a great opening weekend with six games on the slate under the lights. Since all the games are either indoors or in southern California, the weather shouldn’t impact this solid slate of action, which gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET. With a dozen teams in the player pool and some great matchups to break down, let’s dive in and find some top MLB DFS picks.
Aside from the Dodgers and Cubs, who got in some extra games in Tokyo, the teams in action are playing the third game of the season. The aces mostly started on Opening Day and we’re deep into the rotation for most of the teams. With more attractive matchups for some hitters, there should be plenty of offense on Saturday’s slate. Don’t worry though, there are still some good options on the mound to build around. Let’s take a look at my top targets and values for the six-game Saturday night slate.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $175K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Bryce Miller, Seattle Mariners vs. Athletics, $7,900 – Miller is only the fifth-most expensive option on Saturday night’s slate, but he’s my favorite play by a wide margin. Last season, Miller went 12-8 in 31 starts, posting career bests in wins, starts and innings. The 26-year-old posted an impressive 2.94 ERA with an 8.5 K/9 and 3.58 FIP. He was especially sharp at T-Mobile Park, where he had a 1.96 ERA and 2.45 FIP to go with a 10.4 K/9.
He starts this season at home with a favorable matchup against the Athletics. While I do think the A’s will be a much better offensive team this season, Miller should still be able to start the season strong at home. Unlike some of the other options in play, he is fully ramped up and went 5 1/3 innings in his final appearance in spring training.
Value
Spencer Arrighetti, Houston Astros vs. New York Mets, $7,500 – Arrighetti brings a high strikeout ceiling to his first start this season against the Mets, and even in a tough matchup, he has the potential to deliver good value. The 25-year-old had a 10.6 K/9 in his 29 games last year, going 7-13 with a 4.53 ERA and 4.18 FIP. He settled in as the season went along after stepping in due to injuries and finished with a good stretch with a 2.36 ERA and 3.75 FIP over his last six games. Arrighetti also looked solid this spring, posting a 3.71 ERA and racking up 20 strikeouts in 17 innings.
Arrighetti’s reliability and strikeout upside makes him my favorite value of the day. If you are looking for an even cheaper option that comes with a high ceiling but also high risk, check out Griffin Canning ($6,700) on the other side of this matchup. Canning had a great spring with New York but has struggled in the past few years for the Angels, especially against the Astros, who he’ll face in his first start with his new squad.
INFIELD
Stud
Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Chicago Cubs, $5,700 – Marte went 2-for-5 with a double in each of his first two games, with double-digit fantasy points in both contests. He’ll likely hit leadoff on Saturday against lefty Shota Imanaga ($9,000), and he is a strong pay-up option at 2B since he typically feasts on left-handed pitching. Last season, Marte hit .342 against lefties in 193 at-bats with a .448 wOBA and 190 wRC+.
Stud
Tommy Edman, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Detroit Tigers, $4,300 – Edman is an affordable way to get some exposure to the Dodgers’ juggernaut of a lineup and can either slot at SS or in the OF. He has picked up exactly one hit in each of Los Angeles’s first four games this season, going 4-for-18 (.222) with three runs scored, three RBI and two home runs. I like Reese Olson ($6,800) just fine, but this Dodgers lineup is so stacked that they look ready to score plenty of runs every night. Getting Edman at just over $4,000 is a good way to get a piece of the action.
Value
Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Chicago Cubs, $2,900 – Moreno is a nice way to save some salary behind the plate and comes at under $3,000. He hit .302 against southpaws last season and went 2-for-3 with a walk on Opening Day before getting Friday night off. Moreno hit three home runs and had a .358 wOBA in Cactus League action, and getting him in the mix against lefties is a solid strategy, especially at this salary.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Detroit Tigers, $5,200 – He seems to be feeling better… After missing the Tokyo Series due to an illness that caused him to lose nearly 20 pounds, Betts was the hero on Friday night, homering in the eighth inning to break a 2-2 tie and then walking it off with a three-run blast in the 10th inning. He had 37 fantasy points in the victory after starting his season with a solid seven fantasy points on Thursday. He’s locked into the second spot in the order right behind Shohei Ohtani ($6,500) and both are outstanding plays against Olson and the Tigers on Saturday night. Betts gets my pick here after last night’s heroics and due to the fact that he’s so much cheaper than Ohtani.
Stud
Marcell Ozuna, Atlanta Braves at San Diego Padres, $4,900 – Randy Vasquez ($6,400) was expected to contend for the Padres’ fifth starter role in spring training, but he struggled badly, giving up eight runs on 14 hits in eight innings this spring. So how is he starting the Padres’ third game of the season? Mostly due to injuries to the rest of the rotation. With Vasquez on the mound, the Braves are a very solid stack to consider, and one power option with plenty of upside is Marcell Ozuna, who also seems a little cheap under $5,000. Ozuna had nine fantasy points in each of his first two games this season after smashing four home runs in 19 spring training games with a .420 wOBA.
Value
Cam Smith, Houston Astros vs. New York Mets, $2,800 – The Astros surprised almost all the prospect watchers by vaulting Smith all the way to the majors after acquiring him from the Cubs in the Kyle Tucker ($6,000) trade. Smith crushed his first MLB spring training, hitting .342 with four home runs and a .474 wOBA in 15 games. He was the No. 14 overall pick in the MLB Draft less than a year ago but is already making an impact with the Astros. On Opening Day, Smith picked up his first MLB hit. On Friday, he went 0-for-2 but did manage to work two walks. He will continue to learn on the job after just 32 minor-league games, but he is a dynamic talent with lots of upside for a play available under $3,000.
