The main slate of MLB DFS action this Saturday starts at 4:05 p.m. ET with 10 games on the schedule for either 4:05 p.m. or 4:10 p.m. ET. With all 10 games on the slate starting at about the same time, it’s basically an expanded turbo slate. With 20 teams on the board, there are plenty of strong matchups to consider as well as a few to avoid. Let’s take a look at the 20 teams in play and spotlight my top MLB DFS picks for Saturday’s main contests.
As usual at this time of the season, the weather is an important element to consider. The games in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati have a chance for a rain delay while Boston shapes up to be good hitting weather with the wind blowing out to left on a warm, humid afternoon at Fenway. Be sure to double-check the latest radar and lineup cards before locking in your roster for Saturday.
With all that in mind, let’s break down my top MLB DFS picks.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $150K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Robbie Ray, San Francisco Giants at Chicago White Sox, $10,500: Ray is the most expensive starting pitcher on the board, but that’s because he brings a very high ceiling in a soft matchup against the White Sox. Ray has been a little inconsistent lately with under 14 fantasy points in each of his last three outings, but he should be able to return to the form that powered him to over 22 fantasy points in the eight previous games. He had a pair of games over 30 fantasy points, which is also a possibility if he locks in early against Chicago.
In a nice rebound season after two injury-filled campaigns, Ray is 8-2 in his 16 starts with a 2.83 ERA and 3.27 FIP. He has 104 strikeouts in his 92 1/3 innings and has held opponents to a .208 batting average. The White Sox have the fourth-highest K% in the majors over the last month and have averaged only 3.3 runs per game while hitting .218 as a team.
Value
Quinn Priester, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Colorado Rockies, $7,900: The Brew Crew has won seven of their last eight coming into this matchup with the Rockies and Antonio Senzatela ($5,100). They should be able to get good run support for Priester, who has been very solid since joining Milwaukee via trade. He is 5-2 with a 3.68 ERA, 4.27 FIP and 1.31 WHIP over his 14 games and has allowed no more than three earned runs in his last nine games, with a 2.64 ERA and 3.75 FIP over that stretch.
While Priester doesn’t always rack up strikeout numbers, he still has good upside against the strikeout-prone Rockies. He posted at least 18 fantasy points in three straight starts and four of his last five before struggling a little bit last Sunday in Minnesota. He had a season-high seven strikeouts and 25.3 fantasy points against the Braves earlier this month and should be able to return solid value against the Rockies, who have struggled away from Coors Field with a .207 batting average, a .272 wOBA and 70 wRC+ on the road. They also have the highest road K%, so Priester should be able to find some Ks and have a good shot at a win this Saturday.
INFIELD
Stud
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays at Boston Red Sox, $5,200: Guerrero wasn’t initially in Friday’s lineup after being hit on the forearm on Thursday, but he was added to the lineup and looked just fine, going 2-for-4 with a stolen base and 19 fantasy points. He has double-digit fantasy points in three of his last four games and has averaged 12.4 fantasy points over his last 10 games.
Guerrero is a .356 lifetime hitter at Fenway with a .356 batting average, 10 homers and 45 RBIs in 49 career games. The hitting conditions at Fenway are favorable, and he’ll be matched up with Lucas Giolito ($7,500), who has been boom-or-bust this season. At home, he has a 7.66 ERA and has given up a .376 batting average, four homers and a .433 wOBA. Guerrero hasn’t hit him well in their past matchups, but he’s hitting the ball well enough that I like him on Saturday.
Value
Spencer Steer, Cincinnati Reds vs. San Diego Padres, $2,800: Steer went off on Friday with three homers and 44 fantasy points when I highlighted him in my top value plays. I’m going back to the well since his big game was a continuation of his recent hot streak. He’s hitting .325 over his last 21 games with a .396 wOBA, four doubles, a triple and five homers.
He has multiple hits in six of his last nine while averaging 14.3 fantasy points per game over that stretch. On Saturday, he’ll face Randy Vasquez ($6,700), who has been much better lately after a slow start but still has a 4.14 ERA and 5.79 FIP on the road.
Value
Ronny Mauricio, New York Mets at Pittsburgh Pirates, $2,400: Mauricio stayed with the team even after the return of Mark Vientos ($2,700), and he keeps getting playing time, especially against lefties like Bailey Falter ($7,300). Mauricio brings a high ceiling with his combination of power and speed, and if he hits ninth in the order, he will bat ahead of the top of the lineup.
He has hit safely in six of his last seven games, batting .333 (8-for-24) with a double and a home run. Overall, he has three homers and two stolen bases in his 19 games since joining the Mets and has averaged 6.0 fantasy points per game. As a bargain filler, he brings lots of upside in what should be a favorable matchup in Pittsburgh.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Juan Soto, New York Mets at Pittsburgh Pirates, $5,500: Soto is another member of the Mets who makes sense against Falter, even though it’s a lefty-lefty matchup. Falter actually has reverse splits this season, letting lefties hit .288 with a .324 wOBA against him. Soto is actually hitting lefties well this season as well with a .295 batting average and .401 wOBA.
He comes into this contest red-hot after going 21-for-59 (.356) with two doubles and nine homers over his last 18 games. In that span, he has a 66.7% hard-hit rate and 22.9% barrel rate with an average exit velocity of 96.8 miles per hour. He’s hot enough and the matchup isn’t scary enough to make him an option to avoid even in this matchup.
Stud
Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Colorado Rockies, $5,000: Yelich is another big lefty bat to build around since he has been fueling the Brewers’ recent surge. Over the last 10 games, he has averaged 14.3 fantasy points per game while going 19-for-42 (.452) with six doubles, two homers and a pair of stolen bases. He has a 59.4% hard-hit rate over that stretch, and he’ll be on the strong side of the splits against Senzatela.
Senzatela has let lefties hit .368 against him this season with a .409 wOBA. Yelich is 4-for-17 against Senzatela in the past with a home run.
Value
Isaac Collins, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Colorado Rockies, $2,900: Collins is a nice value option to pair with Yelich or use on his own. He has 17 hits in his last 17 games, hitting .333 (17-for-51) with two doubles, a triple, three homers and a stolen base.
The switch-hitter averaged 10.1 fantasy points per game in his last 12, and he has hit .278 with a .350 wOBA against righties when batting as a lefty. He brings great upside for under $3K and is in a good matchup to be an elite value.
