After a busy afternoon, Major League Baseball has a smaller but still compelling four-game slate lined up for MLB DFS contests on Saturday night. The contests lock at 7:35 p.m. ET, when good matchups in Houston and San Diego get underway. The two late games are also solid matchups stuffed with fantasy options from Anaheim and Sacramento. Even though there are only eight teams in the player pool, several strong plays stand out as key pieces to build around for Saturday night’s fantasy baseball action. In this post, you can check out my top MLB DFS picks for the Saturday night slate.
At this time of year, the weather is always a critical factor to monitor, but the evening games seem pretty clear. The Houston game at Daikin Park has a retractable roof option and the other three games are in California, so it looks like a dry, clear slate. It is still worth noting the weather, though, since warm conditions with the wind blowing out should make the game in Sacramento especially hitter-friendly. It’s important to lean into that game in your MLB DFS picks since it will likely have the most run production.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $80K Relay Throw [$20K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies at San Diego Padres, $10,200: While there are several aces on the mound Saturday night, there’s no need to get cute if you’re shopping for a stud pitcher. Wheeler has been so good this season that he’s the standout play even though he’s pricey. He has been masterful all season with a 9-3 record, a 2.17 ERA, a 2.49 FIP and an impressive 11.5 K/9. He has allowed zero or one earned run in each of his last six starts and nine of his last 10 games.
He faced the Padres just two starts ago, earning 37.8 fantasy points by throwing eight shutout innings with just six hits allowed and 10 strikeouts. He has posted over 23 fantasy points in each of his last six games, averaging 31.5 fantasy points per game over that stretch. Wheeler will be opposed by Yu Darvish ($7,200), making just his second start of the year. The Phillies are the heaviest favorite on the evening slate, and Wheeler should be a chalky but productive option as an SP1 in my MLB DFS picks on Saturday night.
Value
Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Angels, $7,000: Gallen is extremely affordable on Saturday and brings a high ceiling despite his high risk. Gallen has struggled this season, going 7-9 with a 5.15 ERA and 4.76 FIP. He has given up 20 homers in 19 games and has allowed lots of out contact as opponents have a 48% hard-hit rate and 11.9% barrel rate against him.
However, he has looked much better in his last two starts, and while I’m not 100% in on him, I do believe enough to include him in my MLB DFS picks. He has allowed just one earned run over 13 innings with 19 strikeouts. He had 34.75 fantasy points against the Giants and 31.3 fantasy points against the Padres in those two games. He’ll look to continue that momentum into the break with this start against the Angels, who rank second in K% in the majors and in the bottom five in batting average. He brings a very high ceiling if he can build on his momentum from his last few starts, and he brings a high enough ceiling to be a great GPP option at only $7,000.
INFIELD
Stud
Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Angels, $5,800: Marte had a pair of hits on Friday night in the Dbacks’ loss to the Angels, giving him eight multi-hit games in his last 20 contests. He is hitting .329 with a .429 wOBA, 46.9% hard-hit rate and 21.9% barrel rate over that stretch.
He’ll likely hit leadoff against lefty Yusei Kikuchi ($7,900), and he has hit .260 with four homers and a .360 wOBA against lefties this season. He also has very strong road splits (.336 batting average, .465 wOBA) and a good history against Kikuchi, going 3-for-11 against the lefty in the past with a home run and four RBIs.
Stud
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays at Athletics, $5,500: The Blue Jays are in a great spot on Saturday night’s slate, taking on Jacob Lopez ($6,800) and the A’s at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park. Guerrero is averaging 8.3 fantasy points per game over his last 10 games and is hitting .348 (8-for-23) with two doubles over his last six contests.
Guerrero is hitting .333 this season against southpaws with a .406 wOBA, so he should be set up for success against Lopez. He had two hits and his fifth stolen base of the season on Friday in Sacramento, where the Blue Jays were very aggressive on the basepaths all game long. As a team, they’ll bring tons of upside both at the plate and on the bases as one of the best stacks on the slate Saturday night.
Value
Max Muncy, Athletics vs. Toronto Blue Jays, $3,100: Muncy is a great low-cost infield option on the left side. He has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games, hitting .308 with four homers and a .428 wOBA. He has slightly stronger splits at home and against righties on the season, so he should be in a solid spot against Kevin Gausman ($8,300). Muncy has been playing SS with Jacob Wilson (hand) out, but his long-term fit in the infield is uncertain. The 22-year-old is proving he belongs in the majors, though, and he can be a good cheap part of tonight’s MLB DFS picks.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies at San Diego Padres, $4,900: Schwarber hasn’t been able to quite keep pace with the league lead in home runs over the last few weeks, but he continues to mash plenty of dingers and be a strong fantasy option.
He has homered in each of his last three games, giving him 30 long balls on the season. He has an impressive nine homers in his last 13 games with a .298 batting average, .497 wOBA and 65.6% hard-hit rate during that span. In those 13 games, he has averaged 13.6 fantasy points per game over that stretch.
Stud
George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays at Athletics, $5,200: Springer has been helping to carry the Blue Jays’ offense, hitting .386 over his last 19 games with six homers and a .473 wOBA. He was also part of the stolen base parade on Friday night in Sacramento, but most of his value is from his power potential. Five of his 16 homers this season have come against lefties and he has a .362 career wOBA against southpaws.
Value
Denzel Clarke, Athletics vs. Toronto Blue Jays, $2,500: Clarke has continued to be a great value play from the bottom of the Athletics’ batting order, and he’s been a regular part of my MLB DFS picks for the last week. He has hit safely in six of his last seven games with three doubles, a triple, a home run and a stolen base.
He has at least five fantasy points in each of his last seven games and has plenty of potential with both power and speed to deliver a big game against Gausman. Clarke’s low salary should help you have the salary cap space to pay up for the Blue Jays stack, the Phillies or Zack Wheeler, depending on who you prioritize this Saturday night.
