With the MLB Speedway Classic all alone in the primetime timeslot, the main MLB DFS fantasy baseball slate gets an early start this Saturday at 4:05 p.m. ET. The slate is set up similarly to a large turbo slate since all seven games start at almost the same time, giving everyone 14 teams to choose from as they make their MLB DFS picks for Saturday. While some excellent starting pitchers will take the mound in this wave of games, some great offensive matchups stand out as well. Let’s dive into the player pool and check out my top MLB DFS picks for Saturday afternoon.
In the big picture, the weather looks very cooperative for this slate. In most locations, slight breezes will be blowing in, with the only exception in Seattle, where a gentle breeze is forecast to blow out to right field. Even without much precipitation in play, it makes sense to still check back for the latest forecast and lineup info before first pitch at 4:05 p.m. ET to confirm your MLB DFS picks are in the right spots in the right matchups.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $175K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]!
Pitchers
Stud
Brandon Woodruff, Milwaukee Brewers at Washington Nationals, $10,200: The marquee matchup of the day is Tarik Skubal ($11,700) taking on Zack Wheeler ($10,700) in an outstanding pitching matchup in Philadelphia in what could be a preview of Game 1 of the World Series and a matchup of two of the contenders for the Cy Young Award as well. Both have very high ceilings despite the tough matchup, but I think a sneakier play for some leverage and salary savings is to pivot to Woodruff in a better spot against the Nationals.
Woodruff missed all of 2024 with a shoulder injury, but the 32-year-old righty has made an impressive comeback in 2025, averaging 24.0 fantasy points per game in his four starts since returning. Woodruff has racked up 29 strikeouts in his 22 1/3 innings while compiling a 2.01 ERA and 0.72 WHIP. He had 10 of those strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings against the Nationals a few weeks ago. In that start, he earned 25.7 fantasy points even though it was the only game in which he failed to pitch at least six innings.
He showed off his high ceiling with 30.3 fantasy points in his first start of the season, which was against the Marlins, and he has an even higher strikeout upside against the Nats, as he showed in that start on July 12. The Nationals rank in the top-10 teams in the majors in K% over the last two weeks and have averaged 4.4 runs per game with just a .309 wOBA. Since they’re a better matchup than either the Phillies or Tigers and Woodruff has a clearer path to a win, I see him as a strong pivot option as your starting pitcher stud for Saturday afternoon.
Value
Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Guardians vs. Minnesota Twins, $7,500: Yesterday in my MLB DFS value picks, I spotlighted Gavin Williams against the post-trade-deadline Twins, and the righty delivered 25.9 fantasy points with six strong innings in a no-decision. Bibee will also look to exploit Minnesota’s thinner lineup at home in Cleveland on Saturday as another strong value starting pitcher.
In his 21 starts this year, Bibee is 7-9 with a 4.39 ERA and 4.47 FIP. He has flashed a high ceiling and ace potential at times, but he has also allowed multiple runs in 11 straight starts. Over his last 10 outings, he has still averaged 15.3 fantasy points, though, by pumping out 57 strikeouts in 58 innings.
Bibee has won three straight starts with over 17 fantasy points in each of those three outings and five of his last seven. He took on the Twins earlier this season and put up 20.75 fantasy points by allowing one run on five hits in seven innings in a no-decision. He’s a strong value option against Minnesota, which should be a lineup to target value plays against the rest of the season.
Infield
Stud
Jose Altuve, Houston Astros at Boston Red Sox, $4,900: Altuve and the Astros are at Fenway Park to take on Walker Buehler ($5,500) and the Red Sox. In his first year in Boston, Buehler is 6-6 with a 5.72 ERA and 5.77 FIP in 18 starts. He’s been very hittable, especially at Fenway.
Altuve has been red-hot since July 1, hitting .351 over his last 25 games with seven doubles, a triple, five home runs and a .432 wOBA over that stretch. Altuve went 0-for-3 with a walk in Friday’s series opener but went 4-for-4 with 31 fantasy points on Wednesday.
Stud
Trevor Story, Boston Red Sox vs. Houston Astros, $3,900: Story is another solid veteran to consider in the middle infield, and the Red Sox SS has turned his season around after a slow start that had some fans calling for his benching. Since June 1, he’s hitting .290 with 15 doubles, 10 homers, nine stolen bases and a .365 wOBA in 51 games, and he has been a key part of the Red Sox climbing back into contention.
Story has at least 14 fantasy points in three straight games and has averaged 9.6 fantasy points per contest in his last 10 games. He has been better at home than on the road this year, and he’ll be on the strong side of his platoon splits as well, since he hits lefties at Fenway with a .292 batting average and .358 wOBA on the year. Colton Gordon ($6,400) has been hittable lately for Houston, and the Red Sox are a solid lineup to target for offense at Fenway after their walk-off win on Friday.
Value
Andrew Vaughn, Milwaukee Brewers at Washington Nationals, $2,900: Vaughn continues to be an elite value play since he has been so productive since joining the Brewers. Milwaukee acquired him from the White Sox in exchange for Aaron Civale earlier this season, and he went to Triple-A after the trade to work with the Nashville Sounds.
In his 17 games since the promotion to the majors, Vaughn has gone 22-for-57 (.386) with four doubles, six homers, 24 RBIs and an impressive .500 wOBA. His power hasn’t been just random either, since he has a 58.0% hard-hit rate and 18.0% barrel rate over that span. He had 30 fantasy points on Friday, going 3-for-5 with a home run, a walk and three runs scored, and he has double-digit fantasy points in five of his last six games while averaging 19 fantasy points per contest.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Kyle Stowers, Miami Marlins vs. New York Yankees, $5,600: Stowers has emerged as a top contributor for the Fish this season, and he has grown into a key part of their lineup for the future. Miami acquired Stowers along with Connor Norby ($2,700) at last year’s trade deadline from the Orioles. He’s a strong option in Saturday’s MLB DFS picks after posting double-digit fantasy points in five of his last six games.
This year, in his first full season with the Marlins, Stowers is hitting an impressive .297 with 24 homers, 67 RBIs and a .402 wOBA. He has eight homers, a .396 batting average and a .596 wOBA in his last 13 games, averaging 15.8 fantasy points per game.
The Marlins are in a sneaky matchup against Cam Schlittler ($6,700), who has a 4.91 ERA and 5.55 FIP. Lefties like Stowers are hitting .343 with two homers and a .417 wOBA against Schlittler.
Value
Sal Frelick, Milwaukee Brewers at Washington Nationals, $3,900: Frelick has typically been leading off for the Brewers against righties. Over his last 25 games, he’s hitting .304 with three doubles, four homers, three stolen bases and a .350 wOBA.
He went 0-for-3 on Wednesday and got Friday off, but before that, he hit safely in six straight with 10 of his last 11. Since the Brewers should be in a good spot against Jake Irvin ($6,000), Frelick is a great midrange value in the outfield.
Value
Troy Johnston, Miami Marlins vs. New York Yankees, $2,000: Johnston is another lefty to target on the Marlins, bringing tons of upside for the minimum salary. In 2023, Johnston showcased a high upside while splitting between Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Jacksonville, hitting .307 with 26 HR and 116 RBIs. He cooled off in 2024 and hit .252 this year for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp with 12 homers, 31 stolen bases and a .345 wOBA.
In his first two MLB games, he went 1-for-5 with a double. The 28-year-old rookie has enough power and speed upside to be a good value play at the minimum salary. He saves you tons of salary cap space for other spots while bringing potential himself as well.
