The MLB regular season is more of a marathon than a sprint, which makes reaching the finish line even more momentous. Saturday night is the final night of regular-season action since every team except the Braves and Mets has played 160 games and is scheduled to close out the season on Sunday afternoon. Before Sunday’s grand finale, though, seven games will fill up the final main evening slate of the regular season on DraftKings, which gets underway at 7:15 p.m. ET.
The main playoff race that is still undecided is the NL Wild Card. The Mets, Diamondbacks and Braves are all battling for the final two Wild-Card spots. The three teams start the day in a virtual tie, and all three are on the main slate. The Mets and Braves will close out the regular season with a doubleheader on Monday, which could have huge playoff implications for both teams and Arizona. All six division winners are already locked in, but the top overall seed in each league is still undetermined. Four of the seven games on Saturday night’s slate are divisional games, including the Dodgers facing the Rockies at Coors Field, where plenty of offense is expected.
With 14 teams in the player pool Saturday, there are plenty of strong options to consider. To help you assemble your squad as you enjoy the final night slate of the regular season, let’s look at some of my top studs and values for Saturday’s slate.
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PITCHER
Stud
Reynaldo Lopez, Atlanta Braves vs. Kansas City Royals ($9,600) – Lopez will come off IL and start on Saturday as the Braves battle for their spot in the playoffs. Lopez has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season when healthy and his breakthrough is one of the reasons the Braves have been able to overcome so many key injuries and stay in the playoff hunt. In his first season in Atlanta, Lopez has gone 8-5 in 24 starts with a 2.03 ERA, 3.07 FIP and 9.6 K/9.
He had over 21 fantasy points in four straight starts before leaving his last outing after just one inning with shoulder inflammation. In those four productive starts, he had 34 strikeouts in 23 innings and allowed just five total runs. On Saturday in his return, Lopez won’t be under any major pitch count limitations, according to manager Brian Snitker. Lopez will also get a great matchup against the scuffling Royals. Kansas City clinched the playoffs on Friday, but it ranks last in the MLB in wOBA and ISO over the last 30 days and has scored the fewest runs of any team in the MLB over that span, averaging just 2.9 runs per game.
Value
Zebby Matthews, Minnesota Twins vs. Baltimore Orioles ($6,300) – There aren’t any easy answers for bargain pitchers on Saturday’s slate, and several teams have already shifted who will get the start. Of the available bargain options, Matthews is the best option on Saturday. Matthews had an outstanding year in the minors, earning Twins 2024 Minor League Player of the Year by climbing three minor league levels to reach the majors in August. In the minors, he had 114 strikeouts in 97 innings while issuing just seven walks.
Since reaching the majors and winning his MLB debut, things have been up-and-down for Matthews. He’s only 1-3 in his eight starts and has an ugly 5.71 ERA and 5.21 FIP. His 38 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings show his upside, but he did get knocked around in a few starts, which dramatically inflated his ERA. In his last three starts, Matthews has looked better, allowing a total of only four runs while picking up 16 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings. He hasn’t been able to go very deep into games, but his strikeout potential is enough to give him a high ceiling in this matchup. The Orioles clinched the top Wild-Card spot with their win Friday and the Twins have been eliminated from the playoffs, so both teams may use unusual lineups Saturday. As long as Matthews gets the start, though, he’ll have good upside at barely over $6,000.
INFIELD
Stud
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies ($8,100) – It’s a good thing the season is about over, because I’m almost out of superlatives to describe Ohtani’s historic regular season. He homered, had four hits, stole a base and posted 38 fantasy points on Friday night and is up to 54 home runs, 57 stolen bases, a .309 batting average and a .432 wOBA. He extended his hitting streak to 10 games, and during those 10 games, he is a scalding 26-for-44 (.591) with seven home runs, nine stolen bases and a ridiculous .752 wOBA. Over those 10 games, Ohtani has averaged 26.6 fantasy points per game. He’s basically a cheat code right now, and even though his salary is over $8,000, he’s worth considering either at 1B or in the OF as the Dodgers face Antonio Senzatela ($5,100) at Coors on Saturday night.
Stud
Marcus Semien, Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels ($4,800) – Semien and the Rangers aren’t headed to the postseason this year, but the veteran leadoff man is surging to the finish. His .236 batting average and .304 wOBA are both disappointments, but he has hit five of his 23 home runs over his last 20 games while hitting .250 with a .317 wOBA. He has hit safely in five of his last six games with three multi-hit performances, including on Friday when he posted 22 fantasy points in the opener of this series. He and the Rangers get a good matchup against Griffin Canning ($5,700) on Saturday. In his career, Semien is 8-for-27 against Canning with a pair of home runs.
Value
Justin Turner, Seattle Mariners vs. Oakland Athletics ($2,700) – Turner is a low-cost option at 1B, who brings good upside if you opt to move Shohei Ohtani to the outfield. Even though they missed the playoffs, Turner has been a nice pickup for the Mariners, who acquired him at the trade deadline from the Blue Jays. The 39-year-old veteran has hit .296 with two home runs and a .356 wOBA over his last 20 games and has a six-game hitting streak coming into Saturday’s game, reaching base safely in 24 straight contests as well.
Value
Jacob Wilson, Oakland Athletics at Seattle Mariners ($2,300) – Wilson has had mixed results in his first taste of the MLB, but the 22-year-old top prospect has a high ceiling as a value play at SS on Saturday. He dominated in the minors, hitting .433 in 53 games in the minors with seven home runs and a .504 wOBA. He’s hit only .239 with a .275 wOBA since reaching the majors but has been more productive lately with a five-game hitting streak that came to an end on Friday and a .262 batting average over his last 19 games. Wilson is still adjusting to the level of competition, but he’s a good play at barely more than the minimum on Saturday.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres at Arizona Diamondbacks ($5,800) – Tatis and the Padres are in as the No. 1 Wild Card for the playoffs, but they can still play spoiler against the Dbacks this weekend. While he has been limited by injuries this season, Tatis has put up solid numbers when available. He has a .279 batting average and .362 wOBA on the year with 21 homers and 11 stolen bases. He’s peaking just in time for the playoffs, going 24-for-28 (.293) over his last 20 games with seven homers and a .400 wOBA.
Stud
Michael Harris II, Atlanta Braves vs. Kansas City Royals ($4,800) – Harris is also catching fire as the postseason approaches and has been critical to the Braves’ playoff push. Over the last 14 games, Harris is hitting .397 with seven homers and a .512 wOBA. He only had two fantasy points in the series opener but had posted at least nine fantasy points in each of his previous nine games. He has a tough matchup with Seth Lugo ($9,500), but now that the Royals have clinched, they may not want to extend Lugo too far. Harris has a high enough ceiling to be a good play under $5,000 even if the matchup is less than ideal.
Value
Victor Robles, Seattle Mariners vs. Oakland Athletics ($3,800) – Another one of the few bright spots for the Mariners this season has been the great pickup of Robles midway through the year. After struggling early in the year for the Nationals, Robles has taken over as a fixture at the top of the order for the Mariners. Since joining Seattle in early June, he has hit .327 with four home runs and a .375 wOBA while stealing 29 bases in 30 attempts. He has averaged 10.9 fantasy points per game over his last 10 contests and should be back at the top of the order on Saturday after getting Friday off.
Value
Jordyn Adams, Los Angeles Angels vs. Texas Rangers ($2,400) – Adams hasn’t been able to start a game in over a week due to knee soreness but did appear as a defensive replacement on Thursday. He’s expected to be back in the lineup on Saturday against lefty Andrew Heaney ($7,700) and the Rangers. Adams has both power and speed potential after hitting .261 at Triple-A with 10 homers, 28 stolen bases and a .325 wOBA. He has only hit .229 in his 11 MLB games but still makes a good punt play with upside.
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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.
