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This Saturday brings another busy day of fantasy baseball with games spread throughout the afternoon leading up to a nice nine-game main slate on DraftKings, which gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET. Coors Field hosts one of the four divisional games on the slate, and there are also a few other places where there should be plenty of offense to target.
To keep up with pregame lineups and player news, install the DK Live app and follow DK Live on Twitter (@dklive). I’m also on Twitter (@ZT_Sports), where you can keep up with all my picks as the season continues.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
For up-to-the-minute news, analysis and lineups, download the DK Live app. You also can follow DK Live on Twitter @dklive.
PITCHER
Stud
Dustin May, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Miami Marlins, ($9,100) – Playing a starting pitcher fresh off the IL is always high-risk, especially when they haven’t pitched in over a year in the Majors. May has looked great in his rehab from Tommy John surgery, though, and his matchup gives him a high enough ceiling to make him worth this salary. May last pitched in the Majors on May 1, 2021, but he allowed just 14 hits and two runs over 19 innings in his rehab at Triple-A while striking out 33. While he probably won’t have a 15.63 K/9 rate like that in the Majors, he is a high-strikeout option and had 35 in 23 innings before the injury. May gets a home matchup against Miami as a soft landing spot. Over the last 30 days, the Marlins have scored just 70 runs, the fewest runs in the Majors while posting the third-worst wOBA in the Majors (.277) and striking out in 23.4% of their at-bats. With such good strikeout potential, May is worth considering despite the extra uncertainty of how deep he’ll be able to pitch in his first game back.
Other Options – Joe Musgrove ($10,100), Drew Peterson ($8,800)
Value
Dakota Hudson, St. Louis Cardinals at Arizona Diamondbacks ($6,100) – Hudson seems like a good place to try and steal a win on Saturday in his head-to-head matchup with a struggling Madison Bumgarner ($7,000). Hudson took a few extra days off between starts and was expected to work on his approach to lefties in order to cut down on his walk rate. Hudson has shown enough potential to be worth a look if he can clean up that issue. The 27-year-old is 6-6 on the season with a 4.17 ERA and 4.52 FIP, but he did match his season-high with six strikeouts in his most recent outing, a win in Colorado, where he finished with 14.5 DKFP. The low-cost options on this slate are pretty scary overall, but Hudson is the one I think has the most potential to provide solid points at a good price.
Other Option – Logan Gilbert ($8,000), James Kaprielian ($6,900)
INFIELD
Stud
Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals at Arizona Diamondbacks ($6,000) – Goldschmidt started the year red hot and has kept right on rolling to produce an MVP-caliber season. He is hitting .339 with a .447 wOBA, .296 ISO, 195 wRC+ and 30 home runs. He has been heating up again after a short lull and has picked up multiple hits in three straight games and at least one hit in eight of his past nine. He’s hitting .407 with a .545 wOBA in August and has crushed lefties all season. He is hitting an incredible .438 in his 108 plate appearances against southpaws with nine home runs and a .576 wOBA. He is 11-for-25 (.342) with four home runs and 15 RBI in his past meetings with Madison Bumgarner ($7,000), and can be a centerpiece of a strong St. Louis stack highlighted below.
Stud
Thairo Estrada, San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies ($4,500) – Estrada didn’t play in the series opener on Friday but should be back in the lineup Saturday in a great matchup with Ryan Feltner ($6,300), who has surrendered 24 runs and five home runs in 24 2⁄3 innings over his past five starts. Estrada is hitting .291 on the road this year with a .340 wOBA, and in his 15 most recent contests, he has gone 18-for-55 (.327) with three doubles, a triple, two home runs and a .371 wOBA. He’s an affordable middle infield option with a very nice ceiling while playing at elevation.
Other Options – Nolan Arenado ($5,400), Dansby Swanson ($4,900)
Value
Jose Miranda, Minnesota Twins vs. Texas Rangers ($3,900) – The 24-year-old prospect started slowly after joining the Twins in May, but he has been an excellent mid-range play at either corner spot over the past month. In his 23 games since the All-Star break, Miranda has gone 32-for-90 (.356) with five home runs and a .418 wOBA while settling in as the everyday cleanup hitter. He has homered in back-to-back games coming into Saturday’s matchup with Glenn Otto ($6,800).
Value
Editor’s Note: Athletics 2B/3B Sheldon Neuse is not in the lineup for tonight’s game vs. the Mariners.
Sheldon Neuse, Oakland Athletics vs. Seattle Mariners ($2,000) – Neuse has bounced back and forth between Oakland and Triple-A Las Vegas this season, but he should be in Oakland to stay after the A’s moved on from Elvis Andrus. Neuse hit .393 with a .914 OPS across 13 games with the Aviators before being called up and also homered in his first game back. He has four home runs and six stolen bases this year with Oakland, and with Logan Gilbert ($8,000) struggling, Neuse makes an interesting punt play with upside.
Other Options – Elehuris Montero ($2,900), Emmanuel Rivera ($2,400)
OUTFIELD
Stud
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Miami Marlins ($6,400) – Betts has hit .322 with a .425 wOBA against lefties this season, so his matchup with Braxton Garrett ($7,900) should be one in which he can keep putting up points. He has at least nine DKFP in three straight and in nine of his past 13. He has also done most of his damage at home, where he is hitting .308 with a .412 wOBA, so all the splits point to him staying hot Saturday.
Stud
Starling Marte, New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies, ($4,900) – Marte also has good splits against lefties and is scheduled to face southpaw Bailey Falter ($5,900). Marte is hitting .306 with a .371 wOBA against lefties on the year, and he had two doubles and a stolen base for 19 DKFP on Friday in the first game of this important NL East series. He also had a multi-homer game earlier in the week and remains a key producer in the Mets’ surging offense.
Other Options – Kyle Tucker ($4,800), Bryan Reynolds ($4,200)
Value
Mitch Haniger, Seattle Mariners at Oakland Athletics ($3,800) – Haniger has been limited to 21 games in another injury-plagued season, but he has been good when available, hitting .280 with four homers and a .341 wOBA when available. Since returning from the IL, he has hit safely in 11 of 12 games, going 16-for-47 (.340) with one home run and a .368 wOBA.
Value
Bubba Thompson, Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins ($2,000) – Thompson hit .303 with 13 homers at Triple-A Round Rock while stealing 49 bases in 80 games, earning a call up to the Majors on August 4. He has hit safely in seven straight going 8-for-24 (.333) with a pair of stolen bases to bring his total to five steals in 14 games. His power hasn’t translated to the Majors just yet, but at the minimum salary, Thompson doesn’t have to do much to return value, and he makes sense as a punt play to spend up at other spots.
Other Options – Jake Fraley ($2,500), Stone Garrett ($2,000)
TEAMS TO STACK
St. Louis Cardinals at Arizona Diamondbacks – I could have included the Cardinals in just about every slot above, but saved most of them for here in their juicy matchup against Bumgarner. MadBum has gone 0-3 over his past four starts, allowing 21 runs in 23 1⁄3 innings. He has allowed righties to post a .360 wOBA against him on the season and has surrendered a .371 wOBA since the All-Star break. Goldschmidt is a key piece to build around, and Nolan Arenado ($5,400) also crushes lefties and has a good track record against Bumgarner. Dylan Carlson ($3,800) and Tyler O’Neill ($4,700) are good plays from the top of the lineup, while Paul DeJong ($3,900) and Lars Nootbaar ($2,500) bring good salary relief along with veterans Albert Pujols ($2,000) and Yadier Molina ($2,100). Against lefties, the Cardinals have the top wOBA (.348) and the third-best batting average (.269) in the Majors this season, and they also have the best wOBA in the Majors since the All-Star break, so they definitely seem to be in a smash spot on Saturday.
New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies – The Mets have the third-highest wOBA since the All-Star break and have scored the fourth-most runs over that span while leading the Majors with a .278 team batting average. Phillies SP Bailey Falter has gone 0-3 in his 11 games in the Majors with a 4.85 ERA and 5.71 FIP. In that small sample size, righties have posted a .404 wOBA against him, and he has given up five home runs and a .423 wOBA in his 18 1⁄3 innings at Citizens Bank Park. The Mets stack up well against Falter with Starling Marte (highlighted above), Francisco Lindor ($5,400) and Pete Alonso ($5,300) at the core of the lineup. There are some potential values as well, though, with Darin Ruf ($3,100), Yolmer Sánchez ($2,000) and Brett Baty ($2,400) expected to get the start against the southpaw.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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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.
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