This article is part of the DraftKings MLB series.
Saturday's schedule can be frustrating in structure, as matches are usually spread out over the course of the day. There are a few afternoon matches, but there are nine main cards starting at 7 PM EDT. This is a perfect number for DFS. There are a lot of players to discuss, but not so many that you get overwhelmed.
pitching
Corbin Burns, BAL at TB ($9,300)
Barnes has long been one of the best pitchers in baseball, and it's hard to believe he's making less than $10,000 this season with a 2.63 ERA and 1.04 WHIP. That's on par with what we've seen over the past five years, and he should continue to do so against Tampa, who ranks 21st in wOBA, 23rd in strikeout rate and 28th in runs scored. That was evident in their last matchup, when Barnes pitched seven scoreless innings and recorded 28.2 DK points.
Sean Manaea, SEA, New York ($8,200)
Manaea has been inconsistent throughout his career, but two consecutive shutout games with double-digit strikeouts in both games make him hard to overlook. While it may seem like a fluke, he has a 2.28 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 1.04 WHIP over his last 10 starts. The Mariners are one of the best opponents for him, ranking 26th in wOBA, 27th in runs scored and 28% strikeout rate.
Michael Wacha, KC vs. STL ($7,400)
This is the oddest rating on this list. Wacha has quietly been one of the most consistent pitchers over the past two months, holding a 2.59 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 13 appearances, not allowing more than three runs and recording at least 16 DK points in nine innings. That's nearly impossible to find from a $7,400 player, especially considering he's posting a 2.77 ERA and 1.13 WHIP at home since 2021. St. Louis is favored as an opponent, as they are 19th in wOBA and 21st in runs scored.
Top Target
Brenton Doyle, COL (vs. Max Fried) $5,100
Why does Doyle remain at $5,100? He was named the NL Player of the Month and is one of the monsters at Coors Field every year. Let's start there. This season, Doyle is hitting .382/.558/.940 at home. That looks even better when you consider his recent .955 OPS over his last 35 games. Plus, Doyle is on pace to hit 25+ homers and steal 25 bases, which is great considering he has a platoon advantage against struggling lefties. Fried has a 6.46 ERA and 1.89 WHIP over his last three games and the Rockies are projected to score five runs in this one.
Seiya Suzuki, CHC (vs. Chris Flexen) $4,800
Suzuki is having a great season in Chicago and it's hard to understand why no one is paying attention to him. In 90 games, he has 16 homers, 10 stolen bases, a .345 on-base percentage and a .832 OPS. That's about the same as last year, and it's also great to see Suzuki hitting a .429 on-base percentage and a 1.095 OPS in his last 13 games. Flexen might be the worst pitcher on this list with a career 5.06 ERA and 1.49 WHIP. The Cubs stack should be successful against him, as he has the platoon advantage of Cody Bellinger ($5,300), Ian Happ ($4,200) and Michael Bush ($3,800).
Bargain bat
Jackson Chorio, MIL (vs. Nick Martinez) $4,100
There's a reason why Chaulio was one of the top prospects, and he's really proven why in the second half of the season, batting .408/.662/1.094 with 14 homers and 15 stolen bases in his last 16 games. This sudden improvement should elevate him to the leadoff spot in the Brewers' lineup, where he won't have to worry about facing off against Martinez. The Cincinnati journeyman has been impressive as a relief pitcher this season, but as a starter he has a career ERA of 4.78 and a WHIP of 1.43.
Matt Wallner, MIN (vs. Gavin Williams) $4,000
The Twins play more platoon games than any other team, and Wallner benefits greatly whenever he faces a right-handed pitcher. He usually bats cleanup in those situations, and this year he's hitting .420 with a 1.092 OPS against right-handed pitchers. That looks even more ridiculous when you look at his recent performances, .500 with a 1.433 OPS over his last 10 games. Williams is not exactly horrible with a 4.91 ERA and 1.48 WHIP. If you want to bolster the Twins, Royce Lewis ($5,100) and Max Kepler ($3,900) are solid pairings with Wallner.
Stack to consider
Atlanta vs. Rockies (Dakota Hudson): Marcell Ozuna ($6,000), Matt Olson ($5,300), Jorge Soler ($5,100)
Atlanta hasn't been as dominant as it was in 2023, but it still has one of the most dangerous lineups. It's even tougher in a place like Coors, where they're projected to score a slate-high six runs. And when you put them up against a Rockies pitching staff that ranks last in ERA and WHIP, it's easy to see why. Hudson has done nothing to improve those abysmal averages with a 5.84 ERA and 1.64 WHIP, as well as a 8.26 and 2.13 WHIP at home.
That's plenty of incentive for Atlanta, and Ozuna is the best option. He has a team-leading 33 homers and 88 RBIs, and is averaging about 10 DK points per game. Olson has struggled for most of the season, but has a .948 OPS over his last 12 games and has a platoon advantage over Hudson. Soler is hitting .376 with an .836 OPS over his last 31 games and should be the leadoff hitter. He's faced the Rockies 10 times this year, hitting .435 with an OPS of 1.078.
Royals vs. Cardinals (Andre Pallante): Bobby Witt ($6,400), Vinny Pasquantino ($4,900), MJ Melendez ($3,300)
Pallante has never been an impressive pitcher, but something is going to happen at home for the Royals, who rank third in OPS and fourth in wOBA this season. That's bad news for Pallante, who has a 4.60 ERA and 1.47 WHIP since entering 2023.
Witt is one of the front-runners for the AL MVP award with a .474 OBP, .777 SLG and 1.251 OPS over his last 35 games. He's benefiting from these impressive splits with a .458 OBP and 1.194 OPS at home. Pasquantino is also hitting .852 OPS overall at home with a .391 batting average, .690 SLG and 1.109 OPS over his last 19 games. Melendez is slowly improving with a .874 OPS over his last 18 games.
The author of this article may participate in daily fantasy contests including, but not limited to, the games for which he has provided recommendations or advice in this article. In the course of playing these games using his personal account, he may use different lineups of players and other strategies than those recommended above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Joel Bartilotta participates in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: DraftKings: Joelbartilotta Yahoo: Joelbartilotta.
