This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Seven games await the Saturday evening main slate. Atlanta and Cincinnati have not immediately made their pitching plans known, giving us just 12 known arms to sort through. First pitch is at our traditional 7:05 p.m. EDT.
Pitching
Gerrit Cole ($9,800) likely isn't going to be priced under 10k again this season. As such, he'll be highly used against a Royals team that is light hitting (.110 ISO, 81 wRC+, .278 wOBA), but they also don't strike out, fanning just 20.6 percent of the time. I'm absolutely not talking anyone out of him, but Clayton Kershaw ($10,500), you have to figure, has lower usage and equal upside against a Tigers side that sits with just a .073 ISO and 25.1 percent K rate.
Nathan Eovaldi ($8,500) seems to sit in a tier of his own. He's been between 27 and 34 FanDuel (FDP) in all four starts and gets a Baltimore lineup that most mangers immediately look to target nightly. They come with a .286 wOBA, 88 wRC+, .108 ISO and 25.4 percent K rate points against righties.
With Coors' Field on the slate, paired with missing options not announced and Cole's discounted price, there doesn't appear to be a need to force a pay down. But if that's your daily conviction, perhaps Justin Steele ($6,500) can catch lightning in a bottle. He allowed only two runs in his first 9.1 innings, but has surrendered seven in his last 5.2. Hopefully the Brewers' .269 wOBA and .129 ISO allows him to out-preform his price.
Top Targets
Anthony Rizzo's ($3,900) stats are clearly skewed by his early-season power binge, and while those will regress, maybe not so much now? His .485 wOBA, 230 wRC+ and .417 ISO on only a .229 BABIP speak for themselves. I successfully stacked this lineup in Friday's column, but don't be afraid to go right back to that well, pairing Rizzo with Aaron Judge ($4,200) and maybe Giancarlo Stanton ($3,300).
Ronald Acuna ($3,800) should be back in the lineup after Friday's rest day, and while his price rose $200 from yesterday's more favorable spot, there's still little reason to fade him atop a Braves lineup that appears to be getting warm top to bottom. He went 1-for-5 in his season debut and still made 15 FDP.
Although unlisted, it appears the Reds will use Connor Overton in Coors Field. He's due some regression, and his splits are very favorable for left-handed hitters, allowing a .429 wOBA against .196 to righties. As such, give me Charlie Blackmon ($4,100) to get a piece of this contest.
Boston is going to be another heavily-targeted offense Saturday night. Spenser Watkins' 2.79 ERA is not supported by a 5.35 xFIP, he walks more than he strikes out per nine, and has been pelted by same-handed bats, allowing a .517 wOBA and 1.208 ISO to righties. Xander Bogaerts ($3,800) looks mighty fine as a result, carrying a .430 wOBA and 186 wRC+ into Saturday night.
Value Bats
The Braves' offense offers some nice value pieces. Dansby Swanson ($2,900) has hit safely in six of his last seven, driving in five, scoring three times. Travis Demeritte ($2,200) has earned regular playing time thanks to a hot bat that has him 7-of-18 over his last six, not registering any soft contact while producing a 46.2 percent hard-hit rate. These two figure to hit 8-9, and could make for an interesting stack with Acuna hitting leadoff.
This seems like a slate with lots of heavy favorites/one-sided matchups. The Dodgers certainly fit that mold, so I'd expect their big bats to be popular. If looking for some smaller ways to get a piece, Gavin Lux ($2,600) is worthy of consideration. He's been pretty bland after a decent start to the year, but still carries a .358 wOBA against righties, a better mark than both Trea Turner ($4,100) and Mookie Betts ($4,000). And if Austin Barnes ($2,000) finds his way into the lineup, he should be in yours too at minimum price, having very positive numbers (.489 wOBA), however in just 14 plate appearances.
Reds' bats saw a price increase from Friday despite middling results in Coors Field. No stacking as as such, but we can possibly get a piece of their lineup in Nick Senzel ($3,200), who has a team-leading .369 wOBA against righties and went 2-for-4 last night.
Stack to Consider
Phillies vs. Mets (Taijuan Walker): Nick Castellanos ($3,900), Kyle Schwarber ($3,200), Odubel Herrera ($2,700)
We have to think outside the box on these smaller slates, or get a little weird as I like to say. This is far from a traditional stack given the likely 4-6-9 spots in the order this trio likely occupy, but I think I've hinted at some more traditional stacks above. I'm comfortable targeting Walker in his return from the IL, and you have to think the Phillies come with a dialed in approach after being no-hit last night. That outing also required four Met bullpen arms, and while they won't be short on options, they'll likely be needed for 4+ innings with Walker being limited to around 85 pitches. Castellanos can anchor here, bringing a .383 wOBA, 148 wRC+ and .200 ISO. Herrera meanwhile has been seeing it well against opposite-handed arms, posting a .480 wOBA, 213 wRC+, and .563 ISO. Schwarber is strictly a BvP play. He's 5-of-10 with five homers against Walker.
