This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A reduced nine-game slate awaits Saturday evening. We've still got five arms priced above 9k, however, and unlike Friday, there appears to be a handful of second tier options worthy of consideration. There are also a plethora of low end left-handed pitchers from which we can target some LvR matchups offensively.
Pitching
Adam Wainwright, STL at PIT ($9,900): Wainwright is in a nice groove right now, earning six-straight quality starts. It's resulted in a 28-point floor, and four games north of 40 FanDuel points (FDP), including a 58 FDP outing against these Pirates where he fanned seven in a complete-game shutout. He was worth 49 FDP in a June meeting to boot. Pair that with the Bucs' .293 wOBA, 82 wRC+ and .128 ISO, and you see the ceiling and high floor.
Huascar Ynoa, ATL vs. SF ($8,600): Ynoa really has turned in only two bad games all year, so there's consistency we can fall back on. The Giants do rank in the top six offensively against righties, but they are also more than willing to swing and miss, doing so 25.3 percent of the time. That furthers my believe we've got stability here. Ynoa's average is 3.7x return. Add a few additional Ks, and we get to our magical 4x number.
Jon Gray, COL vs. LAD ($7,000): Targeting the Dodgers isn't usually a winning strategy. And Gray has cooled since a nice June/July run. The appeal here is all about his moderate success against this lineup four times already. In 21 innings against the Dodgers, Gray has allowed 17 hits, eight runs and fanned 21, averaging a reasonably useful 26.5 FDP. The price isn't ideal, but we can almost guarantee low usage, and if he flashes, there's 5x-plus potential for GPPs.
Top Targets
Nolan Arenado, STL at PIT ($4,000): He's not in as good of form as teammate Paul Goldschmidt ($4,200) nor does he have as favorable of BvP numbers if that's your thing, but maybe that can also lead to some lower usage and GPP winning potential. Arenado is always on the table against a lefty, currently enjoying a .386 wOBA, 145 wRC+ and .319 ISO.
Pete Alonso, NYM vs. WAS ($3,900): There are other Met bats that have better contact chances than Alonso, but he brings the major power upside, supplementing his .381 wOBA with a .339 ISO and also sporting just a 15.5 percent soft contact rate. Nats' starter Sean Nolin didn't appear up to the task in his first start, allowing six hits, three walks and three runs in just four innings. Stacking Mets isn't out of the question either.
Value Bats
Yuli Gurriel, HOU vs. TEX ($3,600): Alex Bregman ($3,700) is usually our target when the Astros face a lefty, and he's priced down compared to name in his third game back from the IL. But Gurriel profiles almost identically against southpaws, boasting a .403 wOBA and .255 ISO. He's riding a seven-game hitting streak that's seen him put up a minimum of 9.2 FDP, and he's got a 1.330 OPS in limited opportunities against Rangers' starter Kolby Allard.
Eloy Jimenez, CWS vs. CHC ($3,600): I was on Jimenez Friday night, and he rewarded me with 28.6 FDP, so why not go to the well again today? He leads the Sox with .431 wOBA, 179 wRC+ and .311 ISO against righties, and we know he's as streaky of a hitter as they come. He appears to be in the midst of a surge, and facing Alec Mills, who allowed seven runs in his last start, isn't the spot for him to cool down.
Stacks to Consider
Brewers vs. Charlie Barnes: Kolten Wong ($3,800), Avisail Garcia ($3,500), Willy Adames ($3,100)
Stacking the Brewers usually gets us some price breaks, but they get their production from all spots in the order, making it a bit challenging on a day to day basis. Wong bucks Twins' starter Charlie Barnes' trend, as his .384 wOBA and .200 ISO play here despite Barnes limiting same-hand bats to a .291 wOBA. Garcia and Adames, however, should feast, as Barnes has been hit hard by righties to a .403 wOBA and .943 OPS. Garcia leads Brewers regulars with a .431 wOBA and .264 ISO.
Rays vs. John Means: Wander Franco ($4,000), Randy Arozarena ($3,400) Mike Zunino ($3,100)
Means is fading, having allowed 13 runs in his last three starts, spanning 14.1 innings. The Rays' have his number, too, knocking him around for 13 runs in 15.1 innings to date. Franco remains hot despite his hit streak being snapped last night, and boasts a .413 wOBA, 170 wRC+ and .243 ISO against southpaws. Arozarena profiles similarly at .384/150/.235. The real upside comes from Zunino, whose splits against lefties are simply obscene, carrying a .524 wOBA, 24 wRC+ and .533 ISO into hitter friendly Camden Yards.
