A 10-game evening main slate is on tap Saturday at FanDuel, with first pitch at 7:05 p.m. EDT. We’re not quite as top heavy on the mound but still have eight starting arms priced up amongst the 20 options.
Though Rockies-Angels in Coors is again our only double-digit run total, the rest of the slate is slightly elevated from Friday with no games under 8.0 runs. The Dodgers (-235) and Yankees (-196) are the slate’s biggest favorites, which conveniently have the two highest-priced pitchers. Rain is a slight concern in Chicago, and wind doesn’t appear to be a factor.
Pitching
Carlos Rodon, NYY @ BAL ($10,000): It’s a tricky slate atop the pitching, as they’re all in decent, but not elite, ceiling form, and there are some solid offenses to contend with. I’ll highlight Rodon, who hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his last eight outings, earning six quality starts. There are some decent BvP numbers against him, but he’s faced the Orioles just once this season and allowed only a two-run homer. There’s unlikely enough upside for GPPs, but Rodon profiles decently for cash.
Yu Darvish, SD at CWS ($9,000): I’m listing Darvish here more as a warning than a recommendation. It’s a clear and obvious spot to target; the White Sox have just a 3.5 run expectancy and the Padres at (-172) are big enough favorites. But Darvish has allowed three or more runs in four straight and has gone 6-plus innings just three times all season. A 4x return doesn’t seem likely, so maybe let other more casual players take the bait.
Jack Leiter, TEX vs. MIA ($8,400): There’s a $1,000 price gap between Leiter and the next arm, so this is the breaking point for me Saturday night. Leiter has been inconsistent from a fantasy perspective, but when he’s on, he’s had the ceiling to rival the top options. Perhaps that doesn’t manifest fully here, as the Marlins rank 15th off righties and strike out just 20.2 percent of the time. But we’re obviously not worried about an offensive explosion; the Marlins have a 3.8 run expectancy. Leiter has four quality starts in his last five and should be good for bulk innings with minimal damage. The potential ceiling comes if he induces swings and misses.
Top Targets
Behind the Angels in Coors Field at 6.8 runs, the Yankees and Dodgers are the expected highest scoring teams Saturday, so we start the builds around their stars. Shohei Ohtani ($4,800) or Aaron Judge ($4,700) are the obvious choices and one is affordable if not using a five-figure pitcher. Judge is 4-for-5 with a homer off Tomoyuki Sugano. Pairing him with Mookie Betts ($3,800) of Freddie Freeman ($3,600) gives exposure to both sides.
Adrian Houser has allowed nine runs in his last three starts. Trevor Story ($3,700) is 3-for-5 with a homer against him, and has multi-hit games in four of his last five.
Bryce Harper ($3,800) is 10-for-20 with a 1.395 OPS against Zac Gallen.
Bargain Bats
The price didn’t change from Friday, so I’ll go back to the well. Christian Moore ($3,000) offers cheap exposure to Coors Field, and has homered in three of his last five, adding two doubles.
Yandy Diaz ($3,000) has a team-best .385 wOBA off lefties, and he’s scorching hot, having 13 hits and two homers in his last seven. A cheap mini-stack with Chandler Simpson ($2,800), who has 15 hits in his last seven starts makes sense.
Stack to Consider
Rockies vs. Kyle Hendricks (Angels): Mickey Moniak ($3,600), Tyler Freeman ($3,200), Blaine Crim ($2,600)
Dare we? Neither team in this game has trustworthy pitching or bats, but the offenses combined for 13 runs last night, and Hendricks allowed nine runs in his last outing. He doesn’t have overwhelmingly targetable splits, however, so I’ll roll out a top-of-the-order stack, surely for GPPs only. Freeman gives us some stability but no upside due to a lack of power, collecting 11 hits in his last seven. Moniak gives us that upside; he’s homered five times in as many games and has 11 hits and 11 RBI in his last six. Crim is a wildcard but he’s incredibly cheap. He hit cleanup last night and has hit safely in six of seven with three homers. He was subbed out defensively for Orlando Arcia ($2,600) last night, which could limit his ABs some. And if Arcia somehow starts, he is 10-for-32 (.313) against Hendricks.
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