This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We begin a holiday weekend full of baseball with a 4:05 p.m. EDT main slate on DraftKings covering eight games. For those who want to play a smaller one, DK is also offering a five-game slate beginning at 7:05 p.m. EDT and a contest with two matchups locking in at 10:05. The focus of this breakdown will be on the main offering, so get your lineups in early.
Pitchers
The pitcher pool is very top-heavy and the best pitchers present a choice between matchup and skills. Bryan Woo ($8,700) would be the selection based on the latter as he's recently performed better than Michael King ($9,500). The problem is that he faces an Astros' lineup that's only struck out at a 19.7 percent clip over the last 30 days. Framber Valdez ($8,900) is sandwiched between King and Woo in terms of salary and offers the best matchup of the trio as the Mariners have fanned 22.4 percent of the time through the last month.
We typically avoid Coors Field, yet the Rockies offense is subpar even in the great offensive environment. Particularly given the overall weakness of Saturday's pitcher pool, Max Fried ($8,300) represents a strong option. He carries a moderate 23.9 percent K rate with a 3.39 SIERA, so jump on this discount.
Jack Leiter ($7,400) hasn't been overpowering, but he's worked his two longest outings of the season from his last two starts. And facing the White Sox clearly helps his cause. Mitch Keller ($7,200) is in the same valuation tier and is a safe bet for 13-17 DK points, and a matchup against the Brewers isn't particularly imposing. Leiter is a volatile tournament option and Keller fills a more predictable cash mold.
Speaking of uncertainty, Lucas Giolito ($6,600) certainly fits the bill. In four starts this year, he's produced 17.3 and 27.2 DK with the other two at -6.4 and -3. Giolito should have the chance to be on the positive end of things against the Orioles as they've struck out at the second-highest league rate in the last 30 days.
Top Hitters
For those in tournaments and mixing in multiple entries, the Nationals represent a lineup that should be considered for stacking. Kyle Harrison is likely to only work a couple of innings, though he's struggled with both walks and homers during his big-league sample. At a minimum, James Wood ($5,200) or CJ Abrams ($5,500) are worthy building blocks.
Value Bats
It's difficult to get overexcited by any part of the Pirates' roster with the exception of Oneil Cruz. They have a great matchup against former teammate Quinn Priester and his 1.8 K-BB%, so it's worth considering some cheap exposure to Pittsburgh hitters. And Spencer Horwitz ($2,200) fits that mold.
Trevor Rogers is Baltimore's projected starter for the second game of their Saturday doubleheader against the Red Sox, meaning we should see Nick Sogard ($2,500) at first base for Boston. He's not the most exciting name out there, but he's delivered multiple hits in four of nine starts since being recalled.
Stacks to Consider
Giants at Nationals (Jake Irvin): Mike Yastrzemski ($3,900), Jung Hoo Lee ($4,100), Heliot Ramos ($4,000)
After a hot start, the Giants' lineup has slowed down considerably the last month. They're in a strong position Saturday as Jake Irvin has given up a 13.9 percent barrel rate and 1.49 HR/9. His limited walk rate isn't as helpful for stacks, though he'll allow plenty of contact (16.1 K%) and potentially a lot of baserunners.
Padres at Atlanta (Grant Holmes): Fernando Tatis ($6,000), Jackson Merrill ($5,800), Manny Machado ($4,800)
Holmes checks pretty much all the boxes we look for when targeting a pitcher to stack against, highlighted by elevated walk, homer, and barrel/hard contact rates. The Padres' lineup is top-heavy, but the top half is among the best in the NL and they should do some damage on Saturday.
