This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
We've got a challenging, compact, six-game main slate to sort through Saturday evening at FanDuel, with first pitch at 7:15 p.m. EDT. No pitchers are priced in five-figures with just three of the 12 options coming in at $9,000 or greater. Suffice to say, your choice here will be paramount to success.
Unsurprisingly, the Dodgers (-270) are the slate's biggest favorite, followed by the Diamondbacks (-205) at Colorado, where we know the slate's highest run total lives (12.0). We've also got double-digit run expectancy with the Phillies-Mets, though two other games sit at 9.5. Early weather looks completely dry and warm in Philadelphia and Colorado, and there are favorable winds seemingly everywhere except Sacramento.
Pitching
Dylan Cease, SD vs. KC ($9,800): As far as name recognition goes, it's Cease and no one else. His form has been all over the map however, with just one quality start in his last five outings, but four in his last eight. The Royals don't hit seemingly at all, sitting with a .302 wOBA and 88 wRC+, but also don't strike out at just a 17.8 percent rate. Given the slate's lack of other options, Cease is probably a necessary evil for cash lineups, and someone to completely ignore for GPPs and just take a chance on anyone else.
Brandon Walter, HOU at LAA ($8,700): Dustin May ($8,900) is going to be incredibly popular against the Nationals, but for a little cheaper, I think we can target Walter in a better matchup. The Angels are the team to chase strikeouts against, fanning 28.5 percent of the time against lefties while posting a .271 wOBA and weak 69 wRC+. Walter is off consecutive quality starts, his 9.7 K/9 should play up here, and he's inducing a 52.1 percent ground ball rate.
Mitch Spence, Athletics vs. CLE ($6,800): Spence has thrown five innings in each of his last three starts, striking out 10 and allowing 13 hits and two runs. There's a severe lack of upside; Cleveland doesn't strike out much (21.6 percent), and Spence is highly unlikely to earn a quality start. But that's baked into the price. If he can limit damage over five frames, he can flirt with a 4x return while opening up free spending offensively. Cleveland's offense isn't deep enough to fear a blowup from Spence.
Top Targets
I omitted Ketel Marte ($4,200) from this space yesterday due to his poor splits against lefties, and he produced a massive 47.9 FDP outing. Lesson being, stats be darned, great player in a great spot; ride it. In a small sample, Colorado's Carson Palmquist is allowing a .498 wOBA and 1.206 OPS to righties.
I sometimes loathe writing this column on consecutive days, as it's the same schedules and often the same thoughts. The shine is off Mets' starter Griffin Canning, having allowed 10 runs over his last two starts and at least three in four of five, and the Mets bullpen is stretched thin due to a lack of quality outs from their starters. Kyle Schwarber ($4,100) earned 21.7 fantasy points last night with just one single. Trea Turner ($3,900) remains in play as well.
Bobby Witt ($3,700) could be the slate's overlooked big man due to the matchup with Cease. But he's on a heater, going 8-for-20 (.400) with two homers, three doubles, three RBI and seven runs over his last five games.
Bargain Bats
Where I wasn't wrong with the Diamondbacks yesterday was Lourdes Gurriel ($3,600) and Jose Herrera ($2,800), who combined for 40.4 FanDuel points. They're the Diamondbacks best statistically off lefties. Gurriel's price is up slight, and Herrera isn't guaranteed to catch in consecutive games, but they are softer entry points to the slate's most obvious lineup.
J.T. Realmuto ($2,800) has a team-high .361 wOBA and 131 wRC+ off righties and has six hits in his last four.
Perhaps fading the Phillies and Diamondbacks and targeting potentially lower rostered Dodgers' top bats is the better GPP play, particularly for single-entry tournaments. Nationals starter Jake Irvin has a 4.97 road ERA, but, curiously, his splits regardless of hitter handedness are better away from Nats park. Max Muncy ($3,200) is 4-for-12 off of him with three doubles, not a huge discount to bigger names but still a cheaper in.
Stack to Consider
Mets vs. Mick Abel (Phillies): Juan Soto ($3,700), Pete Alonso ($3,600), Francisco Lindor ($3,400)
Stacking this slate is incredibly difficult; it's Diamondbacks, Phillies and Dodgers and not much else. The Mets are reeling, and I think they're going to give up a plethora of runs again Saturday. The only way to combat that is for their offense to match, and that helps us as their offense is so centered around their big three. Abel doesn't have much experience under his belt, but is allowing a .379 wOBA to righties and .356 to lefties at home, where all three homers he's allowed have come. Soto is again scuffling after getting hot early/mid month, but his willingness to walk elevates his floor. Lindor is hitless in his last five, resulting in a price decrease. Alonso homered last night, his first since June 8. This is a big price to pay for a stack that's in poor form, and it could really fall flat. But we have nearly even moneyline and run expectancy from these two teams, so it's time for the Mets top bats to push back through their slumps.
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