This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Eight games make up FanDuel's Saturday evening main slate with the first pitch at 7:05 p.m. EDT. Only Zac Gallen ($10,200) comes in at five-figures on the bump, and he's got the best matchup on the slate against Colorado with the Diamondbacks massive favorites (-325). While there's no double-digit run line, we should see decent offense with two at 9.5 and two others at 9.0. Milwaukee is without a listed starter while Seth Lugo was originally slated for the Royals before being pushed back due to a finger issue.
Wind looks like it will be a factor. Boston and San Diego could flirt with double-digit outbound gusts while San Francisco could get 20-plus MPH to help out hitters.
Pitching
Pablo Lopez, MIN at MIL ($9,800): It really feels like paying up on the bump is Gallen or bust, and I'm not sure the $400 discount matters much for Lopez's viability. But if you're not taking the obvious answer, he's shown a ceiling to compete while Minnesota has won 12 straight to boost potential scoring. Milwaukee lists a 21.9 percent K rate off righties and a below-average 91 wRC+. We can at least feel confident in Lopez being lower rostered, potentially offering an advantage in tournaments.
Clayton Kershaw, LAD vs. LAA ($8,000): The only question here is pitch and inning count as the lefty is making his season debut. Otherwise, this is an ideal matchup as the Angels are last offensively against lefties with a paltry 43 wRC+, .233 wOBA and massive 30.0 percent strikeout rate. If Kershaw's efficient, there's five inning potential with decent Ks. Even if there's rust, the strikeouts will likely still be there to allow him to flirt with a 4x return.
Noah Cameron, KC vs. STL ($6,000): Lugo is highlighted, but Cameron is being called up for a spot start and is available in the player pool. Who knows how many will take the time to search for him. But if you want to punt and buy offense, why not look here? Cameron earned 38 fantasy points in an earlier start with 38 strikeouts in 32.2 Triple-A innings. St. Louis comes with a a league-average 100 wRC+ off lefties, though a slightly elevated 23.2 percent K rate. There shouldn't be any concern about Cameron's workload given his minor-league starting history, so there's elite potential with minimal damage. And if he busts, the salary says we weren't expecting a lot anyway.
Top Targets
German Marquez is simply not a viable MLB pitcher, so the question is how many and which Diamondbacks do you build around? The BvP numbers aren't elite, so I'm just going to choose to ignore them. If we buy the splits (.528 wOBA allowed to righties on the road), then Eugenio Suarez ($3,600) is the play - though Corbin Carroll ($4,400), Ketel Marte ($3,700) and/or Geraldo Perdomo ($3,700) are all terrific choices.
Seattle's Emerson Hancock is allowing a .425 wOBA and .986 OPS to lefties. And while he's been better on the road, I'm not putting much stock in that given his home park's factor. Queue up Jackson Merrill ($4,100) over the Padres' other big bats.
Miles Mikolas is the slate's third cheapest pitcher, so Kansas City should do some damage. I don't trust eight of their options, so Bobby Witt ($4,200) it is. He's produced three triples from his last four to go along two steals, two runs and two RBI.
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Bargain Bats
Lourdes Gurriel ($3,000) and Gabriel Moreno ($2,500) could offer cheaper entries into Arizona's lineup. It's such an obvious stacking opportunity that it's been omitted below, but you are borderline required to have a piece of this offense on Saturday.
Drake Baldwin ($2,500) figures to draw the start behind the dish for Atlanta with nine hits across four outings. It's a small sample, but Boston starter Lucas Giolito is allowing a massive .717 wOBA to lefties at home.
If the wind is as big of a factor in San Francisco as it appears to be, then both Giants and Athletics' lineups are fine choices. Heliot Ramos ($3,300) has posted at least nine fantasy points in five of six, though A's starter Luis Severino doesn't have targetable splits. The same can't be said for Giants' starter Landen Roupp, who is allowing a .475 wOBA and 1.096 OPS to righties at home. Jacob Wilson ($3,000) is 0-for-10 over his last three, yet still profiles as the safest A's bat with power potential. Miguel Andujar ($2,600) could be sneaky by hitting in the heart of the order while registering 10 hits over his last eight.
Stack to Consider
Red Sox vs. Grant Holmes (Braves): Alex Bregman ($3,800), Rafael Devers ($3,500), Jarren Duran ($3,400)
Holmes has been far worse on the road with a 6.38 ERA and 6.71 FIP. Mix in a 44.0 percent fly ball rate and outbound winds, and there could be multiple homers. It's righties that have done him in as Holmes has given up a .459 wOBA and 1.109 OPS, making Bregman an outstanding standalone play. Duran is hot with eight hits in his last six while Devers add more power to this stack. If you want to back the splits or need to save salary, Kristian Campbell ($2,900) and Trevor Story ($2,800) enter the discussion - though neither is swinging well of late.
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