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Saturday sets up to be another busy night of fantasy baseball with Major League Baseball providing 10 games on the main fantasy baseball slate for DraftKings. Six of the 10 games are divisional matchups, so there is plenty of familiar foes going head-to-head along with some less typical matchups like the Yankees continuing their stop in St. Louis.
To keep up with pregame lineups and player news, install the DK Live app and follow DK Live on Twitter (@dklive). I’m also on Twitter (@ZT_Sports), where you can keep up with all my picks as the season continues.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $222K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
For up-to-the-minute news, analysis and lineups, download the DK Live app. You also can follow DK Live on Twitter @dklive.
PITCHER
Stud
Carlos Rodón, San Francisco Giants at Oakland Athletics ($9,500) – While the Max pitching duel between Max Scherzer ($10,600) and Max Fried ($9,500) is sure to draw plenty of attention, both face tougher matchups than Rodón, who takes on the A’s in pitcher-friendly RingCentral Coliseum. Rodón has been excellent in his first season in San Francisco, going 9-6 with a 3.00 ERA, 2.28 FIP and 11.56 K/9. He posted 38.6 DKFP in his most recent start, which was against the Cubs, and had 30.5 DKFP in a win the first time he faced the A’s this year. Rodón has at least seven strikeouts in six straight outings, making him the most reliable SP on the board, especially against the Athletics, who have scored the second-fewest runs in the Majors this season and are hitting just .215 as a team.
Other Options – Max Scherzer ($10,600), Merrill Kelly ($9,000)
Value
Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels at Seattle Mariners ($8,600) – In case you haven’t been following the Angels closely (understandable), Detmers struggled after his May no-hitter including consecutive starts in which he gave up a combined nine earned runs and four home runs, and ultimately ended up back in the minors. He’s bounced back impressively, though, and went 1-0 in four dominant July starts allowing a total of three earned runs in 24 innings and striking out 31 for an impressive 34.4% K%. He had a season-high 12 punch outs in his most recent outing, which resulted in 34.2 DKFP despite it being a no-decision. Detmers should set up well for this matchup in Seattle since the Mariners rely on left-handed hitters, and the rookie has held lefties to a .198 wOBA this season.
Other Options – Aaron Ashby ($8,000), Nathan Eovaldi ($7,300)
INFIELD
Stud
Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals vs. New York Yankees ($5,300) – Arenado has posted double-digit DKFP in four straight games on the Cardinals’ homestand after going 2-for-3 with a walk and 12 DKFP on Friday against the Yankees. He’s hitting .296 with a .387 wOBA and 155 wRC+ in his 98 games this season and has gone 12-for-37 (.324) since the All-Star break with four doubles, three homers and a .451 wOBA. He’s in a great matchup highlighted below in stacks and is a great cornerstone to build around at 3B on this slate.
Stud
Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox at Kansas City Royals ($4,800) – Bogaerts is hitting .378 on the year against lefties with three homers and a .451 wOBA. He should be able to get to Daniel Lynch ($6,900) on Saturday night and stay hot. He had four singles and 16 DKFP on Friday night and has hit .333 (23-for-69) with six doubles, two homers and a .388 wOBA over his past 19 games.
Other Options – Brandon Drury ($5,400), Francisco Lindor ($5,100)
Value
Nathaniel Lowe, Texas Rangers vs. Chicago White Sox ($3,300) – Lowe has been locked into the cleanup spot for the Rangers and provides very affordable upside from that lineup spot. Since the All-Star break, he has hit a sizzling .344 with five doubles, a triple, three home runs and a .404 wOBA. He’s hitting .282 on the season with a .340 wOBA and has regularly been one of the best low-cost 1B to include in your lineup.
Value
Paul DeJong, St. Louis Cardinals vs. New York Yankees ($3,300) – DeJong lost his job earlier this season and was sent to Triple-A, but he has come back strong since returning to the lineup following the trade of Edmundo Sosa to the Phillies. He has only gone 4-for-19 (.211) but all four of those hits have been for extra bases with two homers and two doubles. His two-out, two-run double in the eighth was the difference in Friday’s game and pushed him to 11 DKFP. DeJong has good extra-base potential and has a 63.6% hard-hit rate with a 35.4% barrel rate since returning, so he’s hitting the ball very well and gets a good matchup on Saturday.
Other Options – Jose Miranda ($3,600), Vinnie Pasquantino ($2,100)
OUTFIELD
Stud
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees at St. Louis Cardinals ($6,000) – Picking Judge in this spot isn’t new or exciting, but it’s still the right pick since he continues to be very productive in just about every contest. On Friday, he didn’t homer but still posted 17 DKFP by going 2-for-4 with his 11th stolen base of the year. Over his 14 most recent contests, he has gone 21-for-52 (.404) with 13 walks, three stolen bases, 10 home runs and a .624 wOBA. If you’re spending up at OF, Judge is a pick that usually pays off.
Stud
Eloy Jiménez, Chicago White Sox at Texas Rangers ($4,800) – Jiménez has also been crushing it since the All-Star break, going 19-for-45 (.422) with two doubles, four homers and a .493 wOBA. He seems to be fully healthy after leg and hand injuries, and he’s starting to be the hitter he was during his 2019 breakout before multiple injuries side-tracked him for a few seasons.
Other Options – Starling Marte ($5,100), Hunter Renfroe ($5,000)
Value
Chris Taylor, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres ($3,800) – Taylor returned on Friday night after missing almost a month with a foot injury. He started and played 2B in his return and finished with 16 DKFP thanks to a two-RBI double and a steal of third base in the third inning. Taylor’s numbers were a little bit down before the injury, but he’s a key contributor in a top-tier lineup when healthy and can bring a nice speed element as well. If he’s able to keep contributing, his salary will likely rise, so take advantage of him under $4K while you can.
Value
Mickey Moniak, Los Angeles Angels at Seattle Mariners ($2,000) – The Angels acquired Moniak in exchange for Noah Syndergaard at the trade deadline, and it looks like Moniak will be the CF replacement for Brandon Marsh, who was also traded to the Phillies in a separate deal. Moniak was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft but has failed to live up to high expectations. The Angels are expected to give him an extended audition over the remaining weeks of the season to see if the 24-year-old lefty can contribute moving forward. He did have five home runs and five stolen bases in 20 games in Triple-A this year and homered in his second start with the Angels on Thursday. Moniak has a ton of potential, so he’s worth taking a flier on if you’re looking for a minimum-salaried OF on Saturday night.
Other Options – Alek Thomas ($3,300), Alex Verdugo ($3,200), Jonathan Davis ($2,100)
TEAMS TO STACK
St. Louis Cardinals vs. New York Yankees – While the Cardinals will start former-Yankee Jordan Montgomery ($7,700) against his former team, they’ll be facing Domingo Germán ($6,500), who will get at least one more start while the Yankees figure out their new rotation coming out of the trade deadline. Germán has allowed 13 runs in 12 2⁄3 innings with a 7.30 FIP. He has surrendered four homers in those three starts and allowed righties to post a .499 wOBA against him. Paul Goldschmidt ($6,100), Nolan Arenado ($5,300) and Tyler O’Neill ($4,900) make a strong right-handed core to build a stack around with Nolan Gorman ($3,800), Paul DeJong ($3,300), Lars Nootbaar ($2,100) and Yadier Molina ($2,200) offering cheap plays to fill in the gaps.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Colorado Rockies – The Diamondbacks offer a nice value stack against the Rockies and Antonio Senzatela ($6,400). Senzatela has a 4.87 ERA and 4.10 FIP on the season and has allowed at least three runs in five straight starts. One of those outings was against Arizona, and he lasted only two innings while giving up three runs on four hits. Ketel Marte ($4,700), Josh Rojas ($4,500) and Christian Walker ($3,600) all have very good history against Senzatela. There are some very nice options even cheaper as well with Alek Thomas ($3,300), Jake McCarthy ($2,900) and Friday night’s hero Geraldo Perdomo ($2,500) all bringing good potential at affordable salaries.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $222K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
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