Saturday’s main slate features seven games starting at 7:05 pm ET.
Pitchers
The four pitchers projected to score the most fantasy points today are:
Clayton Kershaw (L)
Alex Cobb (R)
Marco Gonzales (L)
Garrett Richards (R)
The top-rated pitcher on Bales Model for both DraftKings and FanDuel is Clayton Kershaw from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kershaw was outstanding in his last start against the Chicago Cubs. In eight innings pitched he allowed only four hits, while striking out a season-high 13 batters. I have always been a fan of the saying, “What have you done for me lately.” In this case, Kershaw looked like the three-time National League Cy Young Award winner of yesteryear. Tonight, he will be pitching against the Washington Nationals who are projected for the lowest implied runs total on the slate of 3.3.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Los Angeles Angels pitcher Alex Cobb had his worst start of the season his last time on the mound. In four innings, Cobb allowed six hits, six earned runs, and only struck out three opposing batters. Hoping for a bounce-back performance, Cobb will be pitching against the second worst team in MLB, the Baltimore Orioles (27-55). Although the Orioles have scored a total of 34 runs in their last four games, I believe Cobb will be able to cool off the hot bats today.
A pitcher who has given up runs in every start this year, while still producing decent fantasy numbers is Marco Gonzales from the Seattle Mariners. Bales Model projects Gonzales to have the third highest ceiling on the slate tonight as he will be facing the Texas Rangers. The Rangers rank bottom half in baseball in most team-hitting statistics including: batting average, runs, strikeouts, total bases, and on base percentage. In what seems to be a great spot for Gonzales, the Rangers are projected to have the second lowest implied runs total (3.9 runs).
After a strong start to the 2021 campaign, Garrett Richards for the Boston Red Sox has struggled the past month and a half. Hoping to regain his early-season form, Richards will be pitching against the Oakland Athletics tonight. In his one start against the Athletics earlier this year, Richards struck out four batters in six innings, while not allowing any runs across the plate. Today, Pro trends considers Richards a 90% bargain on FanDuel.
Value
Jorge Lopez from the Baltimore Orioles may be a great GPP option tonight as he is projected to have extremely low ownership, and a strong K/9 (7.677) for his price. Bales Model considers Lopez a strong value play on the slate tonight as he has a high projection of points/salary for both DraftKings and FanDuel.
The pitcher that is considered the highest bargain play on the slate for FanDuel is Jake Odorizzi from the Houston Astros. Although his price may be high for DraftKings, Odorizzi presents strong value due to his recent performances. Odorizzi has not allowed a run in his last three starts, while striking out 15 opposing batters.
Hitters
Notable Stack
Today’s top projected points stack comes to you from the -110 Colorado Rockies:
- Raimel Tapia (L)
- Yonathan Daza (R)
- Charlie Blackmon (L)
- Trevor Story (R)
The Rockies have the highest projected implied runs total on the slate (6.2 runs) and are hoping to benefit from playing at Coors Field. This season playing at home, the Rockies are 29-17, while only 6-31 on the road. In what figures to be a high-scoring game, I give the advantage to the home team as the visiting Cardinals are currently on a 10-game road trip. On FanDuel, this stack will cost you $15k in salary and are projected for a combined 55.9 fantasy points.
Other Hitters
Bales Model projects the highest floor play not in the Cardinals/Rockies game as Anthony Rendon from the Los Angeles Angels. Although Rendon’s power numbers are down on the year, he has multi-hit games in two of his last three. With this recent batting surge, Rendon has increased his poor average of .242
The highest rated batter on the slate for both DraftKings and FanDuel per Bales Model is Tommy Edman from the St Louis Cardinals. Edman is projected to bat leadoff in tonight’s game and has double-digit fantasy outputs in three of his last four games. Not only has Edman proven to be a consistent hitter this year, he is also tied for fifth with 15 stolen bases.
If you are looking to avoid high ownership and prefer playing contrarian tonight, I recommend looking at batters from the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners have a projected implied runs total of five today as they face the Texas Rangers.
Value
Last but not least, here is a handful of batters to consider while completing your lineups today that are projected for a high fantasy points/salary:
- Jake Bauers
- Domingo Leyba
- Gavin Lux
- Justin Turner
- Andy Ibanez
Photo Credit: Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire.
Pictured: Tommy Edman.
