This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A larger than usual 11-game slate awaits Saturday evening, with a 7:05 p.m. EDT first pitch. Four arms are priced in double-digits with four more in the 9k tier, giving us plenty of quality choices.
Pitching
Yu Darvish ($10,100) is the cheapest of the upper-tier arms and seemingly has the best matchup against lowly Washington, so he'll make for a popular pick with a high floor and high ceiling. That makes the other three at this price point a bit contrarian. Corbin Burnes ($11,000) could be too rich for most builds, but he's dominated the Cardinals this season, striking out 21 across 14.0 shutout innings.
In the next tier, we have plus matchups for Logan Webb ($9,900) against Pittsburgh and Andrew Heaney ($9,400) at Kansas City. Heaney has yet to work five innings in three starts since returning from injury, however, seemingly capping his upside if he can't earn a win. Reid Detmers ($9,100) is an interesting GPP consideration. He's been fantastic of late, allowing four runs across his last five starts, striking out 38 in 31.0 innings. Its led to a 44.6 FanDuel point (FDP) average with a 34-point floor. He'll face a Twins lineup that ranks 17th with a .314 wOBA against lefties, but a slightly above-average 104 wRC+ and only 20.2 percent strikeout rate.
Further plus matchups can be found with Lance McCullers ($8,600) against Oakland and Lucas Giolito ($8,500) against Detroit. McCullers threw 86 pitches in his last rehab outing and should be allowed to throw enough Saturday to qualify for a win, which seems almost a certainty given the opponent. Giolito has won his last two starts and has fanned Tigers across 10.2 frames. He's better-suited for GPPs given his game-to-game volatility.
Finally, one pay down consideration is Matt Manning ($6,800) opposing Giolito and the White Sox. Chicago fans only 20.3 percent of time against righties, but they have a middling .300 wOBA and 95 wRC+. He was brilliant across seven shutout innings against Tampa last time out, fanning seven, but didn't get the strikeouts he needed in his first start back from injury against Minnesota to provide a return. But having shown he's capable, there's rare upside at this price point.
Top Targets
Anibal Sanchez keeps getting trotted out every fifth day, so we'll keep playing bats against him. He's been hit far harder by same-handed bats, allowing a .473 wOBA and 1.123 OPS to righties. Manny Machado ($3,900) has multiple hits and multiple RBI in three straight, and should be amongst the most popular choices Saturday. Brandon Drury ($3,700) is nearly as hot, and makes for nice mini-stack or contrarian pivot.
Jose Urena is allowing a .403 wOBA to lefties inside of Coors Field against just a .264 to righties. Do we trust the Diamondbacks at these prices given the plus situation? Ketel Marte ($3,900) leads a plethora of options that also includes Daulton Varsho ($3,700) and a few cheap options who could hit near the top of the lineup in Josh Rojas ($3,400) and Alek Thomas ($3,200). I likely don't trust them enough to stack, but one piece as the rest of lineup construction allows makes sense.
Bargain Bats
It's a potential revenge spot for Tyler Beede against a Giants' team that took him in the first round to start his career. He's unlikely to work too deep, and the .340 wOBA he allows is hardly massive enough to target, but San Francisco's lineup is so cheap, we can snag a piece or two and the Pirates and a likely extended showing of their bullpen. Wilmer Flores ($2,800) seems stable for 6-9 FDP, while Mike Yastrzemski ($2,700) is relatively hot.
Adam Wainwright has been really good at home, but when he's off, he's really off, as evident by the six runs allowed to the Yankees and seven to the Reds of late. And Milwaukee has had his number this season, getting him for 25 hits, 12 runs and four homers across just 14.0 innings. It makes for a potential GPP stack. Andrew McCutchen ($3,100) has had the most head-to-head success (.329 average, .938 OPS in 73 ABs), while Luis Urias ($2,900) has two homers and five hits in 14 at bats. The splits aren't favorable for any Brewer bat, so this has bust potential.
Stack to Consider
Mariners vs. Rangers (Dane Dunning): Julio Rodriguez ($3,800), Mitch Haniger ($3,400), Jesse Winker ($2,800)
I touched on the Mariners dominance of the Rangers yesterday, and it continued. They've now won nine straight and 17 of 19 in this matchup, so we can feel comfortable knowing the lineup will produce Saturday. They've faced Dunning three times already this year, getting him for a modest seven runs and 13 hits in 16.0 innings, and Dunning had a 5.58 FIP and 1.88 WHIP in July before a solid outing last time out. He's been far more vulnerable to lefties, allowing a .372 wOBA, but many of the Mariner lefties don't offer much upside. Winker's power is the exception, so we can target him at this low price. Otherwise, we'll simply take the top-of-the-order bats with the most potential. Haniger has two three-hit games in his last four and a nine-game hitting streak. Rodriguez had two hits in his return from injury, and remains underpriced due to that absence.
