This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Saturday night's main slate comes with 10 games, offering an ample-sized player pool. What it didn't offer, at least to me, were many slam-dunk, obvious choices. A handful of overpriced, hot pitchers are followed by multiple arms that don't have a long track record of success. That makes picking bats equally as challenging as you're presented with the challenge of ignoring current form for prior year failures. Saturday seems like a good slate to go against the grain with your lineup and hope for the best.
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PITCHER
Jameson Taillon, PIT at MIL ($8,300): I'm honestly not sure I'm buying in to what I'm writing here, but I think there's value as a GPP contrarian option in Taillon. His recent struggles don't match the high price, so there's reason to believe he'll come with a very lower ownership percentage. Add in the Brewers' .309 wOBA, 92 wRC+ and 23.4 percent strikeout rate against righties, and Taillon has scoring upside while also being a road favorite. The Dodgers' Kenta Maeda ($8,600) presents as a more obvious choice.
GPP Fade: Kevin Gausman, BAL at OAK ($7,900): Truth be told, I don't see an obvious pitcher to fade here, as I'm not sure many are willing to pay the steep price for Charlie Morton ($10,000), while the Red Sox have struggled against lefties – keeping Cole Hamels ($8,100) loosely in play. Oakland, meanwhile, enters Saturday ranking third against righties with a .341 wOBA and second with a 115 wRC+. While there's some strikeout upside to Gausman, he's been far too inconsistent to trust, and also seems unlikely to be bolstered by decent run support from a bad O's lineup.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Caleb Smith, MIA at CIN ($6,900): There doesn't appear to be an ideal cheap play on this docket, so maybe Smith's strikeout potential is worth rolling the dice on. Unlikely sustainable, Smith is fanning 33.9 percent of the hitters he's faced, including 29 over his last 20.1 innings. He's allowed only two runs in his last 13 frames, and the Reds check in with a mediocre .320 wOBA against lefties while fanning 24.4 percent of the time. Oakland's Trevor Cahill ($7,100) also merits a look.
CATCHER/FIRST BASE
Cody Bellinger, LAD vs. SDP ($3,600): The power remains absent, but Bellinger is showing signs of life, having amassed nine hits over his last seven games. He owns a .383 wOBA against righties since the start of last year, adding a 140 wRC+ and .300 ISO in advance of a face off with Bryan Mitchell's .341 wOBA to lefties.
SECOND BASE
Jose Altuve, HOU at ARI ($3,900): Sometimes, value is found strictly on price rather than advanced metrics. Altuve's price usually hovers in the $4,400 range, and the only real knock on his 'slow' start is a lack of power, and/or run scoring. He's collecting hits with regularity, is 9-of-21 against Zack Greinke in his career, and simply offers too much potential to pass on under $4,000. If you need advanced metrics, despite Altuve's 'struggles', he comes in with a .375 wOBA against righties compared to a .279 wOBA against southpaws thus far. Minnesota's Brian Dozier ($3,300) is also worth a look.
THIRD BASE
Colin Moran, PIT at MIL ($3,100): Moran's limited power make him a tough GPP play, but his hit tool suggest he's a very stable option in cash formats. Brewers' starter Jhoulys Chacin is allowing a .445 wOBA to lefties, while Moran comes with a .347 wOBA and 122 wRC+ against righties.
SHORTSTOP
Jurickson Profar, TEX vs BOS ($3,200): Red Sox bats are usually a popular stack, but I think there's plenty of value Saturday with the Rangers lineup against Eduardo Rodriguez, who's allowed eight runs over his last 10.2 frames. Profar is about as low as I'd like to go at this position, but his current .589 wOBA, .273 wRC+ and .444 ISO suggest he's starting to make due on his former top-prospect billing.
OUTFIELD
Charlie Blackmon, COL at NYM ($4,700): Blackmon hasn't cared whether he's facing a lefty or righty in 2018, nor has he been limiting his production to Coors Field at-bats, posting a .445 wOBA and 187 wRC+ on the road against lefties to date. He's hit safely in seven of his last nine, five times going for 12.5 or more fantasy points entering a matchup against Steven Matz and his 6.08 home ERA.
Justin Upton, LAA at SEA ($3,900): If you're not willing to pay up for Mike Trout ($5,700) against Marco Gonzales, Upton brings a hot bat to the table as an option. Gonzales has a 7.88 home ERA, allowing a .366 wOBA to righties in the process. Upton has collected six hits, six RBI and seven runs scored in his last five games and sports a stable .349 wOBA against lefties since 2017.
Daniel Palka, CWS at MIN ($2,900): Palka has shown well in a limited sample size, posting a .383 wOBA, 142 wRC+ and .385 ISO against righties entering Saturday. The White Sox make for a nice stacking option against a struggling Lance Lynn, who is allowing a .490 wOBA to lefties in the early going, and Palka gets you a share against Lynn on the cheap.
UTILITY
Kurt Suzuki, ATL vs. SFG ($3,100): Ignore the position Suzuki plays, and just confirm he's in the lineup Saturday against lefty Ty Blach, who allows a .348 wOBA to rights since the start of 2017 against a .263 clip to same-handed batters. That clearly puts any of the Braves' righties in play, though Ronald Acuna's price rose $400 from Friday despite a hitless display. Enter Suzuki, hopefully, who has posted a .482 wOBA against lefties since over the past year-plus, offering a cheap buy-in in an inviting matchup.
