Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Saturday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

PITCHER

Stephen Strasburg, WAS at SD ($53): Strasburg comes at a steep price for a guy making his first start off the DL, but he looked strong in his rehab start and he's facing the Padres. The downside is that there's virtually no chance he goes deep into this game, but he can do plenty of damage against the Padres, who have the fourth-lowest wOBA and second-highest K% against righties this season.

Kevin Gausman, BAL vs. LAA ($40): The idea of using Gausman a couple months back seemed outrageous, but he's piled up enough quality starts that I now trust him again. He has recorded eight strikeouts in four of his past six starts while allowing more than two runs just once in that span. The Angels have certainly played better since the return of Mike Trout, and while they don't strike out at a high rate, they have the sixth-lowest wOBA against righties this year.

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CATCHER

Robinson Chirinos, TEX vs. CHW ($14):Derek Holland returns to his old stomping grounds and unless he's got something up his sleeve, this won't be a friendly homecoming. Holland has a 5.68 ERA after allowing 10 runs in his last 7.2 innings. With Holland on the mound, you can safely stack the Rangers, and Chirinos offers one of the cheapest options and a .384 wOBA against lefties this season.

FIRST BASE

Freddie Freeman, ATL vs. CIN ($22):Robert Stephenson takes the mound for the Reds, and while he's been okay as a reliever, he's been a disaster as a starter, allowing 15 runs in his last 17.1 innings. Meanwhile, Freeman has a .461 wOBA against righties this season, which is second-best in the majors.

SECOND BASE

Jonathan Schoop, BAL vs. LAA ($21):JC Ramirez takes the mound for the Angels with a 4.26 ERA, which is a reflection of a lot of peaks and valleys this season. He appears to be in one of those valleys right now, which is good news for Schoop, who has a .363 wOBA against righties this season, the second-best mark on the team (Trey Mancini).

THIRD BASE

Anthony Rendon, WAS at SD ($19): He's not the most consistent player in the league, but you have to wonder how much better Rendon's numbers would be if he were consistently in the top five spots in the batting order. As it is, he's usually in the sixth spot yet he still manages to put up some big numbers. Rendon enters with a .467 wOBA against lefties this season and gets a crack at Travis Wood, who has a 6.46 ERA.

SHORTSTOP

Corey Seager, LAD at DET ($21):Michael Fulmer enters with a respectable 3.78 ERA, but he's been really bad over his past four starts, allowing 19 runs in his last 22.2 innings, including 11 in his last two starts. Seager has improved against lefties this season, but it's his solid .374 wOBA against righties that we're after.

OUTFIELD

Delino DeShields Jr., TEX vs. CHW ($15): As mentioned earlier, with Holland on the mound for the White Sox, there are a number of bats in play with the Rangers. DeShields offers another somewhat cheap option among some more expensive ones, and with a lefty on the hill, he has plenty of upside. DeShields enters with a .345 wOBA against lefties this season and nearly half if his 20 stolen bases have come against them.

Dexter Fowler, STL at PIT ($21): We are just past halfway through August and Fowler is likely in the lead for player on the month, as he's crushed it since his return from the DL. His price has caught up with his production, but that's no reason to fade him, especially when he has a nice matchup against Chad Kuhl, who has a 4.64 ERA after allowing seven runs in his past 11 innings. Fowler enters with a .375 wOBA against righties this season, which is second on the Cardinals.

Justin Upton, DET vs. LAD ($24): Upton enters with a .443 wOBA against lefties this season, and while Hyun-Jin Ryu is no pushover, he's certainly not elite either. Ryu had a nice little run recently, but he wasn't sharp in his most recent start when he allowed three runs in five innings to the lowly Padres.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Greg Vara plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: lennykarl1, DraftKings: lennykarl1.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Greg Vara
Vara is the lead golf writer at RotoWire. He was named the FSWA Golf Writer of the Year in 2005 and 2013. He also picks college football games against the spread in his "College Capper" article.
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