This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
It won't be quite a full slate of games available for your picking purposes Saturday. 16 games are happening, but the Yankees and Orioles start at 1:05 p.m. EDT and the Athletics-Rangers play a doubleheader, so they are out. Still, you can't complain about 24 teams worth of players to choose from, especially once I throw you a few of my suggestions.
PITCHING
This is a really tough day for figuring out pitchers. The best option of the bunch is probably Dakota Hudson ($40). He comes in with a 2.68 ERA and carries a career 3.40 FIP. Hudson will be facing the Reds, who have the league's lowest batting average.
I suppose you could take a flyer on Kansas City's Carlos Hernandez ($28). He's pitched in two major-league games, neither of which have been a start. But Hernandez is facing the Pirates, the clear worst offense available to target Saturday since the Rangers aren't included in the slate. Pittsburgh has struggled with a .634 OPS, which may say it all.
Finally, I'm not against Kyle Hendricks ($41). He's steady as a rock, doesn't allow homers and maintains an ERA around 3.40 for the third straight season in a row, but he won't strike out many batters. Milwaukee is down in the bottom-seven in runs scored and batting average, so Hendricks might be his usual reliable, unremarkable self. That could be enough to get a win, and that can take you a long way.
TOP PICKS
Charlie Blackmon ($16) loves playing at home. Who could blame him for enjoying the friendly climate of Coors Field, especially when he's produced an 1.037 OPS at his own ballpark since 2018. Jaime Barria is off to a good start this season, so I don't necessarily want to stack Rockies but I will still recommend Blackmon as a lefty facing a right-handed pitcher in the ballpark where he excels.
Franmil Reyes ($22) has always offered power. Last season, he posted a .512 slugging percentage with 37 home runs despite batting .249. This year, he's recorded a .509 slugging percentage but also maintains a .304 batting average. Rich Hill isn't a bad pitcher, but also carries a 4.55 FIP and is 40. Since Reyes is a righty, I still like him in this matchup.
VALUE PLAYS
I don't blame you for not being aware, but Jeimer Candelario ($22) is enjoying a career year for the Tigers with a slash line of .327/.385/.578. The White Sox are trotting out Reynaldo Lopez to start Saturday and he's produced a 7.93 FIP in limited innings over four starts.
At catcher, I'm quite enthused about Willson Contreras ($12). He's never had an issue getting on base - especially for a backstop - as his career OBP is .351. His power is down from last year, but a .421 slugging percentage is still quite good for his position. Contreras is also a righty, and Brett Anderson has allowed a .287 batting average to right-handed batters since 2018.
STACKS
White Sox vs. Michael Fulmer: Jose Abreu ($27), Eloy Jimenez ($22), Nomar Mazara ($11)
Fulmer may not last long today as he hasn't gone more than three innings yet, but that still will gives all these guys one - perhaps two - cracks at him before Detroit's underwhelming bullpen steps in. The Tigers' hurler has slumped to an 8.24 ERA through seven outings. Abreu has a career slash line of .294/.349/.517 and this year his slugging percentage is a personal-best .586 with 13 homers. Jimenez doesn't walk a lot, but he hit .267 with 31 homers as a rookie last year and is batting .285 with 12 home runs this year. Mazara's power has disappeared, but he's never failed to record 19 homers in a season and I wanted to recommend a lefty with some upside and he's the only real option for the White Sox.
Rays vs. Nathan Eovaldi: Brandon Lowe ($17), Austin Meadows ($12), Kevin Kiermaier ($14)
Eovaldi is scheduled to return from the IL to make a start, and I don't expect it to go well. His fast but flat fastball has not helped him in a homer-happy era, allowing 2.13 homers per nine innings last season and serving up 1.83 per nine in 2020. The Rays are capable of putting an entirely left-handed lineup out there if they want, which could be rough for Eovaldi. Lowe has cooled down a bit, but still has a .353 OBP and .558 slugging percentage with 11 homers. Meadows has really struggled against lefties this year, but he's been fine versus righties (.799 OPS) and posted 33 homers and 12 stolen bases last season. Kiermaier has been getting on base, which is positive given his ability to steal bases - like the six he's swiped this year.
When I originally wrote this article, my third stack was the Padres against the Giants. However, on Friday night, the game between those teams was postponed and so was Saturday's. Suggesting another team to stack would just be me bending myself into a pretzel in order to justify having a third team listed. Given that, I don't have another stack for you. Just be sure not to include any Padres and Giants in your lineup. As of this writing, those players are still listed as available for your roster, although with big ol' red circles next to their names. Well, I can throw you a few names quick. The Angels are at Coors Field facing Kyle Freeland. He has a 3.60 ERA this year but produced a 6.73 ERA last year with a 9.25 ERA at home. Freeland is a lefty, so let's go with three right-handed Angels: Anthony Rendon ($26), Andrelton Simmons ($18), and promising prospect Jo Adell ($11).
