This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Action is scheduled throughout Saturday, giving us four slates with at least three games. The main slate kicks off at 4:05 p.m. EDT with seven matchups, and that will be the topic for our following recommendations.
Pitchers
Hunter Brown ($10,300) stands alone this season in terms of salary, results and skills. His 30.7 percent K rate is over three points higher than the next best player while he's limited opposing hitters to a .185 average. A matchup against the Guardians isn't intimidating, though they don't strike out much as a group.
Logan Webb ($9,600) is the next highest-valued arm and belongs there based on his 27.5 percent strikeout rate and exceptional 2.64 SIERA. Across the last 14 days, Atlanta has struck out at the eighth-highest rate in the league with only a 94 wRC+.
Gavin Williams ($8,000) represents an interesting option. He's squaring off against Brown, which will likely drive down his roster rate. Williams is also one of the few available pitchers who can match Brown's upside as he topped 24 DK points four times across 12 starts.
There's something of a dead zone in the middle of the salary pool, so we can jump down into the lower tiers where a pair of options stand out. Ryan Weathers ($7,200) is severely misvalued. He hold a 25.3 K rate, which is only 0.4 lower than Williams. The Rays have been among the hottest teams at the plate over the last two weeks, which is a concern - though that doesn't erase the potential value. Taj Bradley ($7,000) is on the other side of that matchup and is also intriguing. After an up-and-down start, he appears to have settled in after posting at least six strikeouts in each of his last four outings while registering at least 19.6 DK points from three of those. And a matchup against the Marlins is fairly favorable.
Find out which projected starters are going and when with RotoWire's Probable Pitchers page!
Top Hitter
Gavin Williams is a good option, but we also can't ignore his flaws. One of them is a 1.21 HR/9 and 10.3 barrel rate against, which should keep Astros' hitters on the radar. Jeremy Pena ($4,500) is in the midst of a breakout campaign and is one of Houston's offensive driving forces.
Value Bats
The Rangers have been ice cold as a lineup during the last 14 days with a 63 wRC+ and .259 wOBA, both which are among the worst in the league. That deters me from recommending them as a stack, yet they are in a strong spot to score from a matchup perspective against Mitchell Parker. At the very least, consider Sam Haggerty ($3,300) as their leadoff hitter against lefties.
DraftKings rightfully knocked Vinnie Pasquantino's ($3,100) salary after a slow start, but he's since picked up his performance with a wOBA above .370 since May 1 and has recently taken well to the cleanup spot. Adrian Houser has done well enough to kick off his White Sox tenure, yet his track record says he won't be able to keep that going.
Stacks to Consider
Giants vs. Atlanta (Bryce Elder): Heliot Ramos ($4,400), Jung Hoo Lee ($4,300), Matt Chapman ($4,200)
The Giants are another club that hasn't recently performed well as a unit, but the matchup against Elder is too good to ignore. He checks every box we look for to stack against a pitcher, including a limited strikeout rate (18.0), a relatively elevated walk rate (7.8) and a lot of homers given up (1.46 HR/9). The good news is that San Fran bats are relatively cheap and can be used as a secondary stack or as a way to pay up for aces.
Phillies at Pirates (Andrew Heaney): Bryson Stott ($4,500), Trea Turner ($5,900), Kyle Schwarber ($5,600)
Heaney outperformed expectations to begin his time in Pittsburgh, though things have come crashing down the last month with an 11.4 percent strikeout rate paired with a 1.35 HR/9 over his last five starts. Even without Bryce Harper (wrist) available, the Phillies should be able to make Heaney pay if he can't miss bats.
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