The first Saturday MLB FanDuel slate of the year includes 12 games, beginning between 2:10 pm and 4:10 pm ET. Read on for the top pitcher, hitter and stack of the day.
Pitching
Spencer Strider, ATL @ WSH ($10,800): He's the most expensive pitcher on a slate full of strong arms, but he's priced like this for a reason. Any concerns about Strider in season-long leagues are related to his durability, as there's hardly anyone better on a per-inning basis. Strider paired a 2.67 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP last season and finished with a 38.3 percent strikeout rate, second-best all time (min. 100 IP). He couldn't ask for a much easier matchup for his season debut.
Tylor Megill, NYM @ MIA ($7,900): Megill may have started spring as the Mets' seventh starter, but he's already in the rotation following injuries to Jose Quintana (ribs) and Justin Verlander (shoulder). He has much more promise than most seventh starters, as he owns a career 3.71 SIERA despite his 4.73 ERA. He also benefits from a fairly easy matchup in a pitchers' park.
Top Target
Matt Olson, 1B, ATL @WSH ($3,700): If you're looking for fireworks, this game might be your best bet. Young Nationals righty Josiah Gray has promise, but he posted a 5.02 ERA in his first full season thanks primarily to the 38 homers he allowed — five more than anyone else in the league. Olson was more good than great in his first season in Atlanta, hitting .240/.324/.477, but his 34 homers gave him 123 for the last five seasons, the fifth-highest mark in the league.
Bargain Bat
Spencer Steer, 3B, CIN vs. PIT ($2,600): It's possible Rich Hill's veteran guile helps him shut down a relatively impotent Reds offense, but I'm betting on hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park helping the Reds score some runs. Steer, the team's No. 2 hitter, should be right in the middle of everything and comes at a very cheap price. He stumbled to a .632 OPS in 28 games as a rookie but was considered a fairly interesting prospect. He homered on Opening Day.
Top Stack
Blue Jays vs. Jack Flaherty: Vladimir Guerrero ($4,000), Bo Bichette ($3,900), Daulton Varsho ($3,500)
The Blue Jays have an outstanding and deep lineup, offering many viable options to choose from. I'm hoping Flaherty's name value means they're on fewer rosters than they ought to be. It's possible Flaherty is finally fully healthy and about to return to the dominant form he showed early in his career, making this stack a dud, but in a battle between possibly the best lineup in the league and a pitcher who recorded a 19.8 percent strikeout rate and 13.2 percent walk rate last season, I'll take the hitters.
Pirates vs. Nick Lodolo: Bryan Reynolds ($3,500), Oneil Cruz ($3,300), Ke'Bryan Hayes ($2,800)
This is another stack that I hope draws less attention than it deserves. Lodolo is quite good (3.66 ERA, 3.29 SIERA as a rookie) and the Pirates are not, so it's possible many DFS players look the other way. But this small portion of the Pittsburgh lineup is quite competent, so I'm willing to take a chance on them besting the talented young lefty in larger tournaments. As with the Spencer Steer pick above, this one is very much informed by the hitter-friendly park in Cincinnati.
