There are only a few early games Saturday, but those games have a pretty big impact on the late slate.
Most of the stud third baseman are playing in the early slate. I like the late slate third basemen just fine, but there is no one I am rushing out to play and no one I think you should break the bank for. Aside from third base, the late slate is pretty solid at the other positions, especially in the outfield. Part of the reason for that is the outfield is very weak in the early slate.
| CATCHER | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Wilson Ramos | WSH | R | A | SF | Jake Peavy | R | 316 | .332 | .384 | .535 | .919 | .396 | 0.2 | 7.80% | 13.00% | 53.40% | 22.40% | 24.30% | 25.00% | .349 | $3,200 | $4,100 | $4,800 |
| Willson Contreras | CHI | R | H | SEA | Wade Miley | L | 122 | .270 | .360 | .459 | .819 | .361 | 0.19 | 10.10% | 25.90% | 61.20% | 22.40% | 16.50% | 26.30% | .346 | $3,100 | $3,600 | $4,550 |
| Yadier Molina | STL | R | A | MIA | Colin Rea | R | 335 | .275 | .337 | .370 | .707 | .309 | 0.1 | 8.20% | 11.10% | 52.70% | 25.80% | 21.60% | 4.10% | .305 | $2,900 | $3,500 | $4,450 |
| Kurt Suzuki | MIN | R | H | CWS | Miguel Gonzalez | R | 229 | .288 | .327 | .441 | .768 | .336 | 0.15 | 4.10% | 13.40% | 42.30% | 35.10% | 22.70% | 8.80% | .313 | $2,700 | $2,800 | $3,750 |
| Welington Castillo | ARI | R | A | LA | Scott Kazmir | L | 272 | .265 | .314 | .441 | .755 | .321 | 0.18 | 6.40% | 26.00% | 45.80% | 30.50% | 23.70% | 19.00% | .326 | $2,500 | $3,400 | $4,500 |
Willson Contreras is a fine option if you don’t want to pay all the way for Wilson Ramos but do not want to mess around with Curt Casali either. Contreras has a .799 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season.
If you can afford him, Wilson Ramos is probably safer than Contreras. Ramos is 7-for-23 with two home runs over the last seven days.
I suspect Yadier Molina will get the day off after playing four days in-a-row, but he has nine hits over that span, so if he does play, get him in your lineup.
Kurt Suzuki is 4-for-5 with three RBI against Miguel Gonzalez and he is a very nice value on DraftKings and FantasyAces.
Welington Castillo is 6-for-16 with a home run and six RBI during his four-game hitting streak and he has a .441 wOBA against left-handed pitchers this season.
| FIRST BASE | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Edwin Encarnacion | TOR | R | H | BAL | Yovani Gallardo | R | 377 | .265 | .357 | .549 | .906 | .380 | 0.28 | 11.90% | 20.30% | 36.40% | 41.30% | 22.40% | 23.70% | .273 | $4,200 | $4,900 | $5,700 |
| Ryan Zimmerman | WSH | R | A | SF | Jake Peavy | R | 295 | .220 | .281 | .397 | .678 | .294 | 0.18 | 7.30% | 21.70% | 50.70% | 30.40% | 18.90% | 17.40% | .244 | $3,200 | $3,300 | $4,700 |
| James Loney | NYM | L | H | COL | Jorge De La Rosa | L | 184 | .288 | .340 | .451 | .791 | .336 | 0.16 | 6.00% | 11.90% | 42.20% | 33.80% | 24.00% | 11.50% | .303 | $2,700 | $3,200 | $4,200 |
| Mitch Moreland | TEX | L | H | KC | Ian Kennedy | R | 290 | .241 | .308 | .455 | .763 | .324 | 0.21 | 7.50% | 24.20% | 46.60% | 35.10% | 18.30% | 21.90% | .274 | $3,200 | $4,000 | $4,100 |
| Freddie Freeman | ATL | L | H | PHI | Jeremy Hellickson | R | 386 | .282 | .367 | .518 | .885 | .374 | 0.24 | 10.40% | 26.10% | 33.30% | 35.20% | 31.40% | 19.40% | .357 | $4,000 | $4,200 | $4,800 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | ARI | R | A | LA | Scott Kazmir | L | 370 | .303 | .418 | .508 | .926 | .394 | 0.21 | 15.70% | 20.80% | 48.20% | 28.10% | 23.70% | 22.10% | .361 | $3,900 | $4,700 | $5,350 |
| Victor Martinez | DET | B | H | HOU | Mike Fiers | R | 360 | .300 | .353 | .481 | .834 | .354 | 0.18 | 7.40% | 15.00% | 37.30% | 37.60% | 25.10% | 15.30% | .317 | $3,300 | $3,600 | $5,100 |
Edwin Encarnacion is 6-for-17 with three home runs against Yovani Gallardo.
Ryan Zimmerman is 3-for-9 in his last two games, and he should have little trouble hitting Jake Peavy now that he is fully healthy.
Mitch Moreland is 6-for-11 with three home runs during his four-game hitting streak.
I never thought I would recommend Mitch Moreland and James Loney in the same Hitting Coach. Loney is 8-for-18 against Jorge De La Rosa and he is slashing .319/.353/.489 since the All-Star break.
Victor Martinez is 10-for-23 during his six-game hitting streak.
Freddie Freeman is 7-for-11 over his last three games.
Paul Goldschmidt is 12-for-27 with a home run and a stolen base during his six-game hitting streak. He has a .462 wOBA aginast left-handed pitchers this season.
| Player | Team | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Devon Travis | TOR | R | H | BAL | Yovani Gallardo | R | 185 | .286 | .332 | .449 | .781 | .339 | 0.16 | 6.50% | 21.10% | 46.50% | 34.00% | 19.40% | 12.20% | .341 | $3,100 | $3,900 | $4,750 |
| Ben Zobrist | CHI | B | H | SEA | Wade Miley | L | 346 | .275 | .383 | .445 | .828 | .359 | 0.17 | 14.50% | 12.60% | 47.80% | 28.30% | 23.90% | 15.70% | .289 | $3,800 | $3,900 | $4,950 |
| Jose Altuve | HOU | R | A | DET | Justin Verlander | R | 402 | .356 | .421 | .570 | .991 | .418 | 0.21 | 9.50% | 9.30% | 44.80% | 31.00% | 24.20% | 16.40% | .360 | $4,000 | $5,200 | $5,500 |
| Jurickson Profar | TEX | B | H | KC | Ian Kennedy | R | 166 | .301 | .356 | .440 | .796 | .334 | 0.14 | 7.20% | 17.70% | 56.70% | 23.60% | 19.70% | 16.70% | .349 | $2,600 | $3,600 | $4,100 |
| Brian Dozier | MIN | R | H | CWS | Miguel Gonzalez | R | 367 | .253 | .334 | .466 | .800 | .343 | 0.21 | 9.50% | 16.90% | 36.90% | 47.40% | 15.70% | 12.20% | .268 | $3,700 | $3,600 | $4,950 |
| Carlos Sanchez | CWS | B | A | MIN | Tommy Milone | L | 42 | .119 | .159 | .167 | .326 | .164 | 0.05 | 4.40% | 26.70% | 48.10% | 33.30% | 18.50% | 0.00% | .167 | $2,000 | $2,800 | $3,000 |
Devon Travis is 4-for-9 with three runs scored over his last three games.
Ben Zobrist is 9-for-25 over the last week and he has a .834 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season.
Jose Altuve is 4-for-8 with two stolen bases against Justin Verlander and is batting .453/.482/.755 since the All-Star break.
Jurickson Profar is 8-for-21 over his last six games, and he is much cheaper than teammate Rougned Odor.
Carlos Sanchez is 6-for-10 against Tommy Milone, and he is a great cheap option if he starts.
Brian Dozier is 11-for-29 during his seven-game hitting streak and he is 3-for-8 with two stolen bases against Miguel Gonzalez.
| THIRD BASE | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Javier Baez | CHI | R | H | SEA | Wade Miley | L | 259 | .293 | .335 | .475 | .810 | .347 | 0.18 | 4.00% | 22.60% | 47.90% | 35.60% | 16.50% | 16.40% | .349 | $3,100 | $4,400 | $4,400 |
| Manny Machado | BAL | R | A | TOR | J.A. Happ | L | 392 | .309 | .370 | .554 | .924 | .386 | 0.25 | 8.50% | 17.10% | 38.20% | 39.50% | 22.20% | 18.20% | .332 | $4,000 | $4,400 | $5,300 |
| Kris Bryant | CHI | R | H | SEA | Wade Miley | L | 384 | .289 | .385 | .557 | .942 | .396 | 0.27 | 11.00% | 22.80% | 33.10% | 44.50% | 22.40% | 21.50% | .329 | $4,100 | $5,100 | $5,550 |
| Evan Longoria | TB | R | H | NYY | Nathan Eovaldi | R | 394 | .292 | .341 | .546 | .887 | .373 | 0.25 | 7.00% | 21.50% | 32.00% | 45.50% | 22.60% | 17.00% | .326 | $3,600 | $4,300 | $5,300 |
| Adrian Beltre | TEX | R | H | KC | Ian Kennedy | R | 372 | .282 | .337 | .462 | .799 | .343 | 0.18 | 6.60% | 11.10% | 45.30% | 34.70% | 20.00% | 14.40% | .283 | $3,400 | $4,100 | $4,900 |
| Eugenio Suarez | CIN | R | A | SD | Christian Friedrich | L | 356 | .236 | .302 | .413 | .715 | .310 | 0.18 | 7.20% | 26.10% | 42.40% | 37.90% | 19.80% | 18.50% | .282 | $2,700 | $4,300 | $4,250 |
| Jose Ramirez | CLE | B | H | OAK | Dillon Overton | L | 330 | .291 | .353 | .403 | .756 | .332 | 0.11 | 8.20% | 10.10% | 40.60% | 33.20% | 26.20% | 4.20% | .316 | $2,700 | $3,600 | $4,350 |
| Yunel Escobar | LAA | R | H | BOS | Drew Pomeranz | L | 371 | .321 | .367 | .410 | .777 | .345 | 0.09 | 6.70% | 12.30% | 58.60% | 19.30% | 22.10% | 4.80% | .361 | $3,000 | $3,300 | $4,550 |
Kris Bryant is 5-for-9 with three runs and three RBI over his last three games and he has a 1.044 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season.
Manny Machado is 5-for-17 with a home run against J.A. Happ.
Evan Longoria is 7-for-18 during his current five-game hitting streak.
Javier Baez is 5-for-12 with a home run in his last three games.
Adrian Beltre is 4-for-10 with a home run against Ian Kennedy and he has five multi-hit games over the last week.
Yunel Escobar has a .930 OPS against left-handed pitchers and he is batting .379 over the last week.
Jose Ramirez is 5-for-10 over the last three days and he has a .331 wOBA against lefties this season.
Eugenio Suarez is 5-for-15 over his last four games and he has a .381 wOBA against left-handed pitchers.
| SHORTSTOP | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Troy Tulowitzki | TOR | R | H | BAL | Yovani Gallardo | R | 291 | .244 | .309 | .457 | .766 | .327 | 0.21 | 8.00% | 21.60% | 41.70% | 41.30% | 17.00% | 18.90% | .260 | $3,200 | $4,000 | $5,200 |
| Trea Turner | WSH | R | A | SF | Jake Peavy | R | 52 | .327 | .375 | .500 | .875 | .383 | 0.17 | 5.40% | 28.60% | 44.10% | 32.40% | 23.50% | 0.00% | .472 | $3,600 | $3,400 | $4,550 |
| Brad Miller | TB | L | H | NYY | Nathan Eovaldi | R | 332 | .250 | .299 | .470 | .769 | .326 | 0.22 | 6.70% | 21.50% | 49.80% | 35.70% | 14.50% | 16.90% | .281 | $3,200 | $3,800 | $4,650 |
| Jordy Mercer | PIT | R | A | MIL | Chase Anderson | R | 336 | .283 | .361 | .393 | .754 | .329 | 0.11 | 9.60% | 13.80% | 51.10% | 27.00% | 22.00% | 7.90% | .319 | $2,900 | $3,500 | $4,400 |
| Aledmys Diaz | STL | R | A | MIA | Colin Rea | R | 353 | .312 | .374 | .518 | .892 | .382 | 0.21 | 8.50% | 13.50% | 45.40% | 36.10% | 18.50% | 12.80% | .330 | $3,200 | $5,100 | $4,500 |
| Xander Bogaerts | BOS | R | A | LAA | Hector Santiago | L | 417 | .331 | .386 | .484 | .870 | .376 | 0.15 | 7.90% | 14.90% | 51.30% | 31.30% | 17.40% | 12.30% | .370 | $3,700 | $4,900 | $5,350 |
| Freddy Galvis | PHI | B | A | ATL | Julio Teheran | R | 380 | .229 | .260 | .358 | .618 | .267 | 0.13 | 3.90% | 21.10% | 45.10% | 34.70% | 20.20% | 8.70% | .271 | $2,200 | $2,900 | $4,350 |
Brad Miller is 5-for-13 over his last three games.
Troy Tulowitzki is 11-for-29 in his career against Yovani Gallardo.
Trea Turner will probably be a very popular play Saturday, but I might play him anyway. Turner is 8-for-17 during his current four-game hitting streak.
Aledmys Diaz is 6-for-19 during his four-game hitting streak and he looks like a great value on FantasyAces.
Jordy Mercer is 5-for-6 against Chase Anderson and 5-for-11 over his last three games.
Freddy Galvis is 6-for-14 in his career against Julio Teheran, and he is even cheaper than Jordy Mercer.
Xander Bogaerts is 20-for-47 during his 11-game hitting streak and 5-for-9 against Hector Santiago.
| OUTFIELD | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Dexter Fowler | CHI | B | H | SEA | Wade Miley | L | 261 | .284 | .394 | .475 | .869 | .380 | 0.19 | 12.50% | 21.80% | 43.30% | 32.60% | 24.10% | 13.10% | .353 | $3,500 | $4,000 | $5,150 |
| Ben Revere | WSH | L | A | SF | Jake Peavy | R | 253 | .213 | .264 | .296 | .560 | .248 | 0.08 | 5.80% | 9.10% | 56.30% | 27.00% | 16.70% | 3.30% | .228 | $2,900 | $3,000 | $4,300 |
| Kevin Pillar | TOR | R | H | BAL | Yovani Gallardo | R | 392 | .265 | .298 | .390 | .688 | .299 | 0.13 | 3.10% | 15.00% | 46.50% | 33.50% | 20.00% | 6.40% | .298 | $2,600 | $3,200 | $4,600 |
| Jayson Werth | WSH | R | A | SF | Jake Peavy | R | 337 | .249 | .342 | .421 | .763 | .331 | 0.17 | 12.50% | 22.50% | 42.20% | 37.80% | 20.10% | 12.80% | .298 | $3,300 | $3,500 | $4,750 |
| Ian Desmond | TEX | R | H | KC | Ian Kennedy | R | 408 | .306 | .358 | .525 | .883 | .379 | 0.22 | 7.00% | 24.30% | 52.60% | 26.10% | 21.30% | 26.30% | .372 | $4,300 | $4,500 | $5,300 |
| Starling Marte | PIT | R | A | MIL | Chase Anderson | R | 356 | .320 | .375 | .475 | .850 | .366 | 0.16 | 4.40% | 20.40% | 51.10% | 24.20% | 24.60% | 10.90% | .396 | $4,000 | $5,500 | $5,050 |
| Khris Davis | OAK | R | A | CLE | Josh Tomlin | R | 356 | .256 | .294 | .520 | .814 | .345 | 0.26 | 3.70% | 25.20% | 43.40% | 38.40% | 18.20% | 26.30% | .273 | $3,000 | $4,200 | $5,100 |
| Josh Reddick | OAK | L | A | CLE | Josh Tomlin | R | 235 | .298 | .371 | .451 | .822 | .353 | 0.15 | 10.60% | 12.50% | 46.10% | 32.10% | 21.80% | 12.90% | .318 | $2,700 | $4,700 | $4,550 |
| Coco Crisp | OAK | B | A | CLE | Josh Tomlin | R | 311 | .241 | .310 | .421 | .731 | .314 | 0.18 | 9.20% | 13.50% | 43.00% | 35.00% | 22.10% | 9.80% | .257 | $3,100 | $4,200 | $4,350 |
| Robbie Grossman | MIN | B | H | CWS | Miguel Gonzalez | R | 194 | .278 | .409 | .448 | .857 | .383 | 0.17 | 17.70% | 24.10% | 35.70% | 36.40% | 27.90% | 12.80% | .366 | $2,900 | $3,300 | $4,300 |
| Paulo Orlando | KC | R | A | TEX | Martin Perez | L | 253 | .324 | .348 | .419 | .767 | .334 | 0.1 | 2.30% | 20.00% | 56.10% | 24.00% | 19.90% | 4.30% | .402 | $2,700 | $3,800 | $4,100 |
| Giancarlo Stanton | MIA | R | H | STL | Jaime Garcia | L | 334 | .243 | .332 | .494 | .826 | .358 | 0.25 | 11.00% | 31.50% | 44.20% | 35.10% | 20.70% | 30.10% | .306 | $3,800 | $4,800 | $5,350 |
| Yasmany Tomas | ARI | R | A | LA | Scott Kazmir | L | 333 | .264 | .307 | .477 | .784 | .336 | 0.21 | 5.60% | 24.80% | 49.60% | 27.10% | 23.30% | 26.20% | .310 | $3,700 | $4,400 | $4,900 |
| Avisail Garcia | CWS | R | A | MIN | Tommy Milone | L | 264 | .235 | .306 | .341 | .647 | .291 | 0.11 | 8.50% | 25.50% | 54.10% | 20.50% | 25.40% | 15.80% | .303 | $2,400 | $3,100 | $4,250 |
| Joc Pederson | LA | L | H | ARI | Braden Shipley | R | 260 | .238 | .330 | .465 | .795 | .337 | 0.23 | 11.70% | 25.80% | 43.30% | 36.70% | 20.00% | 21.20% | .282 | $3,400 | $3,700 | $4,350 |
Dexter Fowler is 6-for-17 with a home run against Wade Miley.
Ben Revere is 7-for-21 against Jake Peavy, and he is worth a shot in the early slate.
Kevin Pillar is 7-for-21 over the last week and everyone is worth considering against Yovani Gallardo.
Jayson Werth is 5-for-15 over his last four games and Jake Peavy has a 5.42 ERA and 1.39 WHIP on the season.
Ian Desmond is 6-for-18 with a stolen base against Ian Kennedy.
Starling Marte is 9-for-18 during his five-game hitting streak and 3-for-7 with a home run against Chase Anderson.
This is probably the third or fourth time I have included three Oakland outfielders in the same Hitting Coach. Khris Davis has three home runs in his last two games, and overall he has a six-game hitting streak with at least one RBI in five straight.
Josh Reddick has been nearly as hot, going 6-for-18 with two home runs during his four-game hitting streak. Coco Crisp, for his part, is 5-for-11 with two home runs over his last three games.
Paulo Orlando is 6-for-14 with a home run and two stolen bases during his four-game hitting streak and he has a .377 wOBA against left-handed pitchers this season.
Giancarlo Stanton is 4-for-6 with a home run against Jaime Garcia and is worth considering if you want another stud outfield alternative to Ian Desmond and Starling Marte.
Joc Pederson is 7-for-16 with five runs and five RBI over his last five games.
Avisail Garcia is 6-for-15 with a stolen base against Tommy Milone.
Yasmany Tomas is 10-for-24 with four home runs and 10 RBI during his six-game hitting streak. Tomas has a .411 wOBA against left-handed pitchers this season.
Robbie Grossman has a modest five-game hitting streak, and he is another cheap alternative for DraftKings and FantasyAces, especially if Avisail Garcia sits.