This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Saturday is the start of college football season, but it isn't exactly a riveting lineup of games. But MLB offers some interesting matchups as the league heads toward the home stretch with eight starting at 7:05 p.m. EDT or later. Here are my recommendations for your DFS lineups. And if you want to watch a little college football, I don't blame you.
Pitching
Kyle Bradish, BAL vs. COL ($48): The Orioles have been playing coy with their starters ever since Jack Flaherty got banged up, but the Rotowire Probable Pitchers grid has Bradish in line to start. And that tool has boasted a perfect record since Flaherty's injury, so I'll go with Bradish. The 26-year-old is the closest to a top-level pitcher the Orioles have with a 3.03 ERA and a 2.18 at home. The Rockies, meanwhile, are just outside the bottom-10 in runs scored and won't be enjoying the benefits of Coors Field.
Javier Assad, CHC at PIT ($34): Assad has been moved into the Cubs' rotation and has performed reasonably well with a 2.45 ERA from his last three outings. The Pirates rank bottom-eight in offense, so there's a decent chance he stays on track Saturday.
Top Targets
While the enthusiasm Elly De La Cruz ($23) generated when he first hit the majors has faded, ultimately 11 homers, six triples, and 21 stolen bases in only 68 games is still exciting. While a switch-hitter, he's yet to solve lefties, but carries an .832 OPS versus righties. Zach Davies is returning from a back injury after having compiled a 7.38 ERA. He may have produced a 4.66 FIP, though that's still poor. Righties have hit .273 against Davies while lefties have gone .302, so De La Cruz can feel free to mash from any side of the plate.
This is the Trea Turner ($17) the Phillies were hoping for with a 1.015 OPS across the last three weeks. Even in what has been a tough campaign, the shortstop has racked up 15 homers and 23 steals. Dakota Hudson may have a 5-0 record, but he's also recorded a 3.95 ERA and 4.93 FIP and has allowed at least one home run in each of his last four starts. Since righties have batted .276 against Hudson the last three seasons, I went with Turner.
Bargain Bats
Just as Angels' top prospect Logan O'Hoppe ($16) was getting revved up, the catcher suffered a long-term injury. But he's back now, and he still offers the same upside to go with a career .500 road slugging percentage. Carlos Carrasco's tenure with the Mets has been a disaster, and this year has been the low point with a 7.68 ERA at home while giving up 2.1 homers per nine innings and righties have hit .325 against.
I've been doing a lot of recommending Luis Robert of late because the White Sox have faced some favorable matchups and Robert is their one high-level hitter. If you're looking for a Chicago bargain, Andrew Vaughn ($13) represents a strong option considering his .807 home OPS and a career .820 against lefties. He'll see JP Sears, a southpaw, from the Athletics. In his first full season starting, he's posted a 5.17 FIP and has allowed 1.87 homers per nine innings.
Stacks to Consider
Orioles vs. Rockies (Chris Flexen): Gunnar Henderson ($21), Adley Rutschman ($20), Austin Hays ($16)
Flexen has always struggled with walks and rarely strikes anyone out, leading to a career 4.96 FIP. In his time split between the Mariners and Rockies this year, the righty has posted a 7.18 ERA and has given up 2.53 homers per nine innings. Right-handers have also gone .335 against and lefties .322, with the former also at .297 since 2021. So I've gone with a mixed Orioles stack.
Rutschman is a switch-hitting catcher with a .370 OBP and 16 homers. And he's greatly preferred to be at home over his brief career with an .899 OPS. Henderson has registered 22 homers with seven stolen bases and six triples as a rookie. He really struggles with his fellow lefties, but his career OPS against righties is an impressive .868. Hays has batted .284 and lists an .828 OPS from the last three weeks with a .796 OPS against righties on the campaign.
Diamondbacks vs. Reds (Brett Kennedy): Christian Walker ($17), Corbin Carroll ($13), Alek Thomas ($10)
Kennedy has looked decent in MLB this season, though his 4.50 K/9 rate won't cut it and his 3.52 ERA at Triple-A isn't terrible. However, he's not one of the young guns the Reds have called upon this season. After all, Kennedy is a 29-year-old who prior to 2023 only saw big-league action in 2018 when he posted a 6.75 ERA in six starts with the Padres. So consider me skeptical, especially with this matchup on the road against the Diamondbacks.
Walker has been better against lefties, but he hasn't managed 28 homers and 34 doubles only on those matchups. I'm taking him at home as he's slugged in .541 in Arizona. Carroll has experienced some issues as a rookie, though he's slashed .276/.357/.509 with 22 homers and 39 steals. The lefty has also produced a career .917 OPS against righties. Thomas's overall numbers don't wow, but this scenario is where he excels with an .824 OPS against righties and an .829 at home. As long as he doesn't get caught with a lefty out of the bullpen, he's good to go.
