Jared Contestabile 
Saturday is here, and we have a nice 11-game slate starting at 1:05 ET! There are quite a few options I’m excited about on this slate, and plenty of targets to stack against! Time to get this money train rolling. Let’s do it!
MLB DFS Aces
James Paxton vs Oakland Athletics
Paxton was one of the best pitchers in MLB before he missed what felt like 10 years with injury. Well, he is back and as good as ever, sporting a 2.70 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 61/13 K/BB over 50 innings of work. Saturday he takes on the lowly Athletics, and is a monster -220 favorite.
Oakland isn’t a team that strikes out a ton, but they also rank 30th in MLB in both runs scored and hits. Estuery Ruiz is now on the IL, which takes away some speed from the basepaths. Paxton is expensive, but he may be worth every penny in what looks like a dream home matchup this afternoon.
Kevin Gausman vs Detroit Tigers
Saturday’s slate seems like as good a time as any to take advantage of some significant mismatches. The Tigers haven’t been much better offensively than the Athletics, and they have to face the workhorse Gausman.
Also listed as a -220 favorite, Gausman is one of the frontrunners for CY Young in the American League. He has racked up 146 strikeouts to just 27 walks in his 109.2 innings in 2023. Gausman has 11+ strikeouts in three of his last seven games, and seven times overall this season.
He is a solid bet to lead the Jays to another road win here, and should have little issue racking up strikeouts here once again on the road in a pitcher’s park in Detroit.
Tyler Wells vs Minnesota Twins
It is well-known how bad the Twins have struggled at making contact this season. For the entire season, the Twins have a K rate of nearly 27%, which is the worse in all of MLB. They are a league-average offense that is loaded with bats like Joey Gallo and Byron Buxton that are true three-outcome hitters.
Wells should have no problem racking up some Ks here, and regardless of that, he has been incredibly solid this season. He owns a 3.19 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 99/22 K/BB in 2023. Home runs have been an issue, as he has served up 21 of those bad boys already. Crazily enough, he somehow finds a way to give up primarily solo shots.
A product of keeping the bases clear, Wells hasn’t allowed more than 2 ER in a start since May 24th against the Yankees, despite having three games where he allowed 2 HR.
If he keeps the ball in the park and ducks off the pond, he is a sneaky contender for one of the high scores of the day.
MLB DFS Stacks
San Fransisco Giants vs Connor Seabold
Seabold is…not good. On the season, he has an ERA nearing 7, a 1.47 WHIP, and has allowed EIGHT home runs over his last three starts. While this Giants offense isn’t nearly as good as the Dodgers and Braves who did 2/3 of that damage to Mr. Seabold, the upside is there.
There are few bats that I’m excited about for this one, but I expect plenty of fireworks. This is the ultimate “get-right” situation for the Giants. JD Davis, Patrick Bailey, Joc Pederson, Luis Matos, and LaMonte Wade Jr. are my primary targets here. Blake Sabol might get a start, and he is worth a look as well. This is more of a lack of confidence in Seabold than it is confidence in the Giants.
St. Louis Cardinals vs Touki Toussaint
Remember when Touki was one of the top prospects in the minors? He was supposed to be the next big thing? He had his moments, but overall he is a fringe MLB player at best. His command was always poor, and that isn’t going to serve him well against the Cardinals.
Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado will have their way with him, Brendan Donovan is swinging a hot bat, Nolan Gorman has top-shelf power, and Jordan Walker is struggling, but this may be the spot to get him going as well. I love this stack, and even though the team sucks overall, we are just here for fantasy points. Stack ’em up!
Cincinnati Reds vs Colin Rea
The Reds were mowed down by Corbin Burnes for the most part yesterday, but showed some signs of life late. Colin Rea isn’t the pitcher who will be fooling many of these hitters. He has a total of 7 strikeouts over his last three starts (18.1 IP), and if these Reds are making contact, it is generally very loud contact.
Elly De La Cruz, Matt Mclain, Jonathan India, Joey Votto, and even Will Benson or Tyler Stephenson for a wraparound stack. I’m all over the Reds here, and think they put a hurting on Rea. I optimistically hoped they would get to Burnes, but Counsell was smart and pulled him just as the wheels started to fall off.
This is a huge game in the division, and I’m expecting fireworks on both sides. The Brewers are a solid stack as well against Luke Weaver, but I’ll take some lower ownership on the Reds.
MLB DFS Summary
Good luck on Saturday! I love the Cardinals stack and will be filling in around Wells and one of the other top arms with bats from the Reds and Giants! Let’s kick the weekend off right!
Find the team in the Win Daily Discord channel and let’s chat about some plays!
Good luck and hope to see you in the green.
Check me out on Twitter @BigItaly42 and let me know who you are playing tonight! Always around to talk some MLB!
