MLB

FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Helper: Saturday 6/24/23

In an appealing matchup against Graham Ashcraft, Atlanta's red-hot offense ranks first on today's slate with a 6.14 expected run total. Which other teams and players are top options on Saturday?

Our daily helper is available every day to analyze FanDuel's main slate and help give you a starting point when you're building lineups. Be sure to also incorporate our great tools into your research process.

Whether you're looking for daily projections, the latest starting lineups and weather, or batting and pitching heat maps to find the best matchups -- we've got you covered!

Let's check out the top options on today's main slate.

Team Opp SP Opp O/U Moneyline Implied Total
SF Merrill Kelly ARI 8 -104 3.5
KC Yonny Chirinos TB 9 220 3.56
OAK Jose Berrios TOR 9 215 3.59
MIL Tanner Bibee CLE 8 112 3.81
PIT Bryan Hoeing MIA 8.5 124 3.95
NYY Jon Gray TEX 8.5 106 4.11
CLE Freddy Peralta MIL 8 -132 4.19
BAL Bryce Miller SEA 8.5 -108 4.25
SEA Dean Kremer BAL 8.5 -108 4.25
TEX Luis Severino NYY 8.5 -124 4.39
CHW James Paxton BOS 9 100 4.41
ARI Ryan Walker SF 8 -112 4.5
PHI Max Scherzer NYM 9.5 114 4.51
MIA Osvaldo Bido PIT 8.5 -146 4.55
BOS Lance Lynn CHW 9 -118 4.59
NYM Cristopher Sanchez PHI 9.5 -134 4.99
CIN Jared Shuster ATL 11.5 122 5.36
TOR Hogan Harris OAK 9 -260 5.41
TB Jordan Lyles KC 9 -270 5.44
ATL Graham Ashcraft CIN 11.5 -144 6.14

Pitchers

James Paxton ($10,100)

At his third highest highest salary this season, Boston's left-hander ranks sixth in value with a 3.44 rating and second overall with a 34.8 FanDuel point projection.

While Paxton potentially has a difficult matchup versus a Chicago White Sox's offense with a projected .317 weighted on-base average (wOBA) and a 17.9% K-rate, the veteran starter has been dealing in his last four appearances, recording a 2.62 expected Fielding Independent Pitching rating (xFIP) and a 33.3% strikeout percentage in 24.1 innings.

Max Scherzer ($9,200)

Since June 1st despite producing an impressive 2.94 xFIP and a 28.7% K-rate in his last four starts, Scherzer's FanDuel salary stands at his lowest point this month against a Philadelphia Phillies' lineup with a .318 wOBA and a 21.2 K-rate in their last 2785 plate appearances.

When considering his value salary and previous success in this matchup (2.49 xFIP and 9 strikeouts in 7 innings this season,) New York's right-hander is a top play in all formats with a 32.3 fantasy projection including 5.94 expected strikeouts.

Jose Berrios ($9,200)

Toronto's 29-year old right-hander is another option in this salary range to consider against an Oakland Athletics' unit with a .283 wOBA and a 25.1% K-rate in this particular split.

In his third season with the Blue Jays, Berrios has improved in several key metrics, accounting for a 4.11 xFIP, a 10.7% swinging strike percentage, and a 21.5% strikeout rate.

At his median salary point during June, Berrios offers a reasonable potential return at his discounted number, rating seventh among Saturday's 20 pitchers with a 31.1 fantasy projection and 5.67 expected strikeouts.

Lance Lynn ($8,700)

Even at his second highest salary point this month, Lynn is a viable candidate in all formats with a slate-high 4.01 value rating and a 34.9 FanDuel point projection against a Boston Red Sox's team with a .318 wOBA and a 21.8% strikeout percentage.

Although his matchup is not an ideal part of Lynn's evaluation, the veteran presents plenty of upside with a 3.84 xFIP, 26.9% K-rate, and 13.0% swinging strike percentage.

Stacks

Atlanta Braves

After scoring tens runs in the first game of this series, Atlanta's outstanding offense has another opportunity to produce with an eye-popping 6.14 run expectation against Cincinnati's right-hander Graham Ashcraft.

In his second opportunity starting in the Majors despite recording a 47.6% ground-ball percentage, the Reds' right-hander has taken a serious step back in his production when analyzing his 4.74 xFIP, 16.8% K-rate, and 10.1% walk percentage.

To best counter Ashcraft's reliance on keeping the ball on the ground, Atlanta stacks should feature their best fly-ball power hitters including Matt Olson (32.7% fly-ball rate, 19.4% barrel percentage), Ozzie Albies (9.0% barrel rate, 33.3% fly-ball percentage), Marcell Ozuna (15.1% barrel rate, 33.8% fly-ball percentage), and Eddie Rosario (30.6% fly-ball percentage, 11.8% barrel rate).

Tampa Bay Rays

In an appealing opportunity against Jordan Lyles, the Rays present several options against a struggling starter with an ugly 5.41 xFIP, a 16.9% K-rate, and a 10.9% opposing barrel rate.

Ideal Tampa Bay combinations should first involve their top lefty bats to hone in on Lyles' main weakness (5.06 xFIP, 10.4% walk rate) including Luke Raley (.393 expected wOBA, 19.6% barrel rate), Wander Franco (.348 expected wOBA, 6.1% barrel rate) and Josh Lowe (.346 expected wOBA, 11.0% barrel rate) while Randy Arozarena (.385 expected wOBA, 16.1% barrel rate), Yandy Diaz (.393 expected wOBA, 9.4% barrel rate), and Jose Siri (17.2% barrel rate, .342 expected wOBA) still rate well enough to be included.

Toronto Blue Jays

Hogan Harris will make his third career start in a very tough spot against a Toronto offense ranked third on Saturday with a 5.41 expected run total.

Through 28.1 innings this season, the 26-year old has profiled as a below-average pitcher when observing his 4.87 xFIP, 18.8% K-rate, and a low 7.7% swinging strike percentage.

Toronto combinations should feature their best power fly-ball hitters to attack Harris' 41.8% ground-ball percentage including George Springer (28.5% fly-ball percentage, 9.5% barrel rate), Whit Merrifield (30.8% fly-ball percentage, .262 expected average), Matt Chapman (24.1% fly-ball percentage, 18.7% barrel rate), and Danny Jansen (10.6% barrel rate, 33.3% fly-ball rate) while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.391 expected wOBA. 13.3% barrel rate) and Bo Bichette (.382 expected wOBA, 10.2% barrel rate) are other options to consider with their ideal batted ball metrics.