Fantasy baseball pitcher rankings, lineup advice for Saturday’s MLB games

Look for our fantasy baseball starting pitcher rankings, hitter upgrades and downgrades daily to help you make smart fantasy baseball lineup decisions and for MLB betting tips. MLB game odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook, and fantasy advice is geared towards ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.

For an in-depth look at what to expect in this daily article and for how to best utilize the information contained within, check out our handy primer here.

Note: This file has been updated with any overnight pitching changes or weather-related game postponements, along with the addition of the latest MLB game odds as of the indicated time of publication.

What you need to know for Saturday’s MLB Games

By Mike Sheets

• Matchups don’t get much better than the one Anthony DeSclafani (47% rostered in ESPN leagues) has on Saturday. The right-hander is set to take on a Detroit Tigers club that’s been rubbing two sticks together offensively, ranking dead last in baseball with a .253 wOBA and 57 wRC+. For his part, DeSclafani has been terrific over two starts, putting up a 0.73 ERA while striking out 11 and walking none over 12 1/3 frames. If the Giants right-hander is available in your league, streaming choices don’t get much easier than this.

• Is the Jarred Kelenic (22% rostered) breakout finally happening? Through 11 games, the former top prospect is batting .351/.415/.703 with three home runs, including a gargantuan 482-foot blast against Julian Merryweather at Wrigley Field on Wednesday. He’s also chipped in a pair of steals. We’ll see how long this lasts, but for now Kelenic is an intriguing streamer against Colorado’s Ryan Feltner, the not-so-proud possessor of a career 6.27 ERA over 113 innings. Eugenio Suarez (38%) and Cal Raleigh (29%) are also worth streaming consideration in this favorable matchup.

• In terms of projected fantasy points, Hunter Brown (33%) is actually tied for second among all of Saturday’s starters (only Freddy Peralta is projected for more). Brown has a 3.09 ERA across two starts, and he’s coming off a dominant outing against the Minnesota Twins where he surrendered just one run (zero earned) on two hits over seven innings while fanning seven. The Texas offense has been middle-of-the-road this season, but with Corey Seager now sidelined, this is a below-average lineup. Start Brown with confidence on Saturday.

• In a Cincinnati Reds rotation that features high-upside hurlers Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo, Graham Ashcraft (28%) has arguably been the most impressive of the bunch in the early going. Ashcraft has delivered a 2.08 ERA and 1.08 WHIP through this first two starts, leaning on a swing-and-miss slider that was up two full ticks in his last outing. A matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies at hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark does carry some risk, but without Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins, that lineup is far less threatening. After keeping the Atlanta Braves in check his last time out (6 IP, 2 ER), Ashcraft should have what it takes to hold down the Phillies this weekend.

• Finding consistent catcher production can be difficult, even in ESPN’s standard game where you have to start only one backstop. That’s why it’s surprising that Logan O’Hoppe is still rostered in just 44% of ESPN leagues. The rookie has blasted four homers and knocked in 11 runs in just 10 games this season — and those numbers are backed up by a 50% hard-hit rate (80th percentile) and a 20.8% Barrel percentage (89th percentile). In other words, the 23-year-old’s early production looks legit. Scoop O’Hoppe up and start him on Saturday against Nick Pivetta, who is allowing an inflated 68% hard-hate rate so far this season.

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Starting pitcher rankings for Saturday