This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
The players featured below are building blocks who can work in several lineup configurations (cash and GPP). After a Friday night filled with aces taking the mound, Saturday also brings stars with Chris Sale, Stephen Strasburg and Jacob deGrom scheduled to pitch.
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PITCHER
James Paxton, SEA at TEX ($9,900): Paxton came through with the best season of his career in 2017, finishing with a 2.98 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 10.3 K/9. He had a 2.61 FIP and opponents had a .300 BABIP, so a deeper dive helps support his strong campaign. He was also aggressive in the strike zone, throwing a first-pitch strike 64.9 percent of the time, up from his career mark of 59.5 percent. Much of his 4.57 ERA through four starts can be attributed to his first start of the year when he allowed six runs in 4.2 innings against the Indians. He has allowed five runs in 17 innings since. He has excellent strikeout upside, making him someone to strongly consider.
GPP Fade: Yu Darvish, CHC at COL ($7,800): Darvish continued to be one of the premier strikeout pitchers in baseball last year, finishing with a 10.1 K/9 as a member of the Rangers and Dodgers. He has finished with a K/9 of at least 10.1 in all five of his seasons in the majors. His 6.00 ERA and 1.53 WHIP don't have him off to the best start this season, but he's still racking up strikeouts with a 10.2 K/9. The problem Saturday is that he has to travel to hitter-friendly Coors Field. On a day with so many excellent pitchers taking the mound, Darvish seems like an unnecessary risk to take.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Garrett Richards, LAA vs. SF ($7,700): When Richards is healthy, he can provide excellent value, posting a 3.53 ERA, 3.60 FIP and 1.25 WHIP for his career. The problems is he hasn't been healthy lately, throwing 62.1 innings in the last two seasons. The good news is that he's fine now and has allowed two runs or fewer in three of his first four starts. The Giants have one of the worst lineups in baseball, so it might be worth taking a chance on Richards in tournament play.
CATCHER
J.T. Realmuto, MIA at MIL ($3,400): After the Marlins stripped down their team this winter, Realmuto is one of the few legitimate bats left in their lineup. He spent the beginning of this season on the DL, but he's healthy now and faces lefty Brent Suter after recording a .352 wOBA against lefties in 2017.
FIRST BASE
Paul Goldschmidt, ARZ vs. SD ($4,800): Goldschmidt destroys lefties, posting a 173 wRC+ against them in his career. He faces a poor one in Clayton Richard, who has a 1.44 WHIP to go along with just a 5.8 K/9 for his career.
SECOND BASE
Cesar Hernandez, PHI vs. PIT ($4,000): Hernandez has been very consistent, hitting .294 with a .371 OBP in 2016, then following that with a .294 average and .373 OBP in 2017. He's off to another great start this season and will bat right-handed Saturday against the lefty Steven Brault, who has allowed a .370 wOBA to righties in his career.
THIRD BASE
Kyle Seager, SEA at TEX ($3,600): Seager is not off to a great start this season, but some of that has to do with his abnormally low .245 BABIP entering play Friday. He has been a better hitter versus righties in his career, posting a .349 wOBA against them compared to .311 against lefties. Lefties torched Colon for a .381 wOBA last year, giving Seager upside Saturday.
SHORTSTOP
Andrelton Simmons, LAA vs. SF ($3,600): Better known for his defensive prowess, Simmons has actually batted at least .278 in back-to-back seasons. He had a career-best power season in 2017, some of which can be attributed to his 29.2 percent hard-hit rate. Saturday brings a favorable matchup against Derek Holland, who allowed a .408 wOBA to right-handers last year.
OUTFIELD
Michael Conforto, NYM at ATL ($4,600): Julio Teheran has been awful in Sun Trust Park, allowing a 5.86 ERA and 1.50 WHIP there last year. He hasn't been any better this year, allowing 10 runs in 14 innings across three home starts. Conforto also finished with a 164 wRC+ against righties last year, making him a viable option.
Christian Yelich, MIL vs. MIA ($4,600): One of the key offseason acquisitions for the Brewers, Yelich has been limited to just nine games this season due to injury. A career .291 hitter, Yelich has excellent upside when he's on the field. He finished with a .359 wOBA against right-handers last year, so he's someone to consider against Jose Urena on Saturday.
Albert Almora Jr., CHC at COL ($3,000): With Ian Happ struggling, Almora has often found himself batting leadoff for the Cubs. He faces Tyler Anderson, who allowed a .358 wOBA to righties in 2017. Almora has a career .383 wOBA against lefties, making him a viable cost-effective option.
