Boston Red Sox at Detroit Tigers
As always, we take note when a lefty takes the hill. Eduardo Rodriguez, when he can command his pitches, displays some of the best stuff in the American League. But last season saw his command drop off, with a BB/9 that jumped from 2.74 to 3.36 and a 0.96 HR/9 to 1.35 in 2016. He'll face a Detroit team with two greats against lefty in Miguel Cabrera and Ian Kinsler. Both posted 140-plus wRC+ last season and are quality high-end options. DFS players in need of a cheap catcher option could take a look at James McCann posted a 124 wRC+ and .357 wOBA versus southpaws, he also hit a home run yesterday as well.
On Detroit's side, no one should trust Jordan Zimmerman. The former ace posted allowed 15 runs in 14 1/3 innings this spring after a miserable 2016 season when he had a 4.87 ERA. If Hanley Ramirez is in the lineup, he holds a great career line against Zimmerman and could make for a first base play. Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi and Xander Bogaerts are also in great consideration for this spot.
Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox
Adalberto Mejia could turn into quite the DFS sleeper this season. As a lefty with good control and a solid repertoire, he could shine when the matchup is right. Unfortunately, that isn't the case against the Chicago White Sox. As least season demonstrated, Chicago offers plenty of options. Melky Cabrera presents a value option in the outfield, largely coming from his on-base ability with a .362 wOBA versus southpaws. Jose Abreu and Tim Anderson posted wRC+s over 120 last season as well, giving this lineup multiple options that can hit southpaws.
Miguel Gonzalez will take the hill for Chicago and with a career HR/9 of 1.22 and a fly ball percentage near 40 percent, attention should turn towards Miguel Sano, Brian Dozier and an increasingly hot Jorge Polanco, Minnesota provides three options at different prices. Dozier and Sano offer plenty of power and hit near the top of the Twins' lineup, while Polanco is a power-steal threat who has been exceptionally hot to start the season.
Cincinnati Reds at St. Louis Cardinals
Somehow Bronson Arroyo is in the majors as a 40-year-old righty who missed the past two seasons with arm injuries. While reunion stories are always great to see and Arroyo's return to the team he spent eight season, this season could get very ugly for Arroyo. Aledmys Diaz and Matt Carpenter are two of the top options on the day with 140-plus wRC+ last season versus righties and OPS over 900. Randal Grichuk is a risky play, but offers plenty of power upside to use as an OF3.
Now that he is locked into a rotation spot, Michael Wacha could return to some of the form that used to delight fantasy owners. While he isn't a major strikeout artist at a 7.43 K/9 and had a swinging strike rate below 8.5 percent last season, he dominated during the spring with swinging strikes and should carry that into Saturday's matchup against a Reds' lineup that has averaged seven strikeouts and holds a 51.3 percent swing rate. You should still get shares of Joey Votto in your lineup, who has 11 hits in 29 career at bats against Wacha.
New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles
On Opening Day, Masahiro Tanaka turned in one of his worst starts of his career. There's a reason we don't overreact to early results, because you lose out on an excellent starter if you do. Against the Baltimore Orioles, Tanaka will face another challenge.
Baltimore presents three serious power threats in Chris Davis, Mark Trumbo and Manny Machado, all who have success against right-handed pitchers. This will be a matchup in a hitter-friendly park and while there's reason to love Tanaka long-term, he needs to get back to form before he's trusted as a top-20 starter.
Kevin Gausman ran into issues with his control in his last start and ran into issues surrendering the long ball last season. This isn't a start where he can be trusted, but fantasy owners and DFS lovers can turn their attention to the likes of Gary Sanchez and Matt Holliday. But a standout value play is Chase Headley, who has seven hits in 11 at bats.
Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays
Aaron Sanchez could be a fantasy stud this season, but he carries some notable risk into this start. The team pushed his start back due to a blister and while there were no issues in a side session, risk of the blister opening up puts him off the DFS radar.
Chris Archer faces a tough matchup against the Blue Jays, who knocked out his teammates Blake Snell and Matt Andriese early in their starts. But Archer is a much better pitcher with greater command and the aggressiveness to go after some of Toronto's top hitters. While Josh Donaldson is always a DFS option, you can largely rule out the remained of Toronto's bats.
Atlanta Braves at Pittsburgh Pirates
With declining command and a rising HR/9, the knuckleballer R.A. Dickey isn't the difficult pitcher he once used to be. His spring training numbers showed it and while the Pirates lineup is off to a slow start, things started clicking more when they returned home to Pittsburgh. Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen and David Freese represent possible targets.
Chad Kuhl gets his first turn in the rotation this season. It's a tough draw, even with Atlanta's team reputation of being in rebuild mode. This is a talented lineup, with hit-speed options in Ender Inciarte and Dansby Swanson, with power bats behind them in Freddie Freeman and Matt Kemp. All make for options against Kuhl, who gives up a lot contact.
Washington Nationals at Philadelphia Phillies
While Trea Turner is in the midst of a major slump to start the season and needs to be avoided for the next few days, Washington's other bats are on fire. With Daniel Murphy, Ryan Zimmerman, Jayson Werth, Adam Eaton and Bryce Harper all hitting .300-plus with a home run, hot streaks put them in consideration against Aaron Nola. He posted a 4.78 ERA and 1.31 WHIP last season then surrendered four home runs and 18 earned runs this spring.
Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee Brewers
Facing Tommy Milone, a lefty whose 5.71 ERA last season and weak performance out of the bullpen in the opener, is a dream for the Cubs. Kris Bryant is a MUST play given his MVP capabilities and 176 wRC+ versus southpaws last season, make him a lock for DFS lineups. Pair him with Ben Zobrist, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber, you've got a phenomenal Cubs' stack with the potential to win big.
Kansas City Royals at Houston Astros
Two lefties take the mound on this one, meaning we know different routes to find some great values. Lorenzo Cain led Kansas City last season with an outstanding .418 wOBA versus lefties and a wRC+ over 160. Joining him in the value section is infielder Cheslor Cuthbert, who had a .352 wOBA last season. But aside from those two, Kansas City is weak versus lefties and that goes in the favor of Dallas Keuchel. He looked to be in ace form in his first start of the season and should continue that success in this start.
For Houston, they have the hitters that have the numbers to stand up against Danny Duffy. George Springer and Jose Altuve crushed lefties this season and hold track records to repeat that success in 2017, including in this matchup. Springer is already showing his immense power to the start of this season and should be in a decent percentage of your lineups, along with Altuve. Throw some shares in on Evan Gattis, who puts on some of his best power displays when facing southpaws.