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. Game odds are provided by Caesars Sportsbook, and fantasy advice is geared toward ESPN 10-team leagues with standard scoring.

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

Note: This file has been updated with overnight pitching changes and 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

• We certainly don't go out of our way to stream pitchers against the Houston Astros, but we're making an exception for Cole Ragans (rostered in 52% of ESPN leagues), who has pitched like an ace since joining the Kansas City Royals' rotation. Across nine starts, the left-hander holds a 1.69 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with an 11.7 K/9, notching a pair of double-digit strikeout performances. He has also allowed just two runs in his last four starts combined. Yes, Houston's offense is scary. However, there are some pitchers that you start regardless of matchup, and that's how Ragans should be treated right now.

• Another super talented young hurler in a tough matchup, Grayson Rodriguez (35%) is set to square off against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday. While the Rays are obviously a tough customer, posting a 110 wRC+ so far in September, G-Rod has been awfully good in his own right, delivering a 2.55 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over his last nine starts. During that stretch, he held opponents to three or fewer runs in all nine outings. The fact that he's rostered in just 35% of ESPN leagues is a little baffling.

• Andrew Abbott (46%) is in the midst of a rough patch, holding a 6.09 ERA since the beginning of August, but he still finds himself as a potential streamer on Saturday versus the New York Mets. He was initially scheduled to pitch against the Detroit Tigers earlier this week, and that matchup was much more favorable for the lefty. That said, the Mets have been slightly below average against left-handed pitching this season (96 wRC+), so this isn't a spot we necessarily have to avoid. There's some risk here because of the Mets' recent hot hitting, but there's strikeout upside here, too.

• J.P. France (23%) has been somewhat up and down of late. Since the middle of August, he has four starts with two or fewer earned runs allowed. However, he also has two outings where he served up 5+ runs, including getting blasted by the Boston Red Sox for 10 runs in just 2 1/3 frames. That type of inconsistency doesn't necessarily make him an ideal streamer, but Saturday's matchup against the Royals is hard to pass up. After all, the Royals rank 23rd in MLB with an 86 wRC+ over the last 30 days, with a 7.2% walk rate that ranks them bottom-five. The hope is that France can take advantage of the soft landing spot.

• On the hitting side, the Cleveland Guardians find themselves in an appealing spot against Dane Dunning, one of the day's lowest-ranked hurlers. The right-hander has been slammed for an 8.14 ERA over his last five games, surrendering multiple home runs in three of them. Josh Naylor (71%), Andres Gimenez (52%), Bo Naylor (2%), and Kole Calhoun (1%) all have the platoon advantage in this weekend matchup.

Starting pitcher rankings for Saturday

Bullpen usage watch for Saturday

By Todd Zola

• For the fifth time this season, Alexis Diaz recorded five outs in an outing as he collected his 37th save in last night's Cincinnati Reds 5-3 win over the Mets. Diaz only needed 22 pitches to get through the 1 2/3 inning effort, but he had tossed a total of 35 pitches working back-to-back on Tuesday and Wednesday, so the 57 pitches Diaz has thrown over the prior four days jeopardizes his availability for tonight's tilt, though it can't be ruled out since the righty has pitched four out of five days twice already this season. Diaz's support case has also pitched a lot lately with Lucas Sime and Buck Farmer the top candidates to step up if Diaz is given a day to recover.

• On Thursday, Devin Williams recorded his 34th save with a perfect frame without any strikeouts. Last night, WIlliams collected his 35th save by striking out the side. Williams used 11 pitches two days ago and another 15 last night, plus 13 on Tuesday, giving him 30 over the previous four gays. Wiliams appeared on three straight days earlier in the year, but it was coming out of the break when he was well rested. While it isn't a sure thing Williams will be held out today, the safe play is reserving him, with Joel Payamps likely filling in as the Milwaukee Brewers closer.

• Coors Field is not only trouble for starting pitchers, but relievers as well. Last night, San Francisco Giants closer Camilo Doval incurred its wrath with the Colorado Rockies scoring a pair in the bottom of the ninth to walk it off 3-2. Doval recorded only one out while yielding two hits and a walk. He threw 15 pitches, which came two days after tossing 12 on Wednesday. Doval's usage this season indicates he'll be available for one, but probably not both games of today's doubleheader. Tyler Rogers and Taylor Rogers are risky, but they're both rested and candidates to pitch at least once, if not twice today with holds and perhaps a save a possibility.

• Rockies reliever Justin Lawrence hurt his ankle during a delivery last night, leaving Tyler Kinney as their primary closer. Kinney hasn't appeared since Wednesday, so he could pitch twice today.

• Jordan Romano garnered his 34th save last night, using 14 pitches in the process. He was appearing with four days' rest, so Romano will be ready if called upon today to log his 35th save, which would tie his career high set last season.

Best sub-50% rostered hitters for Saturday

Best and worst hitters from the day are generated by THE BAT X, a projection system created by Derek Carty using advanced methods like those used in MLB front offices, accounting for a variety of factors including player talent, ballparks, bullpens, weather, umpires, defense, catcher pitch-framing and lots more.

• Mitch Haniger (SF, RF -- 6%) at Kyle Freeland and Peter Lambert

• Thairo Estrada (SF, 2B -- 43%) at Freeland and Lambert

• Mike Yastrzemski (SF, RF -- 10%) at Freeland and Lambert

• Charlie Blackmon (COL, RF -- 20%) vs. Ross Stripling and Keaton Winn

• Nolan Jones (COL, RF -- 21%) vs. Stripling and Winn

• J.D. Davis (SF, 3B -- 6%) at Freeland and Lambert

• Ezequiel Tovar (COL, SS -- 11%) vs. Stripling and Winn

• Elehuris Montero (COL, 3B -- 2%) vs. Stripling and Winn

• Ryan McMahon (COL, 3B -- 26%) vs. Stripling and Winn

• Wilmer Flores (SF, 2B -- 36%) at Freeland and Lambert

Worst over-50% rostered hitters for Saturday