Top Tier
Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee ($10.5K on DK, $12K on FD)
Priced like the heaviest favorite on the slate (-280), Burnes enters today's match-up with Pittsburgh coming off 13 strikeouts against the Diamondbacks his last time out on the mound. This marked his eighth career game with 10 or more strikeouts and fourth this season. He's produced seven quality starts of 10 outings this year holding opponents to a .166 batting average against racking up 94 strikeouts over 59.1 innings with a 1.97 ERA. Add in Milwaukee winning seven of its last eight home contests with one of their aces on the mound for DFS success in cash games this afternoon. If he records 10-plus strikeouts, he's worth the price in GPP's as well.
Trevor Bauer, Los Angeles Dodgers ($11K on FD ONLY)
Please remember, Bauer can only be used on Fan Duel. He makes for an intriguing pivot with six wins this year and a -300 favorite Saturday night. Perhaps he's a late night hammer in your GPP lineup? Bauer's worked six or more innings in 12 of his previous 13 starts giving up two or fewer runs in 10 of them. He last faced Texas in 2018 so use the Rangers’ 26.8 team strikeout percentage with a minuscule .145 isolated power playing without a designated hitter for a potential double digit strikeout performance on tap for the mercurial Dodgers starting pitcher.
Mid Tier
Dylan Cease, Chicago White Sox ($9.6K on DK, $9.7K on FD)
Can the third time be a charm? Cease enters this contest at 4-2 with a 3.36 ERA, with two wins versus Detroit already banked. For his career, he owns a 7-0 record against the Tigers owning a 1.93 ERA in them over 42.1 innings with 47 strikeouts and a .224 batting average against. Defeating a team for a third time can be difficult but guessing Cease will be up to the task this afternoon.
Rich Hill, Tampa Bay ($9.4K on DK, $7.7K on FD)
Since the start of May, Hill's 4-1 with a 0.68 ERA over 39.2 innings holding opponents to a .143 batting average against through seven starts. He's yielded two runs or fewer in each of his last eight starts. Verus the Orioles, he boasts a career 3-0 record with a 1.32 ERA spanning 14 appearances and four starts. He may only work five innings, but the win bonus with some sneaky strikeout potential lies in the offing if he avoids damage by Trey Mancini.
Joe Musgrove, San Diego ($9.3K on DK, $8.3K on FD)
Going against the grain a bit here in the game with the lowest total on the slate. Musgrove owns the higher strikeout potential in this contest so he's the target in my estimation. When this match-up ensues, he owns a 2.33 ERA and a 2.60 SIERA with a 34.2 strikeout rate notching 89 strikeouts through 65.2 innings of work. Look past his 4-5 record and profit if Musgrove fires a gem against the overachieving Mets lineup.
Bargain Arm
Yusei Kikuchi, Seattle ($7.8K on DK, $8.8K on FD)
Like his price on Draft Kings much more as a second starter with upside in this match-up. Kikuchi's emerged as a strikeout pitcher and recorded seven quality starts this season with a 25.9 strikeout percentage. Cleveland owns the fifth worst weighted runs created plus metric in the majors against left-handed pitching and got no-hit by Wade Miley (he's also in play but the game in Cincinnati worries me a bit). As for Kikuchi, he's already registered two double digit strikeout games this season and carries a 2.77 ERA in two career outings against Cleveland with a 15:4 K:BB in 13 innings before his breakout this season. He's risky but could also pay off at two-to-three times value as a road underdog.