MLB daily notes: Stick with Scherzer and Harvey

— -- In an effort to serve daily fantasy players and season-long fantasy players who use daily lineup settings, we present notes each day of the season. It's a daily version of our Fantasy Forecaster, in which we project the best pitcher game scores as well as the best team hitting matchups based upon a number of factors.

Pitching

Elite

It's of little surprise that Max Scherzer claims the top spot of the day with a matchup against the Phillies. It's a road start and a worse park to pitch in for the Nationals right-hander, but it's going to be hard to get away from Scherzer in cash games, as he's the only elite option in the evening slate. Not only does he have double-digit whiff upside every time he takes the mound, but the Phillies offense is averaging fewer than three runs per game this season while striking out nearly 25 percent of the time. Pay up.

Matt Harvey hasn't exactly looked like a fantasy ace through two starts. His ERA sits at 4.63, and he's fanned only five batters in 11 2/3 innings. Going on the road to face an AL team with a DH isn't an ideal scenario, but the matchup against the Indians, who are striking out at a 28 percent clip to go along with a .302 wOBA versus right-handed pitching, more than makes up for it. This is a great opportunity for Harvey to boost his K rate and pick up his first win of the season.

Rounding out the elite tier on Saturday is Jake Arrieta, who gets a home start against the Rockies. Featuring the likes of Trevor Story, Carlos Gonzalez and Arenado and Co., the Rockies lineup can do lots of damage. Wrigley Field is no Coors Field, but it still boosts homers. Plus, the Rockies have been crushing everywhere this season, not just Coors, evidenced by a .407 road wOBA in the early going. Arrieta is elite and matchup proof, so we shouldn't overthink this. In terms of cash games, however, Harvey is in the better spot for the early slate.

Solid

Felix Hernandez's early-season velocity is down two ticks from 2015 and he couldn't find his control in his first start (five walks in six innings), but that hasn't impacted his results through two outings. He's whiffed 16 batters in 13 innings while holding a 0.69 ERA. On Saturday he takes the bump against the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, where he owns 1.38 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over eight career starts. Still, this isn't the same King Felix from a few years ago, the Yankees having been drilling righty pitching so far this season (.373 wOBA), and Yankee Stadium is a big downgrade from Safeco Field. It's a tough spot for the Seattle ace despite his early success.

Johnny Cueto's road matchup against the Dodgers is a little more favorable given the park and lineup he'll be facing, but it's still not an easy matchup. In fact, the Dodgers hammered him for six runs in seven innings his last time out. Cueto could very well bounce back in this one, but I'd still rather pay a little more for one of the elite options in cash games.

It's been tough sledding for Adam Wainwright in the early going. He's whiffed just five hitters in 11 frames, and his 6.55 walk rate matches his 6.55 ERA. Fortunately, he's facing a Reds team that could help him get straightened out, as they sport just a .284 wOBA against righties so far this year. Still, Wainwright doesn't strike out enough batters to be a great GPP play, and his early-season struggles make me hesitant about him in cash games. Best case is that you use him as an SP2 if the price is right.

Against a mashing Astros lineup in the hitter-friendly Minute Maid Park, Justin Verlander is relegated to GPP status on Saturday. There's always strikeout upside against the free-swinging Astros, but Verlander doesn't miss as many bats as he used to and is coming off a start against the Pirates in which he was blasted for seven runs in 4 1/3 innings. Hard to feel safe running the Detroit right-hander out there in cash games right now.

Shelby Miller's 48 Game Score would normally have him in the tier below, but I'm making an exception considering his opponent: the San Diego Padres. The Padres have played seven games this season that didn't take place in Coors Field, and they sport a .095 batting average with five runs scored in those seven games. The offense, to put it simply, is a trainwreck right now. Miller has not pitched well in his first two starts with the Diamondbacks, but the skills are still good and the matchup doesn't get any better. He'll make for a great SP2 to pair with a more expensive option.

Spot Starters and Streamers

If you're in the business of streaming starting pitchers, there are multiple options to consider on Saturday. First up is Brandon Finnegan, who pitched well in his first two outings, spinning a 2.84 ERA and 0.79 WHIP. The concern, of course, is that he sometimes has trouble throwing strikes, but he's mitigated that so far with a 10.0 K/9 and 57 percent ground ball rate. The Cardinals have been swinging hot sticks lately, so it's a matchup with some risk, but the young southpaw has looked good enough to give him a shot on Saturday. Finnegan is a free agent in 75 percent of ESPN.com leagues.

Jon Niese, a free agent in 94 percent of leagues, gets a home start against the Brewers. The lefty has been hurt by the longball and holds a 5.73 ERA over his first two starts, but he also has 12 K's in 11 innings to go along with a 1.6 BB/9. The Brewers lineup, which has been whiffing at a 27 percent clip, does not pose much of a threat.

Speaking of opponents that don't pose much of a threat, Chris Young draws a road start against the A's. Young has struggled with his control this year and is coming off a rough outing against Houston, but he's in a great spot to rebound. The O.co Coliseum suppresses offense, and the A's are averaging fewer than three runs per game. It's a nice opportunity to stream the Royals righty, who can still be scooped up in 96 percent of leagues.

On track to make his first start of the season, Erasmo Ramirez faces a White Sox team that has sputtered against right-handed pitching so far this year, posting a .271 wOBA against them. Despite starting the season in the bullpen, keep in mind that Ramirez was an underrated fantasy option last season, posting a 3.13 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 25 starts once he joined the rotation in mid-May. He's worth a spot start here.

Hitting

CC Sabathia managed to put together a quality start in his first outing of the year, but he averaged less than 87 mph on his fastball and walked more than he struck out, so it's hard to feel too good about the performance. Thus, I'm recommending right-handed Mariners hitters against the big lefty, who surrendered a .370 wOBA to righty hitters in 2015. It's unfortunate that Seattle's lineup is so lefty heavy, but Nelson Cruz makes for an intriguing play, while Chris Iannetta and switch-hitter Ketel Marte could be worthwhile punts depending on where they are in the lineup.

The Twins' offense has been a mess so far, but their left-handed bats are in a very good spot against Jered Weaver on Saturday. Although Weaver made it through his first outing unscathed, consider that he faced nine left-handed hitters in that outing and retired only two of them, allowing five hits, a walk and a HBP.

It's all systems go for Cubs bats against Christian Bergman, who owns a 5.43 ERA in 126 big league innings and allows lots of fly balls. The right-hander has actually been hit much harder by right-handed batters in his career, which puts Kris Bryant, Jorge Soler and switch-hitters Dexter Fowler and Ben Zobrist on the map for Saturday.

Colby Lewis has struggled against lefty hitters in his career, and home runs have been a problem because of how many fly balls he allows. That sets up well for the left-handed boppers in Baltimore's lineup.

When John Danks is toeing the rubber for the White Sox, it's almost always a good idea to target right-handed hitters against him. That's the case again on Saturday against the Rays. Logan Forsythe, Evan Longoria and Steven Souza are worth consideration.

Most likely to go yard -  Pedro Alvarez: Alvarez has yet to circle the bases with his new team, but he'll have a great opportunity to change that against fly baller Colby Lewis.

Most likely to swipe a bag - DJ LeMahieu: As good as Jake Arrieta was last year in his Cy Young season, he wasn't very good holding runners on base, evidenced by the 24 swipes allowed. And Miguel Montero isn't good at throwing out base stealers, either. Look for DJ LeMahieu, who has moved to the leadoff spot with Charlie Blackmon on the DL, to get the green light if he gets on base.