DFS MLB Lineups for September 2, 2017 at Draftkings.com & Fanduel.com
For this daily fantasy baseball season, each day there’s a good slate of DFS MLB games, we’ll be writing up a group of pitchers and hitters that we’re considering for our cash and GPP lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. We’ll also provide a list of stacks to consider, MLB start times, starting pitchers, and game run totals to give you a good idea of where the fantasy goodness might come from on a given night. As with any DFS sport, the advice below is relevant for fantasy purposes. A player or team might be better or worse from a fantasy perspective than they are in real life due to matchup, price, park factor, etc. This is important when constructing a roster. And if you’re looking for new ways to play DFS, be sure and give BOOM Fantasy and DRAFT a try!
A quick reminder while playing DFS MLB, don’t forget baseball is a game of variance. You can make a really solid lineup and still fall short of the cash line. Even Chris Sale can get lit up, and Paul Goldschmidt can still go 0 for 4. Baseball is funny like that. Trust the process and know that if you’re playing quality lineups, you’ll be a winner in the long term.
Another thing to remember outside of making sure your player is in the lineup, is to always check the weather. Always. Make this something that is part of your basic routine. Baseball games can get postponed! Your players receive no points from postponed games!
9/2/17 MAIN SLATE TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN
DraftKings Slugfest: $40 buy-in, $250k guaranteed
DraftKings Walk Off Home Run: $400 buy-in, $150k guaranteed
DraftKings Four Seamer: $4 buy-in, $70k guaranteed
FanDuel Monster: $415 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
FanDuel Squeeze: $9 buy-in, $80k guaranteed
FanDuel Hook Squeeze: $4 buy-in, $50k guaranteed
Best DFS MLB Pitchers for September 2, 2017
Max Scherzer @ MIL ($13.5k DraftKings, $11.7k FanDuel)
It’s only a modest price jump to move from Yu Darvish up to Scherzer on DK and it seems like a no-brainer based on the latter’s superior floor-ceiling combination. The perennial CY Young contender has maintained his incredible pace with a 2.54 ERA and 13.15 K/9 ratio during the second half and he’s 1.79 ERA with a .154 BAA on the road over the course of the season. Tonight he faces the most strikeout-prone team in the Majors, as the Brewers are posting a 26% K-Rate and are just 15-for-72 (.208) with 24 K’s in their collective careers against Scherzer.
Chris Archer @ CWS ($11.2k DraftKings, $10.8k FanDuel)
A fine consolation for those who can’t quite afford Scherzer with the hitters they want tonight, Archer is highly unlikely to falter in a very appealing matchup. The White Sox have been awful against RHP all year with a collective .247 batting average and the lowest wOBA (.305) in the A.L. against righties, while Archer struck out 11 White Sox over 7 sharp innings in a previous meeting this year. He’s been ultra-consistent with Quality Starts in 10 of his last 12 outings and has struck out at least 8 batters in 4 consecutive starts.
Carlos Rodon vs. TB ($7.7k DraftKings, $8.4k FanDuel)
Rodon is simply under priced after faltering in one start against a Detroit team that’s inexplicably given him trouble. Yet the dynamic young southpaw is primed to duel Archer tonight in a battle of weak offenses at U.S. Cellular Field, is a below average offensive park in the American League. Tampa is last in the Majors by far with 88 runs scored and a collective .223 batting average over the last 30 days and the Rays rank 28th in average (.237) with the second-highest K-Rate (25.8%) against LHP this season.
Other pitchers to consider: Yu Darvish, Aaron Nola, Marcus Stroman, Jameson Taillon, Wade Miley, Tyler Mahle, Brandon Woodruff
Best DFS MLB Hitters for September 2, 2017
Paul Goldschmidt @ COL ($5.2k DraftKings, $5.4k FanDuel)
There’s really no need to overthink it at the first base position on DK tonight with Goldschmidt riding a hot streak into this weekend series at Coors Field. He’s already hit 4 HRs over 15 at-bats in Denver this season and had 4 HRs with a .351 average and 1.213 OPS over his last 10 appearances leading into Friday’s action. Rockies RHP Jon Gray is one of the better starters they can offer, but he’s still struggled in the thin air and faces an elite hitter who is posting a career-best 1.031 OPS against RHP this year.
Whit Merrifield @ MIN ($4.3k DraftKings, $3.7k FanDuel)
Merrifield is back on track after a slump and he’s flashing tons of category juice once again with 2 HRs and a SB over 2 games on Tuesday and Wednesday. He’s been dangerous in RvR matchups with a .280 batting average and 21 SB in 22 attempts against RHP this season and faces a righty in Kyle Gibson, who has been pummeled to the tune of a 6.57 ERA and .337 BAA over 12 home starts this year. The Royals leadoff man is a bit under priced right now and can be targeted in any format.
Mitch Haniger vs. OAK ($3.7k DraftKings, $2.8k FanDuel)
He opened the season a tremendous run and it appears that Haniger has rekindled some of that magic with 2 doubles, a HR and 3 RBIs in a start on Wednesday. If he’s in the lineup tonight, he’ll be worth a look against Athletics young RHP Jharel Cotton, who is struggling in his sophomore season, as he’s giving up a 1.72 HR/9 ratio with a weak 2.02 K/BB ratio. Haniger is one of several Mariners bats that could serve as a cheap addition to this stack alongside star slugger Nelson Cruz.
Other hitters to consider: Jose Altuve, Nelson Cruz, Josh Bell, Robinson Cano, Jorge Polanco, Mike Moustakas, Ian Desmond, Nomar Mazara, Brian McCann, Jed Lowrie
9/2/17 DFS MLB STACKS
Twins vs Onelki Garcia
The Twins get a huge break as they face off with a bullpen guy making a spot start. Garcia gets an offense that can feast of lefties with Brian Dozier, Eduardo Escobar and suddenly, Jorge Polanco all posting lofty numbers against the platoon. Kennys Vargas remains an intriguing value at 1B with Miguel Sano injured and Eddie Rosario has been capable in LvL matchups all year.
Astros vs Seth Lugo
Lugo is posting a 5.59 ERA with a .311 BAA on the road this season and he’s facing an Astros team that is finally back in its true home stadium as the city rebounds from a natural disaster. Jose Altuve is back in MVP form and is a prime candidate to lead this stack, while Alex Bregman is likely the second-most appealing play at a reasonable price tag on DK. Josh Reddick continues to provide modest returns and is a reliable cash game play. You can also look for young Tyler White to get a look at 1B if Yuli Gurriel (knee) can’t give it a go tonight.
Other Stacks to consider:
Mariners vs. Jharel Cotton
Royals vs. Kyle Gibson
Rangers vs. Ricky Nolasco
