DFS MLB Lineups for September 4, 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!
9/4/17 MAIN SLATE TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN
DraftKings Labor Day Special: $55 buy-in, $250k guaranteed
DraftKings Walk Off Home Run: $400 buy-in, $125k guaranteed
DraftKings Rally Cap: $8 buy-in, $50k guaranteed
FanDuel Monster: $415 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
FanDuel Squeeze: $4 buy-in, $100k guaranteed
FanDuel Rally: $7 buy-in, $50k guaranteed
Best DFS MLB Pitchers for September 4, 2017
Jake Arrieta @ PIT ($11.4k DraftKings, $9.9k FanDuel)
Arrieta is giving reliability a new definition with nearly identical production in 9 straight outings and should remain an excellent cash game play for this Labor Day slate even if he has slightly less upside than Cardinals RHP Carlos Martinez. The Cubs ace will make his fifth start against Pittsburgh after holding the Buccos to 2 hits over 6 scoreless IP last Tuesday and current Pirates have more K’s (46) than hits (44) while batting a collective .244 in their careers against Arrieta. Pitt ranks dead last in batting average (.214) and wOBA (.271) over the last 14 days (and just lost Josh Harrison to the DL) and the Cubs offense is on fire ahead of an appealing matchup against Chad Kuhl.
Dylan Bundy vs. NYY ($9.3k DraftKings, $9.2k FanDuel)
At the risk of being labeled “point chasers” it just makes sense to roll with Bundy after the best outing of his career. He struck out 12 Mariners in a complete-game, one-hitter last Tuesday and is suddenly evolving into a strikeout pitcher with 40 K’s over his last 4 outings. With a 2.00 ERA, he’s been able to rack up wins in 4 of his last 5 outings and he’s been solid in each of his starts against the Yanks this season. Bundy’s posting a 1.05 WHIP and holding batters to a weak .286 wOBA at Camden Yards, where he should have the advantage of run support today.
Chase Anderson @ CIN ($8.6k DraftKings, $8.4k FanDuel)
It took a few starts for Anderson to knock the rust off after two months on the shelf, but he’s looking capable after posting a Quality Start to earn a win over a hot Cardinals team last Wednesday. He could coast to a win today with vulnerable veteran Homer Bailey going for the Reds and Anderson’s been an unassuming Quality Start machine with a 2.96 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 19 starts this season.
Other pitchers to consider: Carlos Martinez, Jake Junis, Parker Bridwell, Rafael Montero, Chad Bettis
Best DFS MLB Hitters for September 4, 2017
Nolan Arenado vs. SF ($5.2k DraftKings, $4.3k FanDuel)
An easy choice today as a top option, Arenado faces a vulnerable lefty at Coors Field, where he’s hitting .410 with a .522 wOBA and ridiculous .431 ISO Mark against the platoon this season. Arenado also is 9-for-17 with 5 doubles and a HR off veteran southpaw Matt Moore, who has been roughed up to the tune of a 6.88 ERA and 1.75 WHIP on the road and somehow managed to give up 5 ER and 2 HRs at pitcher-friendly Petco Park in his last outing, so he’s not exactly in line for success at Coors.
Avisail Garcia vs. CLE ($4.4k DraftKings, $4.0k FanDuel)
Quietly producing amidst a lost season for the White Sox, Garcia is hitting .350 over his last 28 appearances and just snapped his 10-game hitting streak while going 0-for-3 with a walk on Sunday. Yet he could bounce back quickly against a RHP in Trevor Bauer that he’s 7-for-20 against with a HR and triple. Garcia’s hitting .351 with a .926 OPS at home and has posted an impressive 20% HR/FB ratio when facing righties this year.
Jonathan Villar @ CIN ($3.6k DraftKings, $3.1k FanDuel)
The precipitous dropoff in Villar’s production from 2016 to the first half of 2017 was so extreme that he’s been largely ignored in DFS circles and now seems to have a fixed price tag in the value range. Yet he’s been red hot with 14 hits over his last 7 starts and has flashed plenty of category juice with a double, 2 HRs and SB during that span. The Brew Crew could be all over RHP Homer Bailey consider the veteran’s 9.95 ERA at home and .358 BAA in RvR matchups this year and Villar is 2-for-7 with a HR over a limited sample against Bailey.
Other hitters to consider: Mike Trout, Francisco Lindor, DJ LeMahieu, Austin Jackson, Jay Bruce, Hunter Pence, Melky Cabrera, Matt Carpenter, Stephen Vogt
9/4/17 DFS MLB STACKS
Indians vs James Shields
While he’s no longer serving up homers like candy, Shields continues to yield production and his efforts to limit the long ball may have led to him giving up 5 walks and 4 ER over 5 IP in his last outing. Now he faces a capable Indians offense that’s dealing with some injuries, which has opened up playing time for values such as Austin Jackson, Lonnie Chisenhall and Brandon Guyer. Jay Bruce is definitely worth a look in GPP formats against a RHP that’s giving up a 3.38 HR/9 ratio to LHB, which explains the lofty price tag on elite SS Francisco Lindor and utility man Jose Ramirez.
Rockies vs Matt Moore
Arenado and his teammates could have a very big afternoon at Coors Field with struggling Matt Moore coming to town. The slender lefty has given up 14 ER and 20 hits over just 7 IP (2 starts) in Denver this year and gave up 6 ER in his last start at Coors, so he’s ripe to target in this spot. Charlie Blackmon and Gerardo Parra are both still dangerous in LvL matchups and worth a look, while Ian Desmond is back in the Rockies lineup and has some good splits in his career against Moore. DJ LeMahieu is another lefty killer with upside today and Trevor Story has sneaky upside at the SS position.
Other Stacks to consider:
Angels vs. Chris Smith
Brewers vs. Homer Bailey
Cardinals vs. Luis Perdomo
