DFS MLB Lineups for September 9, 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!
9/9/17 MAIN SLATE TOURNAMENT RUNDOWN
DraftKings Saturday Slugfest: $40 buy-in, $125k guaranteed
DraftKings Perfect Game: $333 buy-in, $85k guaranteed
DraftKings Four Seamer: $4 buy-in, $50k guaranteed
FanDuel MLB Monster: $333 buy-in, $60k guaranteed
FanDuel Papa Squeeze: $9 buy-in, $50k guaranteed
FanDuel Grand Slam: $44 buy-in, $40k guaranteed
Best DFS MLB Pitchers for September 9, 2017
Chris Sale vs. TB ($12.9k DraftKings, $11.3k FanDuel)
He’s certainly slowing down at the end of the season and struggled badly with his pitch count at the Yankees last Sunday, yet Sale should bounce back in tonight’s plus matchup. The Rays rank 27th in collective batting average (.237) with the second-highest K-Rate (25.8%) in the Majors against LHP this year and Sale’s 3-1 with an absurd 15.21 K/9 ratio over 4 outings against that lineup in 2017. His control has been excellent while posting a 6.73 K/BB ratio and .197 BAA at Fenway Park this season and the Red Sox offense could be all over young RHP Matt Andriese in support of Sale.
Carlos Martinez vs. PIT ($11.3k DraftKings, $9.6k FanDuel)
If you can’t quite afford Sale or are worried about his history of late-season decline, consider Martinez as an appealing consolation option. He’s coming off the best outing of his career, a CGSO with 10 K’s and 3 hits against the lowly Padres. He’s been quite effective overall with a 2.84 ERA and 9.08 K/9 ratio over his last 7 appearances and the Pirates are ranked 27th in collective wOBA (.298) over the last 30 days while struggling with injuries to key batters in their lineup.
Zack Godley vs. SD ($9.0k DraftKings, $9.2k FanDuel)
Clearly, we’re paying up for pitching this Saturday with the obvious top options costing you a pretty penny on either main DFS site. Yet Godley’s a no-brainer for cash games given his ability to consistently post Quality Starts, the hot nature of the D’Backs offense, and the ineffectiveness of San Diego’s bottom-feeding offense. The Padres are dead last in collective batting average (.224), wOBA (.285) and have posted the fourth-highest K-Rate (24.8%) in the Majors over the last 30 days.
Other pitchers to consider: Jeff Samardzija, Alex Wood, Edwin Jackson, Andrew Albers, Jake Junis
Best DFS MLB Hitters for September 9, 2017
Daniel Murphy vs. PHI ($5.1k DraftKings, $3.8k FanDuel)
With Bryce Harper out, Murphy’s taking on a much more critical role as he tries to keep the Nationals offense afloat and he stands out as the most appealing play as part of that stack tonight. Washington hosts a vulnerable rookie RHP in Mark Leiter Jr., who was pummeled for 8 ER by the lowly Mets in his last start and is now rocking a 7.53 ERA on the road. He’s allowing lefties to post a .424 wOBA and notable 3.24 HR/9 ratio over 14 appearances away from Philly and Murphy is locked in right now with a .333 average over his last 10 starts and homers on both Monday and Tuesday to open this week.
Nelson Cruz vs. LAA ($4.4k DraftKings, $3.9k FanDuel)
Due to his recent struggles, Cruz remains relatively cheap on DK despite the fact that he’s a great candidate to go yard in tonight’s matchup. The RBI-machine could be at the center of rallies against LHP Andrew Heaney, who is posting an absurd 45.8% HR/FB ratio and 9.13 FIP through 4 starts this season. Cruz isn’t hitting for average against lefties as he has in years past, but with a .397 wOBA and 17.1% HR/FB ratio against the platoon, he’s certainly worth using as a tournament play.
J.T. Realmuto @ ATL ($3.7k DraftKings, $2.6k FanDuel)
Giancarlo Stanton will get plenty of deserved attention as a high-upside play against a rookie LHP tonight, but you can get some of that action at a much cheaper price tag by playing Realmuto. The big backstop enjoys hitting away from massive Marlins Park, as he’s hitting .327 with a .230 ISO Mark in road games this year and doing plenty of damage against lefties. Max Fried danced around danger to go 5 innings and eek out a win at Wrigley Field last Sunday, but posted a 1.95 WHIP in his previous 4 relief appearances and will likely struggle once MLB teams get a full scouting report on him.
Other hitters to consider: Giancarlo Stanton, Joey Votto, J.D. Martinez, Trea Turner, Eduardo Nunez, Nolan Arenado, Rhys Hoskins, Eugenio Suarez, Jose Peraza, Ender Inciarte
9/9/17 DFS MLB STACKS
Diamondbacks vs Jhoulys Chacin
Chacin’s home/road splits are stunning, as he’s been virtually untouchable at massive Petco Park but is coughing up a 6.96 ERA with a .306 BAA over 14 appearances on the road this year. Pitching at Chase Field is a tall task for any SP, and sure enough, Chacin was rocked for 7 ER and 2 HRs over 6 IP in his last trip to Arizona. The D’Backs offense is red hot right now and might get MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt back in time for this plus matchup. If Goldy remains out, look towards J.D. Martinez and A.J. Pollock to lead this stack, while David Peralta and even Gregor Blanco could see some action against a RHP that’s posting a 5.60 FIP with a 34% Hard Contact Rate when facing LHB this year.
Reds vs Chris Flexen
Mets rookie RHP Chris Flexen has had a real issue with giving up the long ball so far, as he’s posting a 2.21 HR/9 ratio with a 7.31 FIP through 8 MLB appearances. While he’s been more vulnerable in allowing RHB to hit .365 with a .455 wOBA during that span, Joey Votto is obviously an elite option to consider in this plus spot. If you’re looking to stack righties, the Reds have plenty of solid plays in Eugenio Suarez, Zack Cozart and solid infielder Jose Peraza, while OF Adam Duvall is worth a look in GPP formats and Scott Schebler could emerge as a value lefty in the OF if he starts.
Other Stacks to consider:
Nationals vs. Mark Leiter Jr.
Mariners vs. Andrew Heaney
Red Sox vs. Matt Andriese
