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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on September 3rd, 2018. Adam Meyer's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
We have a full, 15-game slate on Labor Day, so every team is available in the player pool. That’s great news and that’s overwhelming news. That means we need to go through each lineup and inspect for any surprises or bonus value plays.
Of the 15 games on the schedule, six matchups have an over/under of at least nine total runs. The LAA/TEX game leads the pack with 10.5 projected runs between the two teams. As for pitching, three teams are heavy favorites (-200 odds, or greater) on Monday: Arizona, Houston, and Seattle.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/3/18. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like FanDuel, and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @CharlieSideHstl.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Alex Wood, LAD (vs. NYM) - $9,200
The lowest over/under of the slate goes to the NYM/LAD matchup. With the Dodgers being the slight favorite, and seeing that Wood is priced at a significant discount compared to Jacob deGrom ($4,200 cheaper), I’ll give the nod to Wood as a DK starter for Monday. Wood has allowed one earned run, or less, in four of the past five outings and has struck out at least five batters in three of the last five appearances. In his lone start against the Mets earlier this season, Wood earned the win after pitching six innings and striking out seven batters (allowed only one earned run, too).
Vince Velasquez, PHI (@ MIA) - $7,400
Another affordable arm is the one starting for Philadelphia on Monday. Velasquez is tied as the 12th-most expensive pitcher in the all-day docket. He faces the Marlins, who are 30th in runs scored (512 runs in 137 games) and 30th in team wOBA (.293) against right-handed pitchers this season. As for Velasquez, he’s allowed two earned runs, or less, in back-to-back appearances and has punched out at least six batters in tow of the last five performances.
DraftKings DFS Infielders
C - Robinson Chirinos, TEX (vs. LAA) - $3,600
The Rangers backstop homered on Sunday, so hopefully he can carry that momentum into Monday’s matchup. Chirinos has the third-highest ISO (.224) on the Rangers against right-handed pitching. Texas is tied for the second-most projected runs on Monday (5.4 runs) and Chirinos is priced at the right spot for an offense that could produce a handful of runs against the Angels.
1B - Ryan Braun, MIL (vs. CHC) - $3,900
Honestly, it’s tough not to roster a full stack of Brewers on Monday. They are way under-priced and the DK site is giving way too much respect to Cole Hamels. I’m aware of the fact that he hasn’t allowed more than one earned run in a start since joining the Cubs, but Milwaukee is a tough place for pitchers and a couple Brewer bats have great BvP numbers against Hamels. Braun is one of them. In his career, Braun is 13-for-37 (.351) with four extra-base hits (three home runs) against Hamels.
2B - Rougned Odor, TEX (vs. LAA) - $4,600
We have a mini-stack of Rangers on Monday. Odor has produced multiple hits in back-to-back games and notched at least one RBI in three straight games. Odor is second on the team with a .229 ISO against right-handed pitchers, too. Also, in his career, Odor is 5-for-14 (.357) with three extra-base hits against Matt Shoemaker. Granted, I don’t expect Shoemaker to pitch to more than two turns of the Texas batting order, since he’s returning from the DL and hasn’t pitched in an MLB game since March 31st.
3B - Matt Davidson, CWS (vs. DET) - $4,000
Speaking of batters with multi-hit performances, Davidson has produced at least two hits in three straight games and is currently riding a six-game hitting streak. In the past week, Davidson is 10-for-27 (.370) with two doubles and one home run (two walks). The White Sox will see Michael Fulmer on Monday. He’s allowed at least seven earned runs in two of the past three starts.
SS - Francisco Lindor, CLE (vs. KC) - $5,200
Other than Alex Wood, this is my big purchase for Monday. Linor has a .241 ISO against right-handed pitchers since 2017 (fourth-best on Cleveland). Also, in his career, Lindor is 6-for-10 (.600) with five extra-base hits (three home runs) against Jakob Junis. The Indians are projected to score 5.3 runs on Monday, which is tied for the fourth-most of the slate. Junis has not performed well against Cleveland. He’s 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA in 11 innings against them this season.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Wil Myers, SD (@ ARI) - $4,100
It hasn’t been a great year for Myers (.254 AVG and only 10 home runs). However, he’ll look to right the ship against a familiar opponent. In his career, Myers is 8-for-18 (.444) with three extra-base hits (one home run) against Zack Godley.
George Springer, HOU (vs. MIN) - $4,000
Springer might be the value play of the day. Anytime you can get a five-tool player, like Springer, at $4K you take it. In the past week, Springer is 9-for-26 (.346) with two doubles and one home run (four walks)
Steven Souza, ARI (vs. SD) - $4,000
Arizona leads the slate with a 5.6 implied run total, so I feel obligated to have at least one Diamondback in the lineup. Souza has a .222 ISO against right-handed pitchers since 2017. His team will face Bryan Mitchell on Monday. Mitchell has allowed at least four earned runs in two of the past four starts.
