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Mike Schwarzenbach highlights the top FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks for 9/15/21, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
We've got a 10-game Wednesday night slate and based on the pitching options available we should see plenty of offense. Nine of the 20 teams playing have an implied run total over five runs led by the Yankees at Camden Yards versus the hapless Orioles. Aside from New York, the White Sox, Dodgers, and Astros all also carry high implied-team totals.
The common theme with these lineups is they are expensive. Fortunately, there are enough value bats and pitchers priced down we should be able to fit most of the key players into FanDuel lineups.
I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel main slate on 9/15/2021. Be sure to also check out all the MLB player news, including late scratches, and the projected and confirmed daily MLB lineups for each DFS slate. You can also check out today's DraftKings MLB DFS lineup picks, and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. Let's get to it!
FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Cash Game/GPP Anchor Play:
Ranger Suarez – PHI vs CHC ($8,800)
A lot has gone wrong for the Phillies this season, Ranger Suarez has not been one of them as he's been one of the most valuable pitchers in baseball given team context. The left-hander started the season in long relief before quickly ascending the bullpen pecking order all the way to the closer role, where he went 4-for-4 in save chances. When the Phillies needed starting pitching help they stretched Suarez out and he's been just as effective as a starter. Add it all up and Suarez is 6-4 with 78 strikeouts across 78 innings with a pristine 1.38 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP.
Obviously, Suarez would have a higher ERA with more innings as a starter and his 3.57 xFIP implies as much, but that's still a good xFIP and he's the type of pitcher who should be expected to outperform his xFIP based on his extreme ground-ball tendencies. Suarez has an absurd 60% ground ball rate on the season which, when combined with his 25% strikeout rate, equals a lot of easy outs. The Cubs lineup isn't overly threatening and Suarez should continue to be a godsend for a Phillies team that's needed some stability on the mound. He's not as automatic as, say, Julio Urias ($10,400), but given the savings in salary, I'm inclined to roll with Suarez in a good matchup and load up on bats.
Potential Alternate Play
Nestor Cortes Jr. – NYY at BAL ($7,700)
Speaking of hurlers who stepped up for pitching-needy teams, Nasty Nestor Cortes will toe the rubber for the Yankees tonight. Cortes has become a fan favorite in the Bronx as he's pitched to a 2.70 ERA across 73 1/3 innings. It's hard to explain what has made Cortes so effective, but his quirky style of pitching has worked so far and there's no reason to think it'll stop against this Orioles lineup.
Cortes doesn't have elite upside, but few pitchers do on tonight's slate. Cortes whiffed seven batters in three of his last five starts and, at just $7,700, he should easily return value if he can get through six innings and wind up in line for a win.
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FanDuel DFS Infielders
Ryan Mountcastle – 1B/OF, BAL vs NYY ($3,400)
We just mentioned Cortes in the pitcher section, but that doesn't mean we have to completely fade the Orioles in their home ballpark. Mountcastle is turning into a bit of a lefty masher early in his career as he's sporting a .548 slugging percentage versus southpaws. He's certainly capable of planting one in the seats versus Cortes.
Cesar Hernandez – 2B, CWS vs. LAA ($2,700)
If we need a value bat, Hernandez could fit the bill as a cheap piece of a White Sox stack versus Janson Junk. Given the recent injury woes for Chicago, Hernandez could be leading off which would do wonders for his fantasy value, but even if he's near the bottom of the order he provides salary relief to fit bigger pieces of the Chicago offense.
Justin Turner – 3B, LAD vs ARI ($3,700)
Turner is slugging .500 through 52 September plate appearances so he's as locked-in as any hitter in the Majors. Opposing starter Merrill Kelly has crazy reverse-split this season as the righty has a .350 wOBA allowed to RHB compared to .267 versus LHB. We should take advantage of this with Turner tonight.
Brendan Rodgers – SS/2B, COL at ATL ($2,800)
The Rockies could be a sneaky offense to target tonight despite being on the road. Rodgers homered on Tuesday as he's now clubbed 10 homers away from Coors Field against only two homers in his hitter-friendly home yard. He's batting a cool .300 so far in September and seems to have found his power stroke, fire him up at 2B or SS as Rodgers and our next player offer high upside and roster flexibility for under $3,000 each.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Garrett Hampson – OF/2B, COL at ATL ($2,800)
Like his aforementioned teammate, Hampson has dual-eligibility for a low price which will help immensely on a slate with so many hitting options. Hampson is riding a six-game hit-streak with a .909 slugging percentage in that span. Ride the hot bat in Atlanta tonight.
Mark Canha – OF, OAK at KC ($3,200)
Canha has faced Royals starter Mike Minor 18 times in his career and has three homers and a 1.222 OPS. BvP data isn't always the most reliable predictor of future success, but in this case, we have a fairly large sample with plenty of homers. Toss in the platoon advantage versus the lefty Minor and Canha is a strong value tonight.
Luis Robert – OF, CWS vs. LAA ($3,800)
No one is swinging a hotter bat than Robert as the 24-year-old has eight multi-hit efforts in his last 14 games. This hot streak has his season average up to .349 to go with a .558 slugging percentage. He's doing all this with just a 20% strikeout rate while putting the ball in the air over 35% of the time. Fire him up versus Junk.
FanDuel DFS Stack Options
- Chicago White Sox
- New York Yankees
- Sneaky Stack: Colorado Rockies
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