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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/15/20. Kyle Ringstad's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
We have a sizeable 12-game slate on DraftKings as the MLB season continues to roll on after the madness of the first NFL weekend has been subdued. There are a few elite pitching options today to go along with a handful of appealing stack options, while we have another Coors Field game coming in with the slate's highest projected total.
I'll be going through some of the best plays at each position on DraftKings with a GPP/tournament lineup build in mind. That's not to say that these players won't work in cash-game lineups, but we're looking to provide high-upside plays for the most part (it's more fun that way, anyway). As a reminder, it is best practice to stack 3-5 hitters from the same team for DFS purposes, so try to envision how the games will play out and build your lineups from there. Utilizing unique lineup combinations (i.e the nine, one, two, and three hitters) is another great way to differentiate.
In this article, I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the DraftKings main slate on 9/15/2020. 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 contact me on Twitter @kringstad19
DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Jack Flaherty - SP, STL vs MIL ($9,400)
Flaherty hasn't been Cy Young-level spectacular like he was for the second half of last season, but he's still having a really solid season with a 3.08 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 3.87 FIP, and 3.58 xFIP through six starts. He also has a useful 25% strikeout rate and 13.5% SwStr% to go along with the second-lowest flyball rate on tonight's slate. Flaherty's slider, which he throws 29.5% of the time, has been particularly effective with a .157 xBA and a 45.8% Whiff%. He hasn't shown a huge ceiling, but he is consistent as he has notched at least 15.7 DK points in 4-of-6 starts this season. What makes Flaherty extra appealing as a DFS option is the boost that the Milwaukee offense should provide to his strikeout totals and chances at a win. The Brewers rank 26th in wOBA, 25th in wRC+, 28th in batting average, 22nd in ISO, and second in strikeout rate (26.3%). They have the second-lowest OPS and the third-highest strikeout rate against RHP and come in with the slate's lowest projected total at just 3.7 runs. Flaherty should mop up tonight and you can get him at just the fourth-highest salary on DraftKings.
Deivi Garcia - NYY vs TOR ($6,800)
The 21-year-old top prospect (No. 3) for the Yankees has had mixed results through three starts in the bigs. He went for 23.1 DK points in his first start on 8/30 and he threw seven innings with six strikeouts for 24.8 DK points against the Blue Jays his last time on the mound. He mixed in a 9.7 DK-point outing to the Orioles in them middle, but he also has six strikeouts in each outing and holds impressive metrics through three starts with a 3.06 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 3.13 FIP, a slate-leading 2.56 tERA, and a 25.7% K%. He's also doing a great job at limiting hard contact (28.6% Hard%) as his curveball and fastball have much more movement than the MLB league average. Garcia has shown elite strikeout ability (14.72 K/9 in Double-A in 2019) in the last few years in the minors. He has been stretched out for 95 pitches in his last two starts and should be able to go deep against the Blue Jays, who have a decent offense but a low four-run projected total tonight.
Other options: Jose Urquidy (HOU vs TEX) $6,600, Yu Darvish (CHC vs CLE) $11,300
DraftKings DFS Infielders
Anthony Rendon - 3B, LAA vs ARI ($5,400)
This is one of those "it's obvious but he needs to be recommended" deals. Rendon is a beast (.289/.433/510, .221 ISO, .413 wOBA) and Madison Bumgarner has been atrocious this season with a 7.52 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 9.04 FIP, 3.8 HR/9, and a 45.7% Hard%. The southpaw has expectedly been even worse against RHB as he has allowed a .291 average and 10 of his 11 home runs from that side of the plate. Rendon is 5-for-12 against MadBum in his career and the Angels are projected to score 5.8 runs. He's a core play for me today.
Jake Lamb - 1B, OAK vs COL ($2,500)
Talk about a salary-saver. If Lamb gets the nod at third base tonight, he is severely underpriced given the extremely positive game environment at Coors Field. He was having a terrible season in Arizona prior to being DFA'd last week, but he got scooped up by the contending A's as they scramble to replace star Matt Chapman. The only thing we can point to with Lamb is that he's hitting the ball hard as he has a 58.6% Hard Hit % through 47 at-bats. He hit his first homer of the year in a great debut for his new squad that included a double and two runs scored.
Dylan Moore - 2B/OF, SEA vs SFG ($3,800)
Moore has been a surprisingly-solid everyday starter for the Mariners this season. He's slashing .265/.353/.513 with seven homers, 15 RBI, and 23 runs scored. He has a .248 ISO, .388 wOBA, and he's 11-for-16 in stolen bases attempts. He's hitting just .160/.300/.320 over the last seven days, but he has thrown in three steals and two home runs in that span. He'll get the platoon-advantage over Tyler Anderson, who has been subpar (4.91 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 6.00 xFIP) but hasn't given up much power despite a low 26.9% GB% and high 46.2% FB%. Moore is just too cheap at the 2B position and hitting leadoff against this pitcher.
Other options: Scott Kingery (PHI vs NYM) $2,100, Adalberto Mondesi (KC vs DET) $3,600, Matt Olson (OAK vs COL) $5,300
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Kole Calhoun - OF, ARI vs LAA ($3,400)
Everyone and their mother will be attacking Angels bats against Madison Bumgarner, and rightfully so. The other side of this matchup will likely be overlooked, though, and that may be a mistake. The Diamondbacks have been a bottom-five offense all season and have been even worse in September with a league-worst .272 wOBA, 66 wRC+, and .205 batting average. It may not be wise to stack them up (aside from large-pool GPP's), but it's hard to not like individual hitters against Julio Teheran and his 8.46 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 6.68 FIP, 2.4 HR/9, and slate-worst 54.4% LOB%. Calhoun has bad surface numbers, but he hits much better against RHP and leads the team with a .237 ISO.
George Springer - OF, HOU vs TEX ($4,600)
This is a great price for Springer, at least relative to the rest of the big-bopper OF's on tonight's slate. Springer should lead off for the 'Stros against the inexperienced and unproven Kyle Cody. Cody spent 2016-2018 in the Rookie and A leagues and has made a few relief appearances and two starts for the Rangers, though they limited him to just three innings in both starts. He holds a tidy 1.69 ERA, but his 1.69 WHIP, 4.13 FIP, 5.96 xFIP, and 6.62 tERA tell a much different story. His 42.8% Hard% is also up there with the highest on the slate. Springer has been cooking with at least 12 DK points in three of his last four games and .302/.353/.619 with five homers over the last 21 days.
Michael Conforto - OF, NYM vs PHI ($4,800)
Conforto is another stud hitter who isn't priced like one on tonight's slate. He has been one of the best hitters in the league as of late, going .404/.446/.731 with four homers, 14 RBI, and 14 runs scored over the last 14 days. He has separate games of 31, 17, 21, 18, and 35 DK points during that span. He has had an elite season overall as he's slashing .343/.428/.566 with a .223 ISO and .433 wOBA. He hits much better against RHP and he'll get that advantage against seasoned vet Jake Arrieta, who has a 5.54 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, and a low 6.8% SwStr%.
Other options: Mike Trout (LAA vs ARI) $5,900, Cedric Mullins (BAL vs ATL) $2,500, Matt Kemp (COL vs OAK) $3,700
DraftKings DFS Stacks
Oakland is the top stack of the night as they have the highest projected total (6.6), but they'll be very popular since they're playing in Coors and it's not like Antonio Senzatela has been a dumpster fire this year (3.69 ERA, 4.69 FIP). Getting to intriguing stacks like the Braves (vs. Eshelman), Astros (vs. Cody), or Angels (vs. MadBum) is a good idea in all formats. Sneaky stacks include the Royals (vs. Boyd), Giants (vs. Newsome), and even the Diamondbacks (vs. Teheran) if you're feeling frisky.
Good luck in your DraftKings contests and make sure to give me a follow on Twitter!
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