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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on September 16th, 2018. Elliott Baas' MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
It's Week 2 in the NFL, but who needs football with a juicy 11-game featured slate on DraftKings today? Two games, CWS @ BAL and TOR @ NYY are tied for the highest expected total with a 9.5 O/U each. Those two games are prime for stacking, but keep an eye on DET @ CLE, which currently has a 9.0 O/U. Cleveland is theoretically in a good spot at home against Detroit and lefty Francisco Liriano, but Cleveland clinched the AL Central on Saturday, meaning they may rest their starters today. That makes them a team to avoid in a stack, but some nice values from bench pieces may emerge depending on their lineup.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/16/18. 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 @ElliottBaasBB.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Kyle Gibson, MIN (@ KC): $7,800
Gibson is somehow cheaper than his inferior opponent on the mound Jakob Junis ($7,900), and while Junis is at home Kansas City is only a slight favorite in this one at -110. Gibson has revitalized his career this season with a 3.67 ERA, 3.93 xFIP, and 22% strikeout rate, all career bests. He takes on a Royals team with a pitiful starting lineup against right-handed pitching. On the year Kansas City has a .308 wOBA and .156 ISO collectively versus righties, and they played the first fourth months with Mike Moustakas on the team. Outside of Whit Merrifield and Salvador Perez this team is filled with sub-replacement level talent, and Gibson should have no problem taking advantage of them.
Nick Pivetta, PHI (vs. MIA): $7,400
A pitcher with a 10.4 K/9, 3.43 xFIP, and 3.76 K/BB ratio against the Marlins for $7,400? It sounds too good to be true. In Pivetta’s case it may in fact be a trap, since he’s been rather inconsistent this season with a 4.64 ERA despite glowing peripheral numbers. Still, going off the numbers we use to judge a pitcher’s true talent Pivetta looks like a standout. Up against a Marlins team that has a .290 wOBA and .121 ISO versus righties Pivetta is worth the gamble in a GPP setting on this slate.
DraftKings DFS Infielders
Catcher
Gary Sanchez, NYY (vs. TOR): $4,500
Sanchez has an .808 OPS and .250 ISO against left-handed pitching this season, and faces a weak lefty Sunday in Thomas Pannone. Pannone has been crushed for 1.5 HR/9 and a 5.86 xFIP in 24 innings this season. He also has a 54.7% flyball rate, which is a bad thing for a pitcher going into Yankee Stadium. The Yankees are a great stack on this slate against Pannone, and Sanchez is worth paying up for at catcher.
First Base
Anthony Rizzo, CHC (vs. CIN): $4,100
Luis Castillo has been pitching better as of late, but this price makes no sense for a hitter of Rizzo’s caliber. Rizzo’s been on fire in the second half, posting a .988 OPS and .244 ISO since the All-Star break. He has returned to top-24 levels of production and should be treated as such regardless of matchup, however DraftKings mysteriously underpriced Rizzo on this slate.
Second Base
Jonathan Villar, BAL (vs. CWS): $4,500
One good thing about bad teams facing bad pitchers is that the players tend to be underpriced and underowned in tournaments. Villar has played much better since coming to Baltimore, posting a .775 OPS along with seven homers and 12 steals since the trade. It’s the best he has looked since 2016. The Orioles also get a good matchup against Lucas Giolito, who has a 5.76 ERA, 1.41 HR/9, and a 1.44 K/BB ratio on the season.
Third Base
Miguel Andujar, NYY (vs. TOR): $4,300
We definitely want to target Pannone on this slate, and Andujar fits well into our lineup from a cost and position standpoint. He usually hits third or fourth for the Yankees and has an .811 OPS and .221 ISO versus lefties this season.
Shortstop
Tim Beckham, BAL (vs. CWS): $3,500
Beckham gives us a cheap shortstop option who hits in the middle of Baltimore’s order against a weak pitcher. He usually hits fifth or sixth and provides more exposure to Lucas Giolito, which is never a bad thing at $3.5K.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Giancarlo Stanton, NYY (vs. TOR): $4,900
Andrew McCutchen, NYY (vs. TOR): $4,800
With our cheap starting pitchers we can afford to go all-in with the Yankees at home against Pannone. This game has a 9.5 O/U and the Yankees are -220 favorites, meaning most of the scoring is expected from their side. Stanton absolutely feasts on lefties for a 1.049 OPS and .336 ISO and is criminally underpriced even at $4.9K. McCutchen was a victim of his ballpark in San Francisco. He has an .882 OPS and .240 ISO against left-handed pitching on the road this season. McCutchen also has a .942 OPS and .278 ISO since coming to the Yankees.
Cedric Mullins, BAL (vs. CWS): $4,100
Mullins has posted an .807 OPS and .205 ISO against righties since coming to the majors as a prospect promotion. He hits leadoff for the Orioles and should get plenty of opportunities to score against Lucas Giolito and a weak White Sox bullpen.
