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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/20/21. Euan Leith's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Monday, Rotoballers! It's hard to imagine in two weeks, we will know all of the 2021 postseason teams. So, while today doesn't offer us a full menu of games, seven is still plenty to enjoy. Because of a Royals-Indians double-header, there's an afternoon game to watch before the DraftKings featured slate begins. Our seven games start on the East Coast in Philadelphia and New York before our final contests begin at 9:40 pm Eastern in Oakland and Pheonix.
Tonight's armada of arms is a tricky one to navigate. While Robbie Ray has shown us time and time again how prolific he can be for our DFS lineups, I can't ignore the Rays' 138 wRC+ versus southpaws in September. It may come back to bite me because Ray certainly has the highest ceiling, but I'm far more comfortable pivoting down to Freddy Peralta. One part of the Brewer's three-headed starting monster, Freddy P, looked back to his typical ways last time out, and I think he can replicate that against St. Louis.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/20/2021. The lineup will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also check out today's FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. It’s also important to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, find me on Twitter and ask away.
DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Freddy Peralta - P, MIL vs. STL ($9,200)
After two rough outings in his return from the Injury List, Freddy Peralta finally looked like himself against the Detroit Tigers. The right-handed hurler twirled six innings of shutout baseball with only two hits allowed and nine strikeouts. It only took him 71 pitches to compile those innings and Ks, and it makes me believe the real Freddy Peralta is back for the final two weeks of the playoff push. He will see the St. Louis Cardinals tonight, and the Redbirds have been poor versus righties this month. In September, the Cardinals strike out 25.6 percent of the time to RHPs, and they've only mustered a .298 on-base percentage in the same stretch.
Ranger Suarez - P, PHI vs. BAL ($6,500)
When Ranger Suarez keeps his walks in check, he is a great complementary SP2 against any ace on DraftKings. Fortunately for us, he's walked two or fewer batters in five straight starts, and the fantasy points are flowing into our lineups. Suarez has registered at least 19.8 points in each of his last five outings and averages 21.3 fantasy points per game over this stretch. These results have been coming because, since the All-Star break, Suarez has a 1.85 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and a 24.4 percent strikeout rate. We would like to see that strikeout rate a little higher, and that's precisely what's happened in these last five games. It's ticked up to 28.2 percent and should match up nicely with Baltimores' 26.6 percent strikeout rate to southpaws in September.
Other options: Robbie Ray at TB ($10,200), Framber Valdez at LAA ($9,500), Nestor Cortes Jr. vs. TEX ($8,600)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Danny Jansen - C, TOR vs. Shane Baz ($2,700)
I'm not going to sit here and tell you I know who the Blue Jays starting catcher will be on Monday. However, I will tell you I want a piece of their roster, and grabbing one for $2,700 fits into any roster construction. Also, Danny Jansen leads all catchers with at least 30 plate appearances this month in batting average (.357), slugging percentage (.786), and weighted on-base average (.494). A lot of it has come in spurts (a three-hit and a four-hit game), but there's no reason he can't find that again. So if I want to spend down at catcher, Jansen is my guy to kick off the week.
Paul Goldschmidt - 1B, STL at Freddy Peralta ($4,500)
If I can't afford Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at $5,900, rostering old reliable Paul Goldschmidt is my backup plan. While it goes against my SP1 recommendation (Freddy Peralta, see above), I'm not opposed to the one-off Goldy play as he is in the middle of quite the power surge. Over his previous six games, the Cardinal's first baseman is 10-for-18 with 12 runs, four doubles, two home runs, and five RBI. His .436 wOBA in September is fifth among qualified first basemen, and Goldy is just continuing to prove why he's one of the most reliable bats in the game.
Kolten Wong - 2B, MIL vs. Jake Woodford ($4,300)
I couldn't write up Jose Altuve for the third article in a row, so I went with a different second baseman and landed on Kolten Wong. The infielder is on a modest three-game hit streak right now but has also collected four multi-hit efforts in his last 10 games. In those same 10 games, Wong has a .801 OPS with six extra-base hits (two home runs), eight RBI, nine runs, and a stolen base. As the leadoff man for a team three games away from the division title, I'm counting on the Brewers to get the job done ASAP and see Wong cross home plate a couple of times on Monday.
Alex Bregman - 3B, HOU at Jaime Barria ($4,200)
While I resisted the temptation to write up Altuve again, I will do no such thing when it comes to Alex Bregman. And that's because DraftKings has his price bolted into the ground at $4,200. I will not stand for this and shout it from the rooftops until it is fixed, but maybe not too loud because I love the daily discount. Over the last three weeks, Bregman has been slashing .350/.403/.533 with 10 runs, two doubles, three home runs, 16 RBI, and six walks to five strikeouts. He and the Astros will be featured regularly in the postseason DFS picks, but I am happy to roster him for the rest of the DFS regular season, beginning with tonight's matchup.
Bo Bichette - SS, TOR vs. Shane Baz ($5,300)
I may be overexposing myself to the Blue Jays for Shane Baz's debut, but I don't have to grab every single piece. As I mentioned before, getting to Vlad Jr. may be challenging for some teams. Therefore, holding another part of the Toronto pie for $600 less is ideal with Bichette. He's three RBI away from joining the 100 runs and 100 RBI club, and he already has 26 home runs and 22 stolen bases. The shortstop is a do-it-all fantasy asset who can be a crucial piece to any DFS lineup when you want him to be one.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Bryce Harper - OF, PHI vs. John Means ($6,000)
Everyone in baseball wants to anoint Fernando Tatis Jr. with his first National League MVP this year. However, with the way Bryce Harper and the Phillies are surging and how the Padres are sinking, the Philadelphia outfielder is making everyone think about it for a couple of seconds longer. In 2021, Harper has 93 runs, 33 home runs, 80 RBI, 13 stolen bases, and a 1.052 OPS. While it could be a little too late for the Phillies this year, it's by far the best year Harper is having in Philadelphia since signing the contract. Recently, he's smashing a .971 slugging percentage in his last 10 games, and he can break the slate with a single swing of his bat.
Adam Duvall - OF, ATL at Humberto Mejia ($4,100)
He hit's home runs, and he knows things. That's the recent story of Adam Duvall's 2021 campaign. The veteran outfielder is on a 15-game hit streak and has accumulated three doubles, a triple, and seven home runs during the streak. Not to mention the nine runs and 17 RBI that have come due to his power surge. Unfortunately, Duvall only has two multi-hit efforts in the 15 games, so it's been a bit home run or bust for the right-handed slugger. Fortunately, it's working out more often than not over the last two weeks, and I'm willing to go along for the ride at $4,100.
Austin Hays - OF, BAL at Ranger Suarez ($3,200)
Yes, I did recommend Ranger Suarez as an SP2 option, but it doesn't;t mean I have to throw out the entire Orioles offense. Hays has boosted his power in recent games and is making a late-season surge towards the 30 home run mark. In his last 10 games, the outfielder is slashing .282/.333/.744 with six runs, a double, a triple, five home runs, 11 RBI, and a stolen base. He has the 11th-highest wOBA (.416) among qualified outfielders in September and is an ideal source of cheap power to round out the DFS squad.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels (Jaime Barria, LHP)
- New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers (A.J. Alexy, RHP)
- Game stack: Toronto Blue Jays (Robbie Ray, LHP) at Tampa Bay Rays (Shane Baz, RHP)
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