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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on September 8th, 2018. Troy Klauder's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Football? Who needs football when we've got a beautiful 11-game featured slate on DraftKings today. We've got a Coors Field game on this slate, as well as a thick middle tier of pitchers.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/9/18. 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
Andrew Heaney, LAA (@ CWS): $8,400
Heaney has a favorable matchup Sunday against the White Sox, who strike out 26.8% of the time against left-handed pitchers, most in the MLB by nearly 2%. They also have a .308 wOBA and .148 ISO versus southpaws this season. Heaney has been better than his 4.16 ERA this season. He has an above average 3.73 K/BB ratio and a 3.90 SIERA. Heaney is in a good spot as a tournament play or as an SP2 in cash games.
Vince Velasquez, PHI (@ NYM): $8,300
Velasquez too has a good matchup against the New York Mets. The Mets have a .310 wOBA and 21.6% strikeout rate on the year. Velasquez also gets a positive park shift from Citizens Bank Park to Citi Field. Like Andrew Heaney, Velasquez has been better than his 4.10 ERA. He has a 3.94 SIERA and 2.74 K/BB ratio on the season. This game has a 7 O/U and should be a low scoring affair on each side.
DraftKings DFS Infielders
Catcher
Nick Hundley SF (@ MIL): $3,200
We’re looking to punt catcher today, and Hundley provides a good option on this slate. He gets a nice park upgrade from AT & T Park to Miller Park and faces a weak pitcher in Zach Davies. Davies has a 4.84 FIP and 1.31 HR/9 on the season. Hundley has decent pop with a .173 ISO and nine homers in 245 PA this season.
First Base
Edwin Encarnacion, CLE (@ TOR): $4,200
Encarnacion faces a favorable matchup against Toronto southpaw Thomas Pannone. Pannone has a 4.66 SIERA and 1.02 HR/9 on the season. His low 7.1% HR/FB ratio and .259 BABIP suggest that Pannone has been fortunate to have just a 4.58 ERA. His 5.33 xFIP suggests bad things are coming for Pannone.
Encarnacion may be striking out more than ever, but he still has the power. On the season he has 29 homers and a .233 ISO. Pannone has a 52% flyball rate against, so Encarnacion should get a few balls in the air in this one.
Second Base
D.J. LeMahieu, COL (vs. LAD): $4,200
Rich Hill is a quality pitcher, but the Colorado Rockies feast on lefties at home. Plus, the negative effect of thin air on breaking balls has been noted several times. Hill may struggle more than the average pitcher in Coors because of his curveball-heavy approach. LeMahieu dominates lefties and has an .899 OPS and .219 ISO against left-handed pitching. As the Rockies’ number two hitter LeMahieu is a key piece to a Rockies stack.
Third Base
Nolan Arenado, COL (vs. LAD): $5,200
Arenado’s stats at home against lefties are legendary. At Coors Field versus left-handed pitchers Arenado has a 1.354 OPS, .463 ISO, and .413 AVG on the season. He’s been slumping a little bit lately, hitting .182 in September, but all that means is a nice discount on Arenado in this matchup. At home against a lefty is the perfect condition for Arenado.
Shortstop
Francisco Lindor, CLE (@ TOR): $5,300
Lindor has been a monster against left-handed pitching this season. He has a .360 AVG, 1.013 OPS, and .216 ISO on the season. He pairs nicely with Encarnacion since Lindor hits leadoff and Encarnacion hits cleanup. Trevor Story ($6,100) is a little too steep today, but Lindor is a great option as the second most expensive shortstop on this slate.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Matt Holliday, COL (vs. LAD): $3,900
Holliday is an amazing value on this slate. He has crushed the ball since returning to the majors, hitting .407 with a .259 ISO and two homers in 33 PA. He hits fifth for the Rockies against lefties and even at age 38 can still swing it against southpaws.
Brandon Guyer, CLE (@ TOR): $3,200
Guyer hits lefties and only lefties, and he does it well. On the year he has an .825 OPS and .225 ISO versus left-handed pitchers. He usually hits about fifth or sixth against lefties and is a good value after paying up for a few of the big Cleveland bats.
