DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (914//21): MLB DFS Lineups

The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/14/21. Brian Entrekin's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.

We have a 12-game main slate on tap tonight, and it's a good one. We have the return of Gerrit Cole and Lucas Giolito. We also have other solid arms like Frankie Montas and some sneaky arms like Jesus Luzardo and Jackson Kowar. When it comes to bats, there will be plenty. The Yankees get a great matchup in Baltimore, while the Astros, Dodgers, Giants, and others are in great spots. A lot of great ways to build lineups tonight on tonight's 12-game slate.

The slate starts with which pitchers to build around. Do you pay up and go with Cole, Montas, Giolito, and other pitchers in the $9K range? Or do you mix and match or straight punt with the pitchers in the $7K and below range. Both methods have some exciting ideas behind them. But, in the end, it will depend on what value you can find in bats. There are definitely some with the Rangers, Royals, and DBacks and some nice discounts with the Giants, White Sox, and Cubs. Lineup construction will be fun, so listen to MLB DFS Quick Hits for a full slate rundown.

This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/14/2021. 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, contact me on Twitter @bdentrek.

DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers

Frankie Montas - P, OAK at KC ($10,000)

Montas has been outstanding this season and especially over the last few months. Going back to June 26, his last 13 starts, he has pitched at least five innings in each start while allowing three earned runs or less in each start. He has pitched 81 innings and has struck out 94 batters while allowing only five home runs. His 2.33 ERA and 3.30 xFIP is outstanding, not to mention his 21.8% K-BB% and 15.8% SwStr rate. Montas has been absolutely locked in and faces a sneaky Royals team tonight. Over the last month, the Royals are striking out 21% of the time versus RHP with a .249 average and an 86 wRC+. Montas is in line for another great start tonight and makes for a great pivot off a popular Cole.

Jesus Luzardo - P, MIA at WAS ($6,300)

Everyone knows it has been a rough season for Luzardo, especially after all the high hopes many had. However, things may change for the good, and tonight could be the night to take the discount and see if it is real. Over Luzardo's last three starts, he has pitched at least 5.2 innings while allowing three earned runs or less in each start. He also managed to strike out eight in two of his three starts, resulting in two starts with at least 20 DK points. He is still walking 10% over the three games, which is not ideal, but his SwStr% is up to 16.4%, which will work. He faces a Nationals team hitting well versus LHP of late, too, so we shall see with Luzardo. He makes for a great tournament play as his ceiling may be higher than many in the punt price range. I will definitely be rolling out some Luzardo with one of the studs to get some savings for all the bats.

Other Options: Gerrit Cole (NYY at BAL) $10,700, Nate Eovaldi (BOS at SEA) $9,600, Marcus Stroman (NYM vs. STL) $9,300, Erick Fedde (WAS vs. MIA) $6,900, Jackson Kowar (KC vs. OAK) $5,000

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DraftKings DFS Infielders

Yasmani Grandal - C, CWS vs. Packy Naughton ($5,100)

Grandal returned from the IL 13 games ago and has been an offensive machine. He is hitting .452 over the 13 games with six home runs and an insane 19.6% walk rate. His .500 ISO, .571 OBP, and 1.524 OPS are just nuts. He is barreling the ball 22% of the time with a 64% hard-hit rate. Not sure what else you need to know Grandal is locked in, but he is, and it's amazing. He faces the lefty Naughton tonight, and that bodes well as Grandal is hitting .308 this season versus LHP with a 1.179 OPS. Grandal is expensive but worth every penny, and he is easy to stack with his teammates as Luis Robert, Jose Abreu, and Eloy Jimenez are all way too cheap tonight.

Brandon Belt - 1B, SF vs. Jake Arrieta ($4,400)

Those who follow me on Twitter have seen many BELTED tweets of late as Belt is absolutely locked in. He has hit safely in 11 of his last 13 games for a .327 average. He also brings a six-game hitting streak into tonight's game, where he has homered in three straight games. Over the past 13 games, Belt has a 13.1% walk rate, .365 ISO, and 1.119 OPS. The power makes sense as he is barreling the ball 13.2% of the time with a 50% hard-hit rate. He will face Arrieta tonight, who has been quite the batting practice pitcher this season. In his two appearances with the Padres, he has allowed eight runs over 8.1 innings with two home runs. On the season, LHH are hitting .321 with a .551 SLG and 2.1 HR/9 versus Arrieta. The Giants are my top stack tonight, and Belt leads the way.

Javier Baez - 2B, NYM vs. Jake Woodford ($4,700)

A locked-in Javy Baez is a fun thing, and we are witnessing that right now. He has hit safely in seven of his last nine games, good for a .471 average. He has three home runs and four stolen bases over this stretch as well. Baez is only striking out 20.5% of the time, which will shock many, and that is huge as he is barreling the ball 19.2% of the time with a 46.2% hard-hit rate. Baez is locked in yet continues to be overlooked on DK slates. Sure Ozzie Albies, Marcus Semien, and Jose Altuve are usually great plays, but save a couple of bucks and play some Baez. Also, feel free to stack some Mets like Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso with Baez tonight.

Corey Seager- SS, LAD vs. Luke Weaver ($4,200)

The shortstop position is loaded, as usual, so seeing Seager at only $4200 screams value. He has hit safely in eight of his last 11 games, good for a .371 average. He has four extra-base hits to go with a 14.3% walk rate and 9.5% strikeout rate. Seager is hitting in the middle of the Dodgers lineups, which always gives a player a nice fantasy boost. His .229 ISO and 1.052 OPS all scream towards fantasy goodness at a discount. Seager is the perfect example that not all value is just "cheap" plays and plays that are "too cheap" for his production level. Seager makes for a great discount in cash games and tournaments as a one-off or a part of a Dodgers stack.

Evan Longoria - 3B, SF vs. Jake Arrieta  ($3,900)

LONGO DONGO!!!!! Longoria continues to rake when he is on the field. That has been the problem this year, staying on the field, but he is playing well for now. He has hit safely in six of his last nine games with two home runs. He is hitting .333 with a .333 ISO and a 1.121 OPS. He is hitting everything well right now and faces Arrieta tonight, allowing RHH to hit .306 with a .556 SLG and 2.3 HR/9. The Giants are my top stack, so pair up some Belt, Longo, Tommy La Stella, LaMonte Wade Jr., Mike Yastrzemski, and many more against Arrieta tonight.

DraftKings DFS Outfielders

Yordan Alvarez - OF, HOU vs. Jordan Lyles ($5,100)

Alvarez is not just a player, but he crushes a lot too. He comes into tonight's action hitting safely in four of his last five games with a double-dong last night. He is hitting .375 over the five-game stretch with an insane 4.3% strikeout rate and even crazier 30.4% walk rate. Alvarez is super locked in at the plate and gets a nice matchup versus Lyles tonight. Lyles has pitched better of late but on the season is allowing LHH to hit .260 with a .480 SLG and nearly 2 HR/9. The Astros bats are insanely locked in right now and should be a nice stack tonight. Enjoy some Alvarez with Kyle Tucker, Altuve, a way too cheap Alex Bregman, and others.

Ian Happ- OF, CHC at Kyle Gibson  ($3,800)

The Cubs have been a nice source of value of late, and Happ has been a major part of that value. He comes into tonight's game swinging it well, hitting safely in 11 of his last 12 games. Happ is hitting .392 over that stretch with nine extra-base hits, six of which are home runs. He is still striking out 25.5% of the time, which is surprisingly down for Happ but could still be better. He will take on Gibson tonight, scuffling of late, allowing 11 runs in his last two starts. Happ and teammates Frank Schwindel and Rafael Ortega are pieces of Cubs' value I use regularly and are in play again tonight.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. - OF, TOR vs. Drew Rasmussen  ($3,600)

Gurriel may be one of the hottest hitters in baseball that no one is talking about. He has hit safely in 15 of his last 17 games, good for a .407 average. He has nine extra-base hits over that stretch, including five home runs. His 12.5% strikeout rate is solid, but his 16.7% walk rate is even better. Gurriel has a .373 ISO to go with a 1.280 OPS over this stretch which is just wild. You would expect his quality of contact to be good with this success, and it is as he is barreling the ball nearly 14% of the time with a 63% hard-hit rate. Gurriel is locked in and is far too cheap every night. When stacking the pricey Jays, do not ever forget Gurriel.

DraftKings DFS Stacks

• San Francisco Giants (Jake Arrieta, RHP)
• New York Yankees (Alexander Wells, LHP)
• Toronto Blue Jays (Drew Rasmussen, RHP)
• Houston Astros (Jordan Lyles, RHP)
• Sneaky Stack- Chicago White Sox (Packy Naughton, LHP)