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Mike Schwarzenbach highlights the top FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks for 9/1/21, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
The Wednesday night slate feels like a plate of potato skins and the pitching is bacon, chives, and cheese because this slate is LOADED with pitching. Maybe that was a bad example and I'm just hungry as I consume my breakfast of coffee and, another cup of coffee. At any rate, we've got pitching on top of pitching tonight with Max Scherzer, Gerrit Cole, Chris Sale, Carlos Rodon, and Aaron Nola all priced above the $10K threshold. Throw in Kevin Gausman, James Kaprielian, and Max Fried and there are more options than your local buffet. It's a good night to pay up for arms.
That means we'll need to find value bats to fit lineups under the salary cap. Luckily there are a few good spots to attack, assuming the weather cooperates, that is...
I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel main slate on 9/1/2021. Be sure to also check out all the MLB player news, including late scratches, and the projected and confirmed daily MLB lineups for each DFS slate. You can also check out today's DraftKings MLB DFS lineup picks, and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. Let's get to it!
FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Cash Game/GPP Anchor Play:
Carlos Rodon – CWS vs. PIT ($10,200)
On a night with this many pitching options, it's never a bad idea to grab the biggest favorite on the slate. Vegas has Rodon and the White Sox as -310 favorites versus a hapless Pirates team that has scored just nine runs over its last four games. The issue with attacking the Pirates in DFS is they don't strike out much despite being one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league. That is against normal pitchers. Rodon is anything but normal as he's rocking an elite 35.1% strikeout rate this season while posting a career-best 15.3% swinging-strike rate.
Rodon should have no issue carving up this lineup and making it through the sixth inning for the first time since July 18. Yes, he's been on a bit of a rough patch, but he's still been averaging well over a strikeout-per-inning and you can't ask for a better matchup for a "get right" game. His recent struggles and the bevy of other pitching options should keep Rodon's rostership lower than it would normally be versus the Bucs. He'll still be somewhat popular, but in cash games, Rodon is the easiest path to 30 FD points which is a great start for cash lineups.
Potential Alternate Play
Max Fried – ATL at LAD ($9,000)
Normally we'd reach for a low-priced pitcher in the GPP section, but tonight it'll take a big score from your pitcher to cash in GPP's and I don't see a path to success dipping below the Kaprielian/Fried line. That being said, we can still hunt for a low-rostered pitcher and Fried should fit the bill pitching at Dodger Stadium. Attacking the Dodgers with good pitchers has been a solid strategy this season as the pitcher is usually low-owned, but the right hurler can give these Dodgers fits.
The best example of this is Fried himself who allowed one earned run across six innings versus L.A. in a win back on June 6. According to my notes, he was 1.7% rostered that day. Fried is an elite ground ball pitcher as evidenced by his 49.6% ground ball rate which is the best recipe for neutralizing great lineups. He comes into this matchup in great form as he's gone at least six innings in six straight starts. I expect a pitcher's duel between Scherzer and Fried in Chavez Ravine tonight and I'll be rolling with the lower-priced arm in DFS, I promise it's not just because his name reminds me of mozzarella sticks.
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FanDuel DFS Infielders
Salvador Perez – C, KC vs CLE ($3,400)
The reigning AL Player of the Week took an 0-for-3 last night to snap his six-game homer streak, but that's no reason to start fading Salvy. Perez is the hottest hitter in the league right now as he posted a silly .649 slugging percentage in August. He's sporting a 1.067 OPS for the season versus left-handed pitching and gets to face southpaw Sam Hentges tonight. Hentges has thrown 57 innings this season and has a 7.31 ERA. He's not actually that bad though as his expected ERA is "only" 6.19. Hentges has been one of the most hittable pitchers in baseball. KC makes a nice stack tonight, especially with...
Whit Merrifield– 2B/OF, KC vs CLE ($4,000)
Another Royal facing Hentges. Like Perez, Merrifield crushes lefties to the tune of a .308 batting average and a .815 OPS. He's got eight hits in his last six games and is always a threat to score fantasy points on the basepaths.
Luis Urias – 3B/2B/SS, MIL at SF ($2,400)
Urias has sneakily been one of the more valuable players in fantasy recently. He's got triple eligibility and is low-priced so he makes a great piece to help fill out your lineup if facing a salary crunch. Urias has a hit in nine of his last 11 games with two homers in that span so he comes into this matchup in good form. Gausman is a tough matchup so a full Brewers stack isn't recommended, but Gausman isn't a pitcher to fully avoid as he's been struggling since the All-Star break.
Amed Rosario – SS/OF, CLE at KC ($3,200)
Rosario had a monster game on Tuesday going 5-for-5 with two homers. We can go right back to the Cleveland shortstop in this one versus rookie Jackson Kowar. Rosario crushes lefties to the tune of a .331 batting average with a .888 OPS. He'll bat second for an Indians lineup that should have success versus Kowar.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Randal Grichuk – OF, TOR vs BAL ($2,700)
We haven't talked about the Blue Jays yet, but it's implied for a slate-high 6.1 runs tonight versus notorious gas can Matt Harvey. As a result, the Jays will be popular, but it'll be hard to pay for Toronto bats and still roster an elite pitcher. Enter Grichuk, who has 21 homers this year thanks to a strong 42.6% fly-ball rate. He's not a contact hitter and could easily wind up 0-for-4, but he is also a multi-homer threat every time he's in the lineup. Grichuk is always a high-risk/high-reward play, but this is the matchup to take a shot on him.
Franmil Reyes – OF, CLE at KC ($3,200)
The Franimal is having another strong season in Cleavland with 24 homers and a .539 slugging percentage. Like with Grichuk, we're hunting for homers here. Reyes has a good matchup versus a rookie in Kowar and the Royals bullpen has been less than stellar since the trade deadline. Cleveland is a sneaky-good stack, especially if you can find the funds for Jose Ramirez.
Odubel Herrera – OF, PHI at WSH ($2,800)
Players have been dropping like flies in recent weeks in Philadelphia and Herrera is one of the last men standing for the Fightin' Phils. Herrera has been leading off for Philly and is riding a five-game hit streak which includes two homers and four runs scored. Looking back further, he batted .341 in August and has been one of the primary reasons the Phillies are hanging in the playoff picture.
FanDuel DFS Stack Options
- Toronto Blue Jays
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Cleveland/Kansas City game-stack
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