RADIO
The Cubs have returned to their regular schedule of playing in the afternoon on Fridays, so we're back to a 14 game Main slate - but it's an attractive one! We've got a number of household names on the bump and a lot of important baseball to be played still (tight division races!), so tonight should be interesting.
I'll jump into my picks in a second, but first, Vegas lines! We've got a handful of absolutely enormous moneyline favorites to take into consideration when building lineups, starting with the Yankees (-320), Dodgers (-272), Astros (-225), and Cardinals (-165). As for implied run totals, the Yankees are up top there as well at 5.9, followed by the Mariners (5.6), Rangers (5.0) and the Astros at 4.9.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 9/21/18. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS lineup picks for DraftKings and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me up on Twitter @kpLuch.
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FanDuel DFS Pitcher
Gerrit Cole - SP, vs LAA ($10,800)
A lot of top tier options to sort through tonight and consider, but Cole gets the call for me as my number one. He's facing a team he's been dominant against this season and he's peformed above salary based expectations in four straight starts. He has one of - if not the - highest point floors among the talent group tonight and has the type of matchup where he should limit run scoring and has a bright strikeout outlook. This Angels squad only has an implied run total of 3.2 and their projected lineup not only has a 25% strikeout rate split, but a lowly .292 wOBA as well. Those are big reasons why the Astros are one of the biggest favorites on Friday with a -225 moneyline. Cole and his fantastic 12.3 K/9 can be used in all formats tonight.
Luis Castillo - SP, at MIA ($8,500)
Castillo has had a handful of dominant performances this month looking at things through a tounrament lense - he's struck out 11, 9 and 7 in three of his last four starts. Home runs (1.5 HR/9) certainly are still an issue for him, but the elite strikeout upside is there and he has a matchup to exploit tonight in Miami. This park should help him keep the ball in the yard, and facing a Miami team without much pop certainly helps as well - their current implied run total is just 3.5. He has a 8.9 K/9 on the season and faces a team with the sixth highest strikeout rate in the majors over the past month, one whose projected lineup has a 25% K rate against righties paired with a .288 wOBA. Castillo is a strong tournament option for me this evening.
Also Consider: Rich Hill - SP, vs SDP ($9,200)
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Mike Zunino - C, at TEX ($2,000)
We can get some Mariners bats in our cash game lineups tonight at incredibly low prices - which is made extra appealing by their park upgrade and 5.6 implied run total. Zunino's wOBA split is nothing to write home about (.303), but he does possess big power against righties, highlighted by a .238 ISO split this season.
Dan Vogelbach - 1B, at TEX ($2,200)
Vogelbach is pretty hot right now, blasting two home runs in his last four games and posting a 57% hard hit rate over the past week. The big lefty is in a good spot tonight against the righty Connor Sadzeck, who's making a spot start for the Rangers and doesn't really have MLB quality stuff. Vogelbach owns a strong .377 wOBA split and a .219 ISO.
Rougned Odor - 2B, vs SEA ($3,600)
The upside is high tonight for Odor and his left-handed hitting teammates in Arlington. Opposing start Erasmo Ramirez has been rattled by lefties this year, allowing a 43% hard contact rate, a .399 wOBA and a .642 slugging percentage. Odor brings a .200 ISO split to the dish and has an average exit velocity of 93 miles per hour these past two weeks.
Todd Frazier - 3B, at WAS ($2,700)
You won't hear me complaining that FanDuel gave us so many nice, low-priced cash game options on a day where we basically need to spend up on one of the elite pitching options. Frazier has been particularly strong in righty-righty matchups in 2018, posting .201 ISO split that is 96 points higher than his mark against lefties.
Didi Gregorius - SS, vs BAL ($3,900)
Didi gets a platoon advantage matchup in a great hitter's park and gives us exposure to the top projected offense for just under 4k - not a bad deal! Gregorius has a 42% hard hit rate over the past two weeks and a desirable .234 ISO split.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Shin-Soo Choo - OF, vs SEA ($3,700)
Choo has been tearing the cover off the ball in the past 10 days (66% hard hit rate, average exit velocity of 98 miles per hour) and draws a matchup to target tonight in Arlington. He has a high floor created by his strong .383 wOBA split and good power upside too, highlighted by his .215 ISO split in 2018.
Chris Taylor - OF, vs SDP ($3,000)
Taylor is a really nice value tonight, especially for a hitter who draws the platoon advantage and should be hitting out of the leadoff spot tonight for a team with a top-5 implied run total (4.8). He's posted a strong .203 ISO split against southpaws this season.
