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Welcome to another fun Wednesday slate! Whether you've been following along all season long or just getting back into DFS now that football is back we're glad to have you here.
It's looking like another high-scoring night in MLB as we're running out of season and the non-contenders really seem set on not contending, at least based on the caliber of starting pitcher some teams will roll out. There are plenty of offenses to target tonight, but they're relatively expensive so we'll need to decide if we want to pay up for Zack Wheeler or Chris Sale, or take a chance on a lower-priced arm and load up on the big bats.
I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel main slate on 9/22/2021. 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:
Zack Wheeler – PHI vs BAL ($10,700)
Wheeler is the most expensive hurler on the slate tonight which makes sense as he's far and away the favorite to post the highest score of the evening. Wheeler has enormous upside every time he takes the mound as he's got seven double-digit strikeout games this season to go with a sterling 2.83 ERA as he's firmly in the NL Cy Young conversation. His ERA is fully supported by an xFIP of 2.87 which is tied with Gerrit Cole for the second-best mark in the Majors (Corbin Burnes is first at 2.31).
Want strikeouts? Wheeler does that too as he's sporting an excellent 28.9% strikeout rate on the season. What's more impressive is Wheeler has maintained a strikeout rate near 30% all season long while leading baseball in innings pitched at 200 1/3. He comes into this game in great form having allowed just two runs over his last three starts, spanning 17 2/3 innings. Given the matchup with Baltimore, no pitcher has a higher floor/ceiling combo than Wheeler. The fact he's under $11K is actually a discount given how thin the rest of the pitching pool is tonight.
Potential Alternate Play
Joe Ryan – MIN at CHC ($7,700)
As we discussed in the intro, we'll need to make choices with our allotted salary cap. It is very difficult to pay up for Wheeler and also get the bats we want from offenses with high implied run totals. Believe me, I tried. Ergo, if we want to target the Giants, Red Sox, and Phillies lineups, we'll need to sacrifice on the mound and that's where Joe Ryan comes in.
Ryan's ceiling is certainly lower than higher-priced options, but the rookie has looked good through three MLB starts and offers a crazy discount compared to the mid-tier pitching options. In his first three starts, Ryan has allowed just four runs through 17 innings and he completed the fifth inning in all three outings. The Cubs aren't an overly daunting matchup and Chicago has the highest strikeout rate as a team over the last 14 days at over 28%. If Ryan can get through five or six innings with a handful of K's, that's all we need to justify playing him at this price point.
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FanDuel DFS Infielders
Brandon Belt – 1B, SFG at SDP ($3,900)
Belt has spent a lot of the season battling injuries, but when he's been healthy he's been one of the best hitters in the game according to his Statcast data. Belt is in the top seventh percentile in the league in wOBA and expected wOBA thanks to an elite 16.5% barrel rate. I'll take my chances with this hitter versus Vince Velasquez and his 5.01 ERA.
Enrique Hernandez – 2B/OF, BOS vs. NYM ($3,400)
Hernandes has five hits through his last three games and has scored exactly two runs in each game batting leadoff for a good Boston lineup. He homered last night and just missed another one as he launched a ball clear out of Fenway Park that was just foul. What's most encouraging is Hernandez has been hitting the ball in the air more lately as he's got a 48.7% fly-ball rate in September. Hernandez is locked in right now and a great floor/ceiling play in DFS.
Jean Segura – 2B/SS/3B, PHI vs. BAL ($3,400)
The Phillies offense has been scuffling lately but a matchup versus Keegan Akin should be just what the doctor ordered. Akin is a solid pitching prospect for Baltimore, but there's no dancing around how bad he's been this season. Akin has taken his lumps at the Big League level as he's sporting a 6.93 ERA through 90 innings pitched. He's allowing a 49% fly-ball rate in the second half so the Phillies offense is one we should target for homers. Segura has triple-eligibility and is batting .295 with four homers and nine steals. There are plenty of ways for Segura to return value in this matchup.
Brandon Crawford – SS, SFG at SEA ($2,300)
Targeting Velasquez is usually a solid strategy in DFS and Brandon Crawford has been on fire as he's slugging .649 over the last two weeks. There's not too much to analyze here, Crawford is hitting the ball hard all over the field and is facing a pitcher who allows a lot of fly balls and hard contact. Play him.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Bryce Harper – OF, PHI vs. BAL ($4,400)
Bryce Harper has been the best hitter on the planet over the last month or so and I'm not fading him because he's facing a lefty. First of all, we already detailed how bad Akin has been this year. Beyond that, it's almost funny how well Harper is hitting the ball. Over the last 14 days, he's got a .589 wOBA. The second-best mark in that span? Belt who is at "only" .528. In that same span, Harper is slugging a whopping .952, also the best in baseball. Let others fade the L/L matchup, play Harper versus one of the worst pitchers in baseball.
Adam Duvall – OF, ATL at ARI ($3,600)
Duvall has quietly had a phenomenal season as his 107 RBI rank fourth in the Majors. He's slugging .503 this season and has a solid matchup versus Merrill Kelly of the Diamondbacks. Kelly has shown reverse splits this season as right-handed batters are slugging .500 versus Kelly compared to .358 for lefties. Fire up Duvall batting in the middle of a good Braves lineup.
Jose Siri – OF, HOU at LAA ($2,700)
We need to save money somewhere and Siri offers tremendous upside in the sub-$3K price range. He's got four homers through 11 games and is facing rookie callup Janson Junk tonight. Siri is good value if stacking Astros, or as a one-off who has a chance to homer.
FanDuel DFS Stack Options
- San Fransisco Giants
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Boston Red Sox
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