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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/11/20. Eric Samulski's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
We head into Friday night with a 10 game slate on tap starting at the unusual time of 8:05. A slate with a few top-end arms and a lot of places to attack with bats. There is some spotty weather that could factor in, so keep an eye on weather reports during the day before you lock in your lineup. Make sure to listen to MLB DFS Quick Hits to get a full rundown of the player pool and how to attack the slate.
When looking at the slate, be cautious about the presence of Gerrit Cole. Although he appears on the slate, the Yankees and Orioles game will NOT BE COUNTED. Don't just blindly click on Cole, especially with Shane Bieber, Lucas Giolito, and Kenta Maeda also available. The Coors bats and White Sox bats will likely be expensive and popular, while the Mariners and Athletics are a couple of the affordable targets tonight.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/11/2020. 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.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Lucas Giolito - P, CWS vs DET ($10,500)
It might be hard to pass on Bieber, but I'm not going to pay 11K to attack the Minnesota Twins offense. Instead, I'll take Giolito, who has also been near-dominant this season against a much weaker offense. Yes, the Tigers have shown flashes of fight on offense, but they also have the highest K% in the league against right-handed pitching at 28.3%. They also have the third-worst OBP (.270), fifth-worst wOBA (.300), and seventh-worst batting average (.233). This is an offense you can attack, especially with a strikeout pitcher like Giolito, who has a ridiculous 34.9 K% this season and is allowing only a 1.85 batting average against. Fire him up as your top arm on the slate.
Yusei Kikuchi - P, SEA at ARI ($6,200)
When looking for an SP2 tonight, I'm really interested in Kikuchi and it mainly has to do with the matchup. On the season, the Diamondbacks have the league's worst wOBA, RC+, ISO, and OP against left-handed pitching. They've also traded away Starling Marte and saw Ketel Marte go on the disabled list. Even though they are middle of the pack in K%, this is an offense you can target, even with imperfect pitchers like Kikuchi. The second-year import pitcher has allowed four earned runs on nine hits over his last 11 innings while striking out 13 and scoring 17.1 and 28.3 DraftKings points. I think that's the range of outcomes you can expect from him tonight, but getting 20 points from your SP2 at this price is nothing to be upset about.
Other Options: Kenta Maeda vs CLE ($10,200), Luis Castillo at STL ($9,600), Garrett Richards vs SF ($7,500)
DraftKings DFS Infielders
Jacob Stallings - C, PIT at Kris Bubic ($3,000)
The catcher position is a little bit of a mess tonight, so I'm looking to save salary here so that I can pay up for one of the aces on the slate without sacrificing top bats. Stallings has hit .364 this year against left-handed pitching with a .955 OPS and .427 wOBA. Bubic may have a bright future ahead of him, but he's not missing many bats, so I'll take my chances that the Pirates and Stallings can get to him for a few runs.
Other Options: Luis Torrens (SEA at ARI) $2,900, Tony Wolters (COL vs LAA) $2,700, Jacob Nottingham (MIL vs CHC) $2,600
Mitch Moreland - 1B, SD vs Johnny Cueto ($4,000)
Moreland has cooled off a little of late, but he's still hitting .301 with 9 HR, a .398 ISO, and .443 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season. Cueto was beginning to get hit around a little before facing Arizona in back-to-back starts, so I'm not too worried about his numbers. He still gives up a lot of contact and doesn't miss a ton of bats. I expect the Padres offense to put a few crooked numbers on the board, and I like Moreland to be at the center of that.
Other Options: Matt Olson (OAK at TEX) $5,000, Brandon Belt (SF at SD) $3,300, Christian Walker (ARI vs SEA) $3,700
Keston Hiura - 2B, MIL vs Jon Lester ($5,300)
Yes, Hiura's price tag is a little high for somebody only hitting .229 on the season, but he has four home runs over his last 10 games, so I'm banking on the power here against Lester, who is giving up 2.01 HR/9. All of Lester's home runs this year have come against right-handed batters, and Milwaukee is a home run-friendly stadium, so I think the forces can align here against the veteran left-hander who has given up 10 earned runs on 14 hits over his last 8.2 innings - against St. Louis and Pittsburgh, who are not offenses that strike fear into my heart.
(NOTE: I also love Dylan Moore (2B/OF SEA) at Caleb Smith ($3,600) if you need/want to pay down. This is Smith's first start since battling COVID, and he'll be pitching in an Arizona stadium that is incredibly offensive friendly now that the roof is open. Moore has a .258 ISO, .516 SLG, and .343 wOBA against left-handers this year, and I think a mini-stack for the Mariners is absolutely in play here against a bad Diamondbacks bullpen as well.)
Other Options: Ryan McMahon (COL vs LAA) $3,900, Ty France (SEA at ARI) $3,800
Nolan Arenado - 3B, COL vs Griffin Canning ($5,600)
I know it's a chalky pick, but I'm not going to not put Arenado here. He heads home to face a mediocre pitcher in Griffin Canning, and you should want exposure. Despite being a trendy breakout pick pre-injury, Canning has returned lacking the swing-and-miss stuff many expected. He only has a 20.2 K% and a 9.8 SwStr%. He's giving up 11% barrels and only 11% soft contact, which means batters are squaring the ball up against him often. Arenado hits .324 at home with a .309 ISO, so I'm into this matchup.
Other Options: Manny Machado (SD vs SF) $5,700, Anthony Rendon (LAA at COL) $4,400, Maikel Franco (KC vs PIT) $3,500
Tim Anderson - SS, COL vs Casey Mize ($5,700)
You're likely going to want to pay up at shortstop tonight. There are some cheaper options I'll list below, but with Anderson, Fernando Tatis Jr., Trevor Story, and Francisco Lindor all swinging a hot bat or having good match-ups, it's hard to avoid them. I'll focus on Anderson here to give the White Sox some love. He's been hitting .324 over the last 10 days with 9 runs while hitting at the top of a strong offense. The power hasn't quite been there recently, but he might be able to get it back against Mize, who has had a rough transition to the big leagues. The rookie has a 6.75 ERA, a 12.5% barrel rate, and has yet to get out of the fifth inning in any start. He has the stuff to miss bats, but I like the chances of the White Sox putting up a fair few runs tonight, so getting their leadoff hitter isn't a bad idea.
Other Options: Fernando Tatis Jr. (SD vs SF) $6,000, Trevor Story (COL vs LAA) $5,800, Erik Gonzalez (PIT at KC) $3,300
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Edward Olivares - OF, KC vs Steven Brault ($2,600)
The Royals are actually a sneaky stack tonight against a mediocre left-handed pitcher and bullpen. Since coming over to the team, Olivares has been inserted into the starting lineup and mashing. He's hitting .351 with 2 HR, 6 RBI, and a .946 OPS over the last ten games. Brault isn't allowing a lot of home runs, and Kauffman Stadium will suppress power, but he has only a 7.7 SwStr% and is allowing an 80.3 Contact%. The Royals have been an underrated offense all season, and I think they could provide a cheap stack or mini-stack on tonight's slate.
Mike Trout- OF, LAA at German Marquez ($6,000)
I mean, you're putting the best player in the league in Coors Field, so he has to be on your radar. Trout is hitting .343 with 4 HR, 7 RBI, 11 runs, and a 1.260 OPS over his last 10 games. Marquez was the arm who had "figured out Coors," but he's currently pitching to a 7.03 ERA, .327 average, .363 wOBA, and 50% hard contact. Don't let the Marquez narrative fool you and feel free to stack your Angels.
Shogo Akiyama - OF, CIN at Adam Wainwright ($2,100)
If you want to pay up for the Coors bats or White Sox bats, you're going to need to find value. Akiyama hasn't impressed in his MLB debut, but he is hitting at the top of the Reds lineup that has some punch. He's hitting .318 over the last 10 games with a .483 OBP that has helped him swipe 4 bases. Wainwright is pitching above his head right now, but he's not missing bats (19.6 K%), and his 4.50 xFIP and 4.55 SIERA suggest that regression is coming. I'll slot Akiyama into my lineups so that I can get a solid floor and pay up for the bigger bats.
Other Options: Charlie Blackmon (COL vs LAA) $5,800, Wil Myers (SD vs SF) $4,300, Alex Dickerson (SF at SD) $4,100
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Colorado Rockies vs Los Angeles Angels (Griffin Canning, RHP)
- Los Angeles Angels at Colorado Rockies (German Marquez, RHP)
- Seattle Mariners at Arizona Diamondbacks (Caleb Smith, LHP)
- Kansas City Royals vs Pittsburgh Pirates (Steven Brault, LHP)
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