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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/12/20. Kyle Ringstad's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
We have an eight-game slate tonight on DraftKings after the SF/SD series was postponed due to a positive COVID-19 case in the Giants organization. Gallen is the top arm on the slate and gets a good matchup against the Mariners, but we'll need to find a few cheap SP2 options if we're going to get to the Angels and Rockies in Coors Field.
I'll be going through some of the best plays at each position on DraftKings with a GPP/tournament lineup build in mind. That's not to say that these players won't work in cash-game lineups, but we're looking to provide high-upside plays for the most part (it's more fun that way, anyway). As a reminder, it is best practice to stack 3-5 hitters from the same team for DFS purposes, so try to envision how the games will play out and build your lineups from there. Utilizing unique lineup combinations (i.e the nine, one, two, and three hitters) is another great way to differentiate.
In this article, I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the DraftKings main slate on 9/12/2020. 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. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me on Twitter @kringstad19
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Zac Gallen - SP, ARI vs SEA ($9,400)
Gallen is worth the price of admission as the only pitcher you're going to want to pay all the way up for on tonight's slate. He has been mostly lights-out since coming over from the Marlins late last season and he has a 2.29 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 3.42 FIP, 3.61 xFIP, and a slate-leading 27.9% K% in 2020. He's second on the slate with a .189 batting average against and he gives up with the least hard contact among today's pitchers at 33.1%. The Mariners rank 26th in wOBA, 22nd in wRC+, and 24th in ISO. They're just 16th in strikeout rate at 23.4%, but Gallen can be trusted at SP1 with the Mariners holding a very-low 3.6 run total.
Dakota Hudson - SP, STL vs ARI ($8,300)
Hudson has great season-long numbers and gets to face an opponent he has dominated in two starts already this year in the Reds. He went seven innings and allowed one earned run with seven strikeouts on 8/31, and he went 4 and 2/3 innings and allowed just one hit with six strikeouts on 8/21. On the season, Hudson has a 3.19 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 3.89 xFIP, and a decent 22.2% K%. He's a groundball-heavy pitcher as he comes in at third on the slate at 58.3% GB%. The Reds currently rank 23rd in wOBA, 25th in wRC+, and have the eighth-highest strikeout rate in the league at 24.2%. They're projected for just 3.8 runs on the road. Fire up Hudson as a potentially-contrarian SP2 option.
Other options: Tejay Antone (CIN vs STL) $6,900, Kyle Hendricks (CHC vs MIL) $8,700, Justus Sheffield (SEA vs ARI) $7,700
DraftKings DFS Infielders
Yoan Moncada - 3B, CHW vs DET ($5,200)
Fulmer hasn't made it past the third inning in any start this season and has only really been successful in one outing this season (9/1 vs Milwaukee). The White Sox are projected to score the most non-Coors runs this evening, and Moncada figures to be a prominent piece of the offense once again. Moncada will have the platoon-advantage as a switch-hitter and he'll hit on his strong side against Fulmer (.110 higher OPS against RHP since 2018).
Adalberto Mondesi - SS, KC vs PIT ($2,700)
Mondesi has a 10-game hitting streak coming into tonight's game and has posted consecutive games of 27 and 32 DK points. He has three homers in his last five games, which isn't something we can coun on with him, but he's getting on base and his stolen base attempts have increased drastically as a result. He is 7-for-8 in stolen base opportunities in his last eight games. We have to like his chances to continue that success tonight against Trevor Williams, who holds a 5.80 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, and 6.29 tERA. He's also allowing 2.2 HR/9 and a .284 batting average against.
Anthony Rendon - 3B, LAA vs COL ($5,400)
Rendon is (quietly) having a great season at the plate, slashing .296/.435/.528 with eight homers, 25 RBI, and 23 runs scored on the season. He holds a .232 ISO, .419 wOBA, and is very patient at the plate with a 17.5% BB% (top 2% in the MLB). He's also in good form, posting at least 14 DK points in three of his last six games and a .333/.462/.667 slash line in the last seven days. The Angels are projecting to put up a bunch of runs tonight as they're facing Kyle Freeland in the top park for offensive production, Coors Field.
Other options: Jose Abreu (CHW vs DET) $5,300, Ryan McMahon (COL vs LAA) $3,700, Miguel Cabrera (DET vs CHW) $3,200
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Eloy Jimenez - OF, CHW vs DET ($5,200)
As mentioned above, you're going to want some White Sox hitters against Michael Fulmer tonight. Jimenez is having a great season at the plate, slashing .285/.320/.564 with 12 homers, 33 RBI, and 22 runs scored on the year. He's also hitting for a .279 ISO, .371 wOBA, 17.7% barrel %, 92.8 MPH average exit velocity, and a 46.3% hard-hit rate (top 1% in the MLB). He's a reverse-splits hitter as he holds a .865 OPS against RHP since 2018 (compared to .785 against LHP since 2018).
Jo Adell - OF, LAA vs COL ($2,700)
The 21-year-old (21 years old?!?!) hot-shot prospect has been awful this season as he is having a tough time adjusting the big-league pitching. However, his performance has pushed him down to the ultra-bargain-bin territory, and he's a player to consider with the game environment and 5.8-run projected total for the Angels tonight. He doesn't need to do much to provide value here - getting on base and scoring a run will get the job done. The Angels are facing Kyle Freeland, who has mixed in some decent starts in with some really, really bad performances. He has a 3.60 ERA but a weak 5.95 tERA, and he's certainly not the most homer-averse pitcher in the world (1.1 HR/9 and 17.1% HR/FB)
Charlie Blackmon - OF, COL vs LAA ($5,600)
Blackmon had a monster performance last night as he sent everybody home with a walk-off grand slam to win the game. The veteran is slashing an insane .331/.383/.506 with six homers, 35 RBI, and 27 runs scored in a very Coors-like line, and obviously he has been even better at home (.353/.287/.529). They're at home again, and Angels pitcher Jaime Barria is absolutely a pitcher to target offenses against. He holds a 3.86 ERA, but his 4.53 FIP, 4.88 xFIP, 5.41 SIERA, and 5.64 tERA (seventh-worst on the slate) indicate that he's pitching above his head. He also holds slate-worst ranks with a 20.8% GB% and a 58.3% FB%, which are very key metrics to attack when deciding if the Colorado bats are worth the pay-up. Spoiler alert = they are.
Other options: Cody Bellinger (LAD vs HOU) $5,800, Hunter Dozier (KC vs PIT) $3,700, Matt Kemp (COL vs LAA) $3,500, Mike Trout (LAA vs COL) $6,000
DraftKings DFS Stacks
The top stacks to target tonight are the Rockies, Angels, and White Sox. Sneaky stacks include the Tigers (against Reynaldo Lopez) and the Royals (against Trevor Williams).
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Good luck in your DraftKings contests and make sure to give me a follow on Twitter!
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