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Happy Wednesday, Rotoballers! There are five days left of regular-season baseball, and still quite a bit to sort out before the madness of playoff baseball begins. Only three of the six divisions have crowned a champion, and there's going to be a lot on the line as we vault into the last weekend. Tonight's action starts with the first pitch in Baltimore between the Red Sox and Orioles at 7:05 pm Eastern and takes us through 13 games with two West Coast nightcaps between the Padres-Dodgers and Athletics-Mariners.
There are a lot of talented arms littered up and down the pitching slate. However, with some teams looking towards October, we may see shorter-than-usual outings from some of our favorite hurlers. Carlos Rodon is someone to fade as he works his way back from a slight bump in the road earlier this month and a date with the Houston Astros on tap for the Division Series. However, the White Sox will need him at his best if they want to stifle the Houston hitters and advance to the AL Championship Series. Meanwhile, the likes of Gerrit Cole, Max Scherzer, Aaron Nola, and Jose Berrios should be a full go as their teams need their best efforts of the year to get where they want to go.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/29/2021. The lineup will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also check out today's FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. It's also important to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, find me on Twitter and ask away.
DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Max Scherzer - P, LAD vs. SD ($10,400)
I'm giving the ball to Mad Max tonight as my SP1 recommendation. The Dodgers are still battling with the Giants to win the NL West crown and avoid the dreaded Wild Card game, so they will be throwing everything they can at this game against the Padres. Scherzer suffered a blip on his sterling Dodger-blue record last time out against the Rockies on the road. However, outside of that wild environment, the three-time Cy Young award winner had strung together six straight games with at least 25 fantasy points and averaged 34.8 fantasy points per game in the same stretch. While San Diego has given up on the season, the Dodgers are fighting for something, and I see Scherzer mowing the Padres down.
Nathan Eovaldi - P, BOS at BAL ($8,400)
The Red Sox find themselves in a similar, if not precisely the same, situation as the Dodgers, and they turn to their best pitcher of the season to come through again. All year, Nathan Eovaldi has been fantastic for the Red Sox, especially in the second half despite lousy luck. His 4.19 ERA doesn't look great on the surface, but the 3.16 FIP, 3.29 SIERA, and 29 percent strikeout rate tell us he's just been bit by the BABIP gods and some bad defense. Before a disastrous outing against the Yankees this weekend, Eovaldi averaged 23.3 FPPG in his previous eight starts. Now, he will see an Orioles outfit that wants to play spoiler (which they did successfully last night) despite a 26.2 percent strikeout rate versus righties this month.
Other options: Max Fried vs. PHI ($8,600), Alex Wood vs. ARI ($7,900), Drew Rasmussen at HOU ($5,500)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Daulton Varsho - C/OF, ARI at Alex Wood ($4,100)
The nice thing about rostering a player like Daulton Varsho is the myriad of ways he can accumulate fantasy points. For example, over his previous 10 games, the utility bat has seven runs, three doubles, a triple, a home run, six RBI, and a stolen base. You don't get that kind of flexibility from anyone else at the catcher position, and it makes Varsho such an enticing DFS option. At $4,100, I like his price despite the lefty-on-lefty matchup with Alex Wood. It should lower his roster percentage and open an edge to differentiate your lineup from some more popular cash-like options.
Ty France - 1B, SEA vs. Frankie Montas ($4,400)
The Mariners and Ty France have been a lot of fun to watch over the last month. In his previous 11 games, France has five multi-hit efforts with nine runs, three doubles, two home runs, and 10 RBI. The power was missing from his bat earlier in the season, but he's found it as we draw closer to the conclusion of the campaign. At $4,400, he's batting second for a Mariners team scoring 5.6 runs per game in their last 11 and still has a lot to play for over the final five days. Viva la France!
Jonathan India - 2B, CIN at Carlos Rodon ($5,300)
Second base is expensive tonight, with nine hitters priced above the $5,000. Therefore, I'll roll with Mr. India because, as I learned earlier this season, that when he is hot, he's Cincinnati Reds-hot. Sorry for the terrible pun, but like some MLB teams, I'm putting out some weird things down the stretch to see what sticks for 2022. However, unlike myself, the Reds infielder has put together a sparkling rookie season with a .271/.378/.463 slash line in 147 games with 96 runs, 33 doubles, 21 home runs, 69 RBI, and 12 stolen bases. Carlos Rodon is likely to get pulled early with the White Sox looking at the postseason, and I think the Reds can do some damage versus Rodon and the bullpen.
Eugenio Suarez - 3B, CIN at Carlos Rodon ($4,000)
The Reds had high hopes for Eugenio Suarez coming into 2021, but it did not pan out well as he has scuffled to a .700 OPS. However, the third baseman is trying to finish the year on a high note with an impressive couple of weeks. Since Sep. 13, Suarez owns a .390/.457/.780 slash line with seven runs, seven RBI, and four home runs. His .511 weighted on-base average leads all third basemen over the last two weeks, and he should continue his late-season onslaught in Chicago on Wednesday.
Brandon Crawford - SS, SF vs. Merrill Kelly ($5,100)
With the Giants suffering a couple of injuries down the stretch, Brandon Crawford moved up the batting order and is producing phenomenal results for Giants fans and DFS managers alike. Since Sep. 17, the shortstop has registered a hit in eight of 10 games, and four of those eight are of the multi-hit variety. He's also added eight runs, two doubles, three home runs, nine RBI, and a stolen base while averaging 11.5 FPPG. I don't see the Giants having a problem with Merrill Kelly or the Diamondbacks bullpen as they try to claim their first NL West crown since 2012.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Aaron Judge - OF, NYY at Jose Berrios ($5,500)
Aaron Judge dislocated his pinky finger in Sunday's game versus the Red Sox, but he seems to be doing just fine in the batter's box. Last night, the All-Star went 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBI, a home run, two walks, and 25 fantasy points. Over his last 10 games, Judge sports a 1.052 OPS along with 10 runs, three doubles, three homers, 10 RBI, and seven walks to nine strikeouts. The Yankees are doing everything they can to finish this AL Wild Card race as early as possible, and another big Judge performance should help them take another step towards the postseason.
LaMonte Wade Jr. - OF, SF vs. Merrill Kelly ($4,200)
I rather like the Giants to rough up Merrill Kelly tonight, and it's why I am pairing LaMonte Wade Jr. with the previously mentioned Brandon Crawford. I believe they will be a low-rostered 2-4 stack with the potential to score a lot of fantasy points. Unfortunately, wade is ice-cold at the plate right now on an 0-for-14 streak, and, depending on how you view things, that will keep his roster percentage even lower. However, his .828 OPS on the season is not a mistake, and a matchup with Merrill Kelly's 1.23 home run per nine-inning rate could be precisely what Wade needs to get himself back on track.
Gavin Lux - OF, LAD vs. Dinelson Lamet ($3,300)
Lux is providing lots of fantasy points after he rejoined the Dodgers for the season's final month. Since being recalled on Sep. 10, the former top prospect is slashing.383/.482/.532 with 10 runs, four extra-base hits, nine RBI, and a stolen base. Furthermore, in his last 10 games, Lux is averaging 9.6 FPPG and seems to be getting a ton of playing time for the major league side. While we would love to see him bat higher in the order, eighth isn't a bad spot to be in, considering Mookie Betts, Corey Seager, and Trea Turner are only the pitcher's spot away. As long as Lux keeps getting on base, he'll keep racking up fantasy points.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Cincinnati Reds at Chicago White Sox (Carlos Rodon, LHP)
- San Francisco Giants vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (Merrill Kelly, RHP)
- Contrarian game stack: New York Yankees (Gerrit Cole, RHP) at Toronto Blue Jays (Jose Berrios, RHP)
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