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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/4/20. Eric Samulski's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
After a weird 6 game slate on Thursday that locked at 4:05 pm EST, we get a 9 game slate of goodness tonight. Unfortunately, we miss out on the beauty that is Sixto Sanchez and a slew of doubleheaders robs us of the Twins, Yankees, and Blue Jays hitters. Still, there is a lot to like, especially if you like pitching.
Last night was Clayton Kershaw and Clayton all alone. However, today you can roll with Yu Darvish, Dylan Bundy, Jack Flaherty, a resurgent Carlos Carrasco, or even pair one with a low-cost option like Dane Dunning or Yusei Kikuchi against Texas. With so many pitching targets, there are a lot of ways you can build your roster tonight so make sure you also check out MLB DFS Quick Hits to get a full rundown of the player pool for those all-important value plays.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/4/2020. 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
Yu Darvish - P, CHC vs STL ($11,000)
Darvish is in a complicated DFS situation tonight. For one, to me, he's clearly the best pitcher on the slate. He comes into the start with a 1.47 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over seven starts. That low WHIP shows just how far he's come in terms of ironing out his command issues, and when he's not walking guys, his stuff is incredibly hard to hit, as evidenced by the .220 batting average against. However, the Cardinals don't really strikeout. Against RHP, St. Louis has a 21% K%, which is fifth-best in the league. Now, they also don't hit for a ton of power with the 23rd-best SLG (.400) and 25th-ranked ISO (.145) against righties. There's a good chance you see seven innings from Darvish with few runs allowed and six or seven strikeouts. That's likely a high 20s output on DraftKings, which is solid but makes me think twice given the price tag. Still, Darvish is the safest bet on the slate which is ideal for cash builds and you can pair him with an upside risk for GPPs.
Carlos Carrasco - P, CLE vs MIL ($10,200)
Carrasco may be my favorite GPP play today. I don't think people will rush to roster him after a three-game stretch where his command deserted him, leading to 10 earned runs allowed across 12 innings, with nine walks. However, the strikeouts were still there during that stretch - 16 in 12 innings - and he bounced back nicely in his last start with six shutout innings - allowing only two hits - against the aforementioned Cardinals. Now he gets to face the Brewers, who are second-worst in the league with a 27.3% K% against right-handed pitchers. They combine that with a third-worst OPS (.639) and fourth-worst ISO (.145). This could be a game where Carrasco racks up double-digit strikeouts, and I like having exposure to that in my tournament builds.
My SP2 Options: Dane Dunning (CWS at KC) $5,800, Yusei Kikuchi (SEA vs TEX) $5,700), Taylor Clarke (ARI at SF) $4,800
DraftKings DFS Infielders
Jose Trevino - C, TEX at Yusei Kikuchi ($2,700)
If you roll with one of the non-Kikuchi SP2s, then sliding Trevino into your lineup as a salary-saving catcher option makes sense. While I think Kikuchi will have a strong start against the Rangers, it's unlikely to be flawless, and Trevino is hitting .364 against lefties this year. With Robinson Chirinos out of town, Trevino will be the everyday catcher in Texas. He's hitting .291 on the season with an .806 OPS, and I think he can grab a few hits and push for double-digits at a bargain price.
Pete Alonso - 1B, NYM vs Jake Arrieta ($4,300)
I admit that I was not really a Pete Alonso Truther at the start of this season; however, nobody should ever doubt the dude's power. It's real and it's glorious. He's hit home runs in back-to-back games, and it almost makes you forget that he's hitting only .143 over his last 10 games. But you're rostering him for that one swing, and against Arrieta and his 6.49 ERA and minuscule 16.2% K%, I think you have a good chance of seeing another big fly. The Mets are one of my favorite stacks on the slate, and I think Alonso is a solid option to complete that.
Other Options: Rhys Hoskins (PHI at NYM) $4,600, Christian Walker (ARI at SF) $4,100, Ty France (SEA vs TEX) $4,100
Robinson Cano- 2B, NYM vs Jake Arrieta ($4,600)
We already talked about why I like the Mets stack for tonight, so let's just talk for a second about Cano. The veteran had surprisingly solid contact metrics last season in his injury-shortened 107 games, and there were a few people suggesting that he could be a solid middle of the order bat for the Mets still. I'm not sure anybody expected this. The 37-year-old is slashing .375/.408/.667 with 7 HR and a tremendous 10.7% K%. He has a career-high Hard% and is hitting a whopping .435 against right-handed pitching this year. My Mets stacks are likely starting with him.
Other Options: Garrett Hampson 2B/OF (COL at LAD) $4,000 Jeff McNeil 2B/OF (NYM vs PHI) $3,500,
Anthony Rendon - 3B, LAA vs Lance McCullers ($5,000)
I think there is an intriguing group of low-cost options at 3B today (see below), but if you're paying up, I like Rendon. People are still under the impression that McCullers is the same pitcher he was pre-injury, but the swing and miss stuff hasn't returned yet. He has a 10.9% SwStr% and a 20.3% K% en route to a 5.06 ERA. Anaheim is also playing like one of the best hitter's parks in the league after changing the fences, especially with the heat in southern California right now. The ball is flying, and I expect Rendon to take advantage of that. He's hitting .299 on the year with a solid .956 OPS, and I think he'll be in the middle of a few rallies today.
Other Options: Kyle Seager (SEA vs TEX) $4,600, J.D. Davis (NYM vs PHI) $4,000, Alec Bohm (PHI at NYM) $3,100
Corey Seager - SS vs Antonio Senzatela ($5,000)
When healthy, there was never a doubt that Seager was a talented hitter. It's been awesome to watch him swing this year, and he's been truly on fire of late. Over his last 10, he's hitting .390 with 3 HR, 6 RBI, 9 R, and a 1.127 OPS. Senzatela has been solid for the Rockies away from Coors, but he's not missing many bats with only a 15.9% K%. Allowing so much contact is not a good thing with Seager locked in, and the Dodgers lineup around him being so damn strong.
Other Options: Tim Anderson (CHW at KC) $5,500, Didi Gregorius (PHI at NYM) $4,400, Amed Rosario (NYM vs PHI) $3,000
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Bryce Harper - OF, PHI at Rick Porcello ($6,100)
This is why you roster those cheaper SP2s. I just can't pass up the chance to roster Harper against Porcello. Harper is hitting only .143 over his last 10 games, but this is a get-right game for the slugger. He's hitting .276 on the season with 7 HR and a strong .964 OPS. Porcello could be the gas can that lights Harper's fire. The right-hander has a 6.00 ERA with only a 18.5% K% and is allowing a 44% Hard%, which is the worst of his career. If/when Porcello gets knocked out of this game, the Mets bullpen has been a problem for them all year, which would give Harper a chance to add on to a big night.
Luis Robert - OF, CWS at Brady Singer ($4,900)
Let's ride the hot bat against a pitcher who has struggled with his transition to the Major Leagues. Robert is hitting .282 over the last 10 games, but he has 4 HR, 10 RBI, and a .967 OPS. The White Sox exploded last night, and I look for them to carry that momentum over tonight against the rookie Singer. The right-hander has a 5.19 ERA across his first seven starts with a 2.08 HR/9 and a 46.1% Hard%, which makes me think that we could see any massive Robert bomb tonight.
Michael Brantley - OF, HOU vs Dylan Bundy ($3,400)
Yes, Dylan Bundy is good, but I still don't understand how DraftKings keeps pricing Brantley like this. For starters, he's the clean-up or three-hole hitter on a strong offensive squad, even without Alex Bregman. He's also been a consistently productive hitter his entire career - when he's healthy, so his performance this year should come as no surprise. Over his last 10 games, he's hitting .324 with 2 HR, 12 RBI, and 8 Runs. He also has home runs in two of his last three games. Even against a pitcher like Bundy, if I'm going to pay down, I want to safe floor of a skilled bat like Brantley.
Other Options: Michael Conforto (NYM vs PHI) $4,800, Sam Haggerty 3B/OF (SEA vs TEX) $4,100, Franmil Reyes (CLE at MIL) $4,000, Alex Dickerson (SF vs ARI) $3,900, Jay Bruce (PHI at NYM) $2,700
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals (Brady Singer, RHP)
- Seattle Mariners vs Texas Rangers (Kyle Cody, RHP)
- Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets (Rick Porcello, RHP)
- New York Mets vs Philadelphia Phillies (Jake Arrieta, RHP)
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