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DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (9/5/18): MLB DFS Lineups

The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on September 5th, 2018. Justin Bales' MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.

There are a few early games today, but the majority of the games take place after 7 PM. Overall, there are 12 games for the main slate, which is what we will be attacking here.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/5/18. 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 hit me up on Twitter @BalesSJustin.

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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers

Hyun-Jin Ryu - P, vs NYM ($9,200)

Ryu has been throwing at an elite level over his last nine starts, posting a 4-1 record with a 1.85 ERA over that span. He's also averaging nearly 20 fantasy points per game, while scoring less than 10 fantasy points in two of the contests. Ryu also gets a great matchup against the New York Mets, and he's a -183 favorite in a game set at 7.5 runs.

Nick Pivetta - P, at MIA ($8,200)

Pivetta is a player that can always be considered in plus matchups because of his strikeout potential. Through 27 starts, he owns a 7-10 record with a 4.66 ERA. He has also posted a 10.7 K/9 through 141 innings. He gets an elite matchup against the Miami Marlins in a pitcher friendly stadium tonight, as well. Pivetta is currently a -156 favorite in a game set at only 7.5 runs.

 

DraftKings DFS Infielders

Justin Smoak - 1B, vs TB ($4,200)

Smoak has been struggling with consistency recently, but four of his last five hits have been home runs. He has also scored 15+ fantasy points in four of his last six games. He gets a tough matchup against Tyler Glasnow, but Smoak owns 0.058 wOBA and 0.103 ISO differentials against right-handed pitching. He's a player that is best suited for tournaments at this point.

Adam Frazier - 2B, vs CIN ($4,700)

Frazier has been playing at a high level over his last 10 games. Over that span, he's hitting .389 with six extra-base hits (three home runs), 10 RBIs, and one steal. He's also hitting over .300 with a slugging percentage north of .500 in Pittsburgh this season. Frazier gets one of the best matchups on the slate against Homer Bailey, making him an elite play tonight.

Kyle Seager - 3B, vs BAL ($3,400)

Seager has been struggling recently, but that has caused his price tag to drop. He still comes with plenty of upside, as he possesses 45% hard-hit and fly ball rates with a 96 mph exit velocity over the last 15 days. He also gets a great matchup against Andrew Cashner, who has struggled on the road this season. Even with his struggles, Seager has found ways to contribute fantasy points, though.

Trevor Story - SS, vs SF ($5,800)

It's tough to pay this much for Story, but any time he is facing off against a left-handed pitching in Colorado, he needs to be considered. Story is hitting .309 with a .654 slugging percentage and a 1.022 OPS in Coors this season. He also owns a .660 slugging percentage and a .333 ISO against left-handed pitching this season. He is not going to come cheap, but he's one of the best options on the slate.

 

DraftKings DFS Outfielders

Mitch Haniger - OF, vs BAL ($4,700)

Haniger continues to play at a high level, as he's hitting .318 with a .659 slugging percentage and a 1.047 OPS over his last 10 games. Over that span, he owns eight extra-base hits (three home runs) and three RBIs. Haniger also gets a great matchup against Andrew Cashner, although he'll be playing in a pitcher friendly stadium tonight.

Billy McKinney - OF, vs TB ($3,600)

McKinney has only played in 16 games this season, but he has looked outstanding during that time. He features a .360 average with a .640 slugging percentage and a 1.081 OPS. He also owns 0.055 wOBA and 0.122 ISO differentials against right-handed pitching. McKinney gets somewhat of a tough matchup against Tyler Glasnow, but he's leading off for an offense that has the potential to score plenty of runs tonight.

 

MLB DFS News and Injury Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Parker Washington

Set to Play "Most Important Role" of His Career in Jaguars Offense
Elly De La Cruz

Exits with Hamstring Tightness
Tyler Reddick

Is One of the Top Favorites to Win at Nashville
Kyle Larson

May Continue his Top-10 Consistency at Nashville this week
Christopher Bell

Is One of the Top Competitors for the Win at Nashville
Chase Briscoe

Is A Must Start for Nashville DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

has Plenty of Upside for Nashville DFS Lineups
William Byron

Is William Byron A Playable DFS Option for Nashville Lineups?
Wan'Dale Robinson

Dynasty Value May Have Peaked in 2025
Carson Hocevar

Is Likely to have Another Solid Result at Nashville
Tyler Shough

Should Dynasty Managers Consider Selling High on Tyler Shough?
NASCAR

Should Fantasy Players Roster Bubba Wallace at Nashville?
Garrett Wilson

Dynasty Upside Remains High Despite Questionable Offensive Environment in New York
Chris Buescher

Is A Decent All-Around DFS Option for Nashville Lineups
Daniel Suarez

is Likely to Drop Positions during the Cracker Barrel 400
Kenneth Gainwell

Carries Dynasty Sell-High Appeal After Breakout 2025 Campaign
Emeka Egbuka

Undervalued in Dynasty Formats After Underwhelming Close to 2025?
Trey Benson

a Dynasty Hold Despite Unfavorable Situation
Omar Cooper Jr.

a Long-Term Investment in the First Round of Rookie Drafts
Colston Loveland

Just How High is Colston Loveland's Dynasty Ceiling?
Garrett Crochet

Suffers Setback, Likely to Undergo MRI for Lat Tightness
Zay Flowers

A New-Look Offense in Baltimore Could Impact Zay Flowers' Dynasty Value
LeQuint Allen Jr.

a Dynasty Dart Throw with a Potential Path to Upside
Denny Hamlin

Could Denny Hamlin Dominate at Nashville?
Ryan Blaney

Is a DFS Tournament Option at Nashville
Ty Gibbs

Don't Overlook Ty Gibbs at Nashville
Joey Logano

Could Show Life at Nashville
Ross Chastain

Needs a Good Run at Nashville
Shedeur Sanders

Falling Behind in Quarterback Competition?
Isaiah Davis

Is Isaiah Davis the More Valuable Jets Handcuff?
Trey McBride

a Coveted Dynasty Cornerstone
Chet Holmgren

Fails to Step Up in the Season Finale
Brock Purdy

Still Not Valued as a Dynasty QB1
Cason Wallace

Ends Postseason with Strong Showing
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Caps MVP Season with Game 7 Exit
Justin Jefferson

an Obvious Bounce-Back Candidate
Stephon Castle

Continues Postseason Run with 16 Points
Julian Champagnie

Shines in Series-Clinching Win
De'Aaron Fox

Provides Secondary Punch in Game 7 Triumph
Victor Wembanyama

Earns Conference Finals MVP in Spurs' Game 7 Win
J.J. McCarthy

Holding J.J. McCarthy in Dynasty Leagues Will Require Patience
Harold Fannin Jr.

Does Harold Fannin Jr. Have Top-Three Upside in Dynasty Leagues?
Jaylen Waddle

the Top Receiver to Roster in Denver?
Josh Downs

Climbing Up the Dynasty Rankings with Bigger Role Ahead?
Jalen McMillan

Has Been 'Slightly Better' Than Teammate During OTAs
NBA

Warriors Prioritize Depth Around Returning Steve Kerr
Donovan Mitchell

Remains Cleveland's Top Priority
Adou Thiero

Remains a Lakers Development Project
NBA

76ers Hire Mike Gansey as President of Basketball Operations
NBA

Chicago Bulls Explore Kevin Young as Coaching Candidate
Kyrie Irving

Reports He's Nearing Full Strength in ACL Recovery
Lane Hutson

Posts a Power-Play Assist in Game 5 Loss
Cole Caufield

Nets a Power-Play Goal in Season-Ending Loss
Seth Jarvis

Closes Out East Finals With Multi-Point Game
Logan Stankoven

Notches Three Points in Big Game 5 Win
Taylor Hall

Racks Up Three Points in Series-Clinching Win
Frederik Andersen

Remains Stellar as Hurricanes Clinch Finals Berth
Jacob Gonzalez

is Heading to the Big Leagues
Munetaka Murakami

Exits with Hamstring Tightness
Mitchell Robinson

Plans to Play in Game 1 After Finger Surgery
Ajay Mitchell

Ruled Out for Game 7
Jalen Williams

Unavailable in Decisive Game 7
NBA

Magic Finalizing Hire of Sean Sweeney as Head Coach
Eury Pérez

Eury Perez is Placed on 15-Day Injured List
Deiveson Figueiredo

Set For UFC Macau Main Event
MMA

Yadong Song Returns At UFC Macau
Alonzo Menifield

An Underdog At UFC Macau
Zhang Mingyang

Set For UFC Macau Co-Main Event
Tallison Teixeira

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Sergei Pavlovich

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Cameron Smotherman

Looks To Bounce Back
Kai Asakura

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
CFB

Faizon Brandon In Position to Start Week 1
CFB

Dane Weber Commits to Cal
CFB

Joey McGuire Attempts to Add Texas to Schedule
CFB

Mike Leach on 2027 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot
CFB

Maryland, Baylor Schedule Home-and-Home
CFB

Taron Dickens Decommits From North Carolina
Jalen Williams

Limited in Game 6 Return
Jared McCain

Provides Bench Spark in Game 6 Loss
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Posts Lowest-Scoring Night of His MVP Season
De'Aaron Fox

Struggles From the Field Thursday
MLB

MLB Proposes Hard Salary Cap as Part of Next CBA
Kenley Jansen

Tigers Place Kenley Jansen on Injured List With Pelvic Inflammation
Teoscar Hernández

Teoscar Hernandez Heading to Injured List With Hamstring Strain
MON

Lane Hutson Struggles in Game 4 Loss
CAR

Logan Stankoven Nets Eighth Postseason Goal
CAR

Sebastian Aho Pots Game-Winner on Power Play
CAR

Nikolaj Ehlers Tallies Two Helpers in Impressive Road Win
CAR

Shayne Gostisbehere Records Two Assists in Game 4 Win
CAR

Frederik Andersen Establishes Hurricanes New Postseason Shutout Record
Yordan Alvarez

Continues Homer Barrage With Two More Long Balls on Wednesday
Cristopher Sánchez

Cristopher Sanchez Makes History With Seven More Shutout Innings Against Padres
Teoscar Hernández

Teoscar Hernandez Lifted From Wednesday's Game Early With Hamstring Strain
Kenley Jansen

Exits Relief Appearance on Wednesday With Groin Injury
Eury Pérez

Eury Perez Pulled Early on Wednesday With Hamstring Issue
CFB

Drew Mestemaker a Top Big 12 Quarterback Right Away?
PGA

Sungjae Im Remains Boom-or-Bust at Colonial
PGA

Michael Thorbjornsen Trending in Wrong Direction Entering Colonial
Russell Henley

a Top Option at Colonial
Harry Hall

Hoping Putter Carries Him at Colonial
Rickie Fowler

Looks to Regain Momentum at Colonial
Pierceson Coody

Looking to Stay Hot at Colonial
Martin Necas

Collects an Assist in Game 4 Loss to Golden Knights
Gabriel Landeskog

Scores Only Avalanche Goal in Season-Ending Loss
Carter Hart

Finishes Series-Clincher With 20 Saves
Dylan Coghlan

Continues Unlikely Success Story
Cole Smith

Scores Series-Clincher Tuesday Night
Mark Stone

Nets Another Goal as Golden Knights Finish Off Avalanche
Ludvig Aberg

Looking to Exchange Momentum for a Victory in Fort Worth
Stephan Jaeger

Trending Upward as PGA Heads to Fort Worth
Max Homa

Comes Off Awful Putting Performance at PGA Championship
Tony Finau

Faces Different Test at the Colonial
Robert MacIntyre

Seeks Better Beginning in Fort Worth
Tom Hoge

Ups and Downs Could Continue at Colonial
Brian Harman

Not Having the Best Golf Season in 2026
Austin Eckroat

Struggling Too Often Heading to Charles Schwab Challenge
Zach Bauchou

Tries to Keep Momentum Rolling at Colonial
Keegan Bradley

Looking to Rebound at Colonial
Claude Giroux

Planning to Return for 20th NHL Campaign
Carter Hart

Aiming for Sixth Consecutive Win Tuesday
Evgeni Malkin

Inks New One-Year Deal With Penguins
Ben Griffin

Looking to Repeat This Week at Colonial
Rasmus Hojgaard

a Player to Avoid at Charles Schwab Challenge
Hideki Matsuyama

Needs Solid Driving Week at Charles Schwab Challenge
Justin Thomas

Trending Well Ahead of Charles Schwab Challenge
Akshay Bhatia

Lacking Driving Prowess Needed at Colonial Country Club
CFB

DJ Lagway Looking to Rebound at Baylor
CFB

Josh Hoover Tasked With Leading Indiana Back to the Playoffs
CFB

Braylon Staley the Next 1,000-Yard Tennessee Receiver?
CFB

Ahmad Hardy's Return Timeline Remains Unclear
Gage Jump

Athletics to Promote Top Pitching Prospect Gage Jump to Major Leagues
Tatsuya Imai

Two Relievers Combine to No-Hit the Rangers on Monday
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF