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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/7/21. Brian Entrekin's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
We have a 12-game main slate on tap tonight, and it's a good one. We have the ace of aces on the mound in Gerrit Cole. Aaron Nola, Blake Snell, Eduardo Rodriguez, and even Logan Webb in Coors are high-priced options on tonight's slate. There are some nice middle-priced options as well, and then one main punt in Jackson Kowar. With eight or so pitchers in play tonight, that leaves a whole lot of places for bats. Obviously, Coors will be the main target, but there are many more. The Braves, Reds, and Padres will be popular options, where the A's, White Sox, and many more could sneak into some nice stacks tonight.
The slate starts with which pitchers to build around. Cole is costly and faces the powerful Jays, but he is still a great play. Most will play Snell, and rightfully so, but he will be mega-chalk. After those two, it gets interesting with Max Fried, Wade Miley, and a few other mid-priced options. Coors is largely in play for bats, especially the Giants, who are far too cheap versus Chi. The Braves could be a nice pivot off the Giants as they talk on pitch-to-contact Espino. So many ways to go tonight, so make sure to listen in to MLB DFS Quick Hits for the full slate breakdown. (There will be many options at each position, more than just the ones listed below. I also leave out Coors as that is simple; play cheap Giants.)
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/7/2021. 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, contact me on Twitter @bdentrek.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Gerrit Cole - P, NYY vs. TOR ($11,800)
Cole is back to the Gerrit Cole we all loved entering the season. After the sticky stuff situation, things were, well, sticky for a bit, but now Cole is pitching like the ace he is. In August, he made four starts, throwing 24.2 innings and allowing a total of two runs. He walked only four over those four starts and struck out 39 for an outstanding 36.5% strikeout rate. Cole allowed a 9.4% barrel rate and a 24.5% hard-hit rate. He has been excellent and now faces the powerful Jays tonight. He has faced Toronto three times this season, throwing 19.1 innings with 20 strikeouts and five runs scored. Cole is super expensive in a tough matchup tonight, making him a great GPP play as he brings the highest ceiling on the entire slate. Do not get scared off of the best pitcher in baseball tonight.
Max Fried - P, ATL vs. WAS ($8,600)
What a month of August for Fried. He made six starts, racking up four wins by throwing at least six innings in each start (39 IP) and allowing only seven earned runs. Maybe more impressively is Fried only walked three while striking out 37. He had five or more strikeouts in five of the six starts while allowing three earned runs or less in each start. He also induced an outstanding 57.6% ground ball rate to go with his 25% strikeout rate. Fried has been an ace for the Braves as they make their playoff push and faces the Nats tonight in a matchup he should dominate. A few starts ago, he faced the Nats and threw six innings, allowing one earned run while striking out seven. Sign me up for that right now at only $8,600. Fried makes for a great tournament and cash game option tonight.
Other Options: Logan Webb (SF at COL) $9,500, Blake Snell (SD vs. LAA) $9,200, Wade Miley (CIN at CHC) $8,200, Zac Gallen (AZ vs. TEX) $7,900
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Will Smith - C, LAD at J.A. Happ ($4,200)
Smith heads into tonight's matchup swinging one of the hotter bats in baseball. He has hit safely in seven of his last nine games, good for a .344 average. He has four home runs over that stretch to go with a .375 ISO. Smith's plate discipline has been outstanding, as well as he is walking nearly 18% of the time, helping with a .462 OBP and 1.181 OPS. In addition, Smith is barreling the ball nearly 21% of the time with a 46% hard-hit rate. He is quite selective at the plate, and when he does swing, he is making it count. He will face Happ tonight, allowing RHH to hit .298 with a .557 SLG this season. The Dodgers are in a great spot, and Smith is a solid catching option without breaking the bank tonight.
Frank Schwindel - 1B, CHC vs. Wade Miley ($3,500)
Schwindel continues to rake, with two more hits on Monday and another double-digit DK point evening. He has now hit safely in 13 of the last 14 games, good for a .397 average. Schwindel has six home runs and a .375 ISO over the two-week stretch. He is only striking out 16% of the time with a 1.176 OPS. He is barreling the ball 10.4% of the time with a 50% hard-hit rate. Schwindel is batting second for the Cubs and multi-hit games in five straight games as he sets the table for Ian Happ, Patrick Wisdom, and other Cubs. He faces Miley tonight, which is not always the easiest of tasks, but still a great spot for the value Schwindel brings to your lineups in cash and tournaments.
Jed Lowrie - 2B, OAK vs. Jimmy Lambert ($3,600)
Lowrie enters tonight's matchup hitting safely in four of his last five games for a .297 average. He has four extra-base hits over this stretch while also driving in five runs. He has also been hitting fifth for one of the hotter offenses in baseball in recent games. Tonight he takes on Lambert, who has not made it through four innings in his three appearances and has also allowed a home run in each appearance. Lowrie is a great value when stacking up the A's with Matt Olson, Starling Marte, and Matt Chapman. There are many solid second-base options, but Lowrie is one of the bigger bangs for your bucks on the slate.
Adalberto Mondesi- SS/3B, KC at Tyler Wells ($4,400)
Mondesi is a cheat code when he plays, and after not starting Monday, he should be in tonight's lineup. In his three starts since coming off the IL, he has hits in all three games with a home run and at least one steal in each game. He even pinch ran late on Monday and stole two bases. He has six total steals over his four games. In the short sample, Mondesi is striking out nearly 47% of the time, which is ridiculous, but he barreling the ball 14.3% of the time with a 71.4% hard-hit rate when he makes contact. The Royals will face an Orioles bullpen game, and Mondesi should be in the lineup, making for a great play in cash games and tournaments.
Austin Riley - 3B, ATL vs. Paolo Espino ($5,400)
The Summer of Riley has continued on strong as all he does is mash. He comes into tonight's game hitting safely in 10 of his last 12 games with a .395 average. He has five extra-base hits to go with a .209 ISO. Riley is making tons of contact as he is striking out less than 17% of the time, and when he makes contact, it is solid with a 16.7% barrel rate and 52.8% hard-hit rate. Riley is mashing and gets an outstanding matchup versus Espino tonight. Espino has allowed 11 runs over his last 18.1 IP with five home runs. He is also allowing RHH to slug .493 with 2.4 HR/9. The Braves are pricier than the Giants and have a great matchup to boot, meaning they should be lower-rostered and great for tournaments.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Luis Robert - OF, CWS at James Kaprielian ($4,200)
Robert has been absolutely mashing since returning from the IL on August 9. He has hit safely in 17 of the 21 games for a .367 average. He has 11 extra-base hits, including six home runs since his return. More impressively for Robert is the fact he is striking out less than 17% of the time since his returns, and that bodes well for someone hitting at the top of the White Sox lineup. Tonight he faces Kaprielian, who has been struggling of late. Over his last six starts, he has thrown 29.2 innings while allowing 22 runs and seven home runs. The White Sox could be a nice late-night hammer, and Lou Bob should be a part of that as he is too cheap. His price tag makes him cash and tournament viable tonight.
Andrew McCutchen- OF, PHI at Eric Lauer ($3,800)
Cutch has been battling injuries of late, but for now, he seems to be healthy. He has hit safely in five of his last six games with five extra-base hits and three home runs. He has a .478 ISO, and thanks to a 14.3% walk rate, he also has a .429 OBP and 1.212 OPS. He is mashing right now and sits in the middle of a powerful Phillies lineup. He takes on Lauer tonight, which bodes well as hitting .307 with a .357 ISO versus LHP this season. Cutch makes for a solid value tonight and a nice piece of a Phillies' stack.
Tyler Naquin - OF, CIN at Adrian Sampson ($2,900)
Naquin was on quite the heater but has cooled down a bit late, only hitting safely in two of his last seven games. Even with the "drought," Naquin is hitting .400 over his last 24 games (the heater) with 15 extra-base hits, including six home runs. The slump has moved Naquin down in the Reds' lineup, which is not ideal but still makes for a great value tonight in a solid matchup versus Sampson. This season, Sampson has mainly pitched out of the bullpen but should be able to go three to four innings if he's pitching well. I don't see him doing that as the Reds should feast tonight. They are a solid stack, and Naquin brings outstanding value to that stack tonight.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- San Francisco Giants (Chi Chi Gonzalez, RHP)
- Atlanta Braves (Paolo Espino, RHP)
- Cincinnati Reds (Adrian Sampson, RHP)
- Houston Astros (Logan Gilbert, RHP)
- Sneaky Stack- Oakland Athletics (Jimmy Lambert, RHP)
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