Hey yo, it's Labor Day and we've got a couple of interesting MLB DFS slates for you! Jon Anderson is here filling in here on the free picks piece - hope I can help you out!
Since we have two evenly sized slates today given the holiday, I like to give some picks for both slates. This article might go a little differently than you're used to if you're a regular reader.
This article has daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 9/5/2022. The main slate starts at 6:40 pm Eastern Time and the early slate at 12:35. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports. Monitoring injury news and today's MLB starting lineups is also essential.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Early Slate Pitchers
Kevin Gausman ($9,700 DK, $10,200 FD) vs. Baltimore
It's been an up-and-down season for Gausman, but we have to use the bigger data sample when making decisions in DFS. He has a 28% K% on the year with a strong 4.0% BB%. The homers have also been elite at just a 64.7 PA/HR (league average being 30). I can ignore some of the down starts recently and play him with confidence against this bad Orioles lineup.
Michael Wacha ($9,300 DK, $9,500 FD) vs. Tampa Bay
Wacha has been on a heater, striking out 26 batters, walking only four, and averaging 25 DraftKings points over his last four starts. He gets another soft matchup against the Rays here. The high price tag is striking and the first reaction is to fade it, but Wacha definitely has the ability here to make it work.
Jack Flaherty ($7,200 DK, $8,900 FD) vs. Washington
It will be his first start back from the IL, so I would think the pitch count will be around 75. That would put him out of play for me on a normal slate, but there really just isn't much to choose from on this early slate. He did show some serious velocity on his rehab stint and racked up quite a few strikeouts, so maybe he's really ready to go for the stretch run here. The Nationals aren't a tough matchup either, so it's reasonable to think we can get 12-16 points here.
Night Slate Pitchers
Blake Snell ($10,200 DK, $10,300 FD) vs. Arizona
The price on Triston McKenzie has gotten out of hand, so I'm a full fade of him today. That leaves Snell as the most expensive pitcher I think to be in play. His 31% K% is one of the better marks in the league, and since July began, only Jacob deGrom and Spencer Strider have scored more DraftKings points per inning pitched. The risk is that he has a bad walk day and one or two of these big Arizona bats punishes him with a long ball, but the upside on Snell is pretty unmatched.
Andrew Heaney ($9,600 DK, $9,400 FD) vs. San Francisco
He's legitimately been one of the game's best pitchers in his small sample this season. He has a silly 18.1% SwStr% to go with his 35.4% K% and 6.1% BB%. Do you know who else has a K% above 30% and a walk rate under 7%?
- Jacob deGrom
- Shohei Ohtani
- Shane McClanahan
- Gerrit Cole
- Max Scherzer
So yeah, that's a good list to be on. The Giants are not an obstacle for Heaney, the only thing limiting him these days is the pitch count as he's maxed out at 91 pitches. It's fair to expect a pitch count in the eighties again today, but he can go for 7-10 strikeouts in that time without much issue.
Lance Lynn ($7,900 DK, $9,300 FD) vs. Seattle
He's really hammered off the rust we saw early on after his late return to The Show. Over his last three starts, he has a 1.48 ERA, a 0.77 WHIP, and a beautiful 22:2 K:BB ratio. For the year, his K% is up to 25.7% and the walks have been really low at 3.7%. The Mariners are a tougher matchup, but not near the league's toughest - and the price just won't get to where it should be on Lynn.
Hunter Brown ($5,200 DK) vs. Rangers
It's a Major League debut day for this guy, as well as Ryne Nelson ($5,000) for the Diamondbacks. Rookies are always exceedingly risky in DFS, and it usually doesn't go well. The upshot is that the prices are so long that you really don't need much to make it work. Brown's 31.5% K% in the minors is a good sign, and he kept the ball in the yard phenomenally well with just a 0.4 HR/9. If he can get a handful of strikeouts and not allow any homers, he will probably really crush this price tag.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Early Slate
Kolten Wong ($3,800 DK, $3,500 FD) vs. Ryan Feltner
The Brewers are in Coors Field today, so that's going to make them a very appealing offense. The prices are pretty cheap as well. No hitter projects better per dollar than Wong, so he'll be in my lineups.
Rowdy Tellez ($4,200 DK, $3,100 FD) vs. Feltner
I mean, he should probably be $5,200 for this Coors series, but here we are!
Jace Peterson ($3,300 DK, $2,600 FD) vs. Feltner
Another cheap Brewers pick. The upside isn't very high with Peterson, but he makes a lot of contact and can steal some bags.
Ryan McMahon ($4,800 DK, $2,900 FD) vs. Adrian Houser
Houser hasn't really gotten into form in the Majors yet after missing a lot of time with injury, and now he has the tough Coors task. Lefties have always hit a little better off of him, so I like McMahon quite a bit here.
Ryan Mountcastle ($3,500 DK, $2,600 FD) vs. Jose Berrios
We have seen time and time again how disappointing Berrios can be, and Mountcastle certainly has the power upside to make him pay for the mistakes he's so likely to serve up.
Jeff McNeil ($4,200 DK, $2,700 FD) vs. Mitch Keller
The Mets are in a great spot, and we can get a little savings here on their lead-off man. The real appealing plays are Lindor and Alonso, but their success may be McNeil's success today as he sets the table.
Night Slate
Shohei Ohtani ($6,400 DK, $4,200 FD) vs. Tyler Alexander
Ohtani got a well-deserved day off yesterday, which makes me want to play him even more. The price is high, but so is the upside - and the Angels are one of the better-projecting offenses of the day.
Trea Turner ($6,100 DK, $3,600 FD) vs. Logan Webb
Webb isn't really the guy to pick on, but it's ad different story with Trea Turner and the Dodgers. They are just fantasy points machines, and you can really get ahead of the competition just by getting these floor points from someone as good as Turner.
Freddie Freeman ($5,700 DK, $4,100 FD) vs. Logan Webb
Same story as Trea. The upside is lower because of he doesn't steal a ton of bags and the power has been more "good" than "great" this year, but he scores points almost every time out and I don't think Webb is really a problem for someone this good at hitting.
Manny Machado ($5,900 DK, $4,500 FD) vs. Ryne Nelson
A rookie pitcher having to face Machado is a tough task. Machado has been one of the best fantasy points scorers in the league this year, and he's in a fine spot here presumedly. The price is tough to take, as is a trend here among the night slate infielders, but I have to mention him!
David Fletcher ($3,100 DK, $2,200 FD) vs. Tyler Alexander
I really don't like playing guys that can't hit homers, but we need some savings and Fletcher does have a nice floor here. He can rack up a couple of base hits and steal a few runs with these elite bats behind him and the Angels in a good run-scoring environment tonight.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Early Slate
Lars Nootbaar ($3,100 DK, $3,400 FD) vs. Anibal Sanchez
He's been one of the league's best hitters since July, and his price will not budge. It's baffling to me.
Corey Dickerson ($2,300 DK, $2,200 FD) vs. Sanchez
The Cards are in a great spot against the very hittable Sanchez, and Dickerson is another very cheap guy. He's even been hitting in the top-six of the lineup often, which makes him a great play if that's the case today.
Andrew McCutchen ($3,900, $2,900 FD) vs. Feltner
Keep piling up the Brewers picks. McCutchen is a better play against lefties, but he should draw the starts here and can hit righties decently. The Coors Field thins is the biggest angle here, I'm just not going to let this Brewers lineup go at their prices.
Hunter Renfroe ($4,500 DK. $4,200 FD) vs. Feltner
Last Brewer recommendation, I promise!
Aaron Judge ($6,500 DK, $4,800 FD) vs. Chris Archer
He has lapped the field in fantasy scoring this year, and he's still probably under-priced way up here at $6,500 just because of that. Archer can give up the long ball, so there's a pretty good chance Judge goes for 15+ again tonight.
Charlie Blackmon ($4,600 DK, $3,200 FD) vs. Adrian Houser
It's been a quiet little season for Blackmon, who has hit the ball okay. The home matchup with Houser is a good one, and Blackmon brings a nice floor of points to the table.
Night Slate
Taylor Ward ($3,100 DK, $2,900 FD) vs. Tyler Alexander
He's clearly not the guy we saw at the beginning of the year, but there's still life in the bat and we keep talking about how great this spot is for the Halos.
Mike Trout ($5,500 DK, $4,100 FD) vs. Tyler Alexander
We're certainly not leaving out Trout when we want to play these Angels bats. He's been great lately, as usual, and the price is pretty affordable all things considered.
Leody Taveras ($2,500 DK, $2,900 FD) vs. Hunter Brown
A speedy outfielder with some pop. Taveras has had his troubles staying in the Majors, but he's not exactly facing a Major League pitcher tonight - so I'm interested.
Bubba Thompson ($2,300 DK, $2,800 FD) vs. Hunter Brown
He basically steals a base every time he gets on, and there's a pretty good chance of that tonight. He's also cut down on strikeouts and has raised the batting average substantially over recent days. Let's go on Bubba!
Andrew Vaughn ($3,800 DK, $3,000 FD) vs. Marco Gonzales
High contact, high hard-hit rate, against a pitcher that doesn't do much well against righties.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Early Slate
- Brewers vs. Feltner
- Wong, Adames, Yelich, Tellez
- Mets vs. Keller
- Nimmo, Lindor, Alonso
- Yankees vs. Archer
- Judge, LeMahieu, Rizzo
- Rockies vs. Houser
- McMahon, Cron, Rodgers, Grichuk
Night Slate
- Angels vs. Alexander
- Ohtani, Trout, Rengifo, Fletcher
- Dodgers vs. Webb
- Betts, Turner, Freeman, Muncy
- Padres vs. Nelson
- Profar, Machado, Soto, Bell
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