Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings, DraftDay and Draftster 9/12/14

Gio Gonzalez - FD 8100 DK 9400 DD 15900 DFSTR 7200
It was a Herculean effort, but the Cubs managed to climb to the top of the highest strike out % charts. Last time Cole faced them, he mowed them down for 8 Ks and a win. I'm going to need to see more from Wada to feel like he's any deterrent whatsoever.

Catchers

Evan Gattis - FD 2600 DK 3900 DD 8250 DFSTR 4000
If you’ve followed us at DFSR for any period of time, you’ll know that Evan Gattis has tortured left handed pitching like a super-duper-uber-star this season. With a 1.044 OPS, he should give Derek Holland everything he can handle. I know Holland has had a nice 2 starts this year, but in that Texas heat, I think Gattis could really get a hold of one.

Brian McCann - FD 3200 DK 3800 DD 8350 DFSTR 10000
Welp, if you've stuck with daily fantasy baseball into football season, and followed our picks, you've finally gotten paid off for playing Brian McCann! With 3 homers in September, he's finally lived up to what our projection system has thought of him. Bud Norris is essentially league average at this point, and it could be a decent day for the lefty-heavy Yanks.

Yadier Molina - FD 2500 DK 3500 DD 7700 DFSTR 3000
In the cheap with low upside category, I submit Yadier Molina. The major factor here, of course, is Jorge De La Rosa. He's been solidly below average this season, and he's actually been worse on the road. Molina essentially makes a nice pseudo punt play - get the money in cheap, and hope he compiles some counting stats.

First Basemen

Edwin Encarnacion - FD 3800 DK 4900 DD 11250 DFSTR 5700
Welcome to the league, Nate Karns! You have the opportunity to face Edwin Encarnacion, who has turned right handed pitching into essentially pinata offerings all season long. With all due respect to Nate Karns, who I am sure is a nice guy, he had a 7.5 and 5.08 ERA in AAA this year. This won't be pleasant for him.

Jose Abreu - FD 3600 DK 4900 DD 11200 DFSTR 3000
Our projection system might be a little bearish on Phil Hughes considering the incredible peripherals he's put up this year, but against Abreu, it shouldn't matter. The White Sox star has crushed both righty and lefty pitching this year, and if Hughes leaves one up in the zone, it really won't matter how low his walk rate is.

Chris Davis - FD 3200 DK 4700 DD 9450 DFSTR 3200
Mark Teixeira - FD 2900 DK 3700 DD 8750 DFSTR 4100
Both of these guys have their warts - but if you want to consider going cheap with big upside, they're who I'm going to steer you toward. Davis can still flash incredible upside vs. righties, and Teixeira should have good counting stat opportunities against the right handed dealings of Bud Norris.

Second Basemen

Robinson Cano - FD 3100 DK 4600 DD 10150 DFSTR 5900
I guess it's because he has less than sexy "upside stats," but Cano remains criminally underpriced considering his high floor and reasonably high ceiling. Hammel is fine and all, but Cano is in a league of his own in terms of offensive production from the 2B position.

Ben Zobrist - FD 2900 DK 4300 DD 8500 DFSTR 4400
Zobrist doesn't appear sexy on the surface, but his .387 wOBA against lefties this season tells a different tale. What you have to love about Z against the middling to bad Happ is the on base percentage - at .413, Zobrist brings a consistency against left handed pitching that is very hard to find from the 2nd base position.

Asdrubal Cabrera - FD 2600 DK 3900 DD 8050 DFSTR 6700
Cabrera is the steady Eddie of the 2nd base position, but with 2 homers and 2 steals in September, he actually can give you a solid upside performance as well. As mentioned earlier, Dillon Gee is about as mediocre as it gets, and the relatively platoon neutral Cabrera has the potential for a nice game.

Also considered: Chase Utley
 

Shortstops

Jose Reyes - FD 3300 DK 4800 DD 9350 SS 3600
If Nate Karns somehow improves upon his AAA performance in the majors, he'll still be among the league's worst pitchers. This is a spot start, pure and simple, and as a former Mets fan, I can tell you totally scientifically that Reyes eats raw pitchers for lunch. There you go: science.

Chris Owings - FD 2900 DK 2700 DD 6000 SS 3000
With 97 Ks against 43 BBs in 152 IP this year, Stults makes for a great opponent for heavy platoon guys like Owings. Stults has allowed an .828 OPS against right handers away from the friendly confines of Petco this year, and Owings has a career .799 OPS against lefties for his career. Sneaky play that could pay.

Elvis Andrus - FD 2200 DK 3600 DD 7200 SS 3000
It's a rocky day for shortstops after the top two guys, so if you want to go super cheap, Andrus might be your guy. There isn't a lot of praise I can heap on a guy with a .650 OPS this year, but with his speed and Texas' run scoring environment, you really can't rule out a decent game.

Third Basemen

Kyle Seager - FD 3200 DK 4600 DD 9800 DFSTR 5800
Seager has tailed off from is earlier season dominance of right handed pitching, but with a .385 wOBA, he's still more than solid on these price points.

Evan Longoria - FD 3500 DK 4800 DD 10000 DFSTR 10400
It's a lost season for Longoria, but not because of his hitting against left handers. While he's not the superstar he once was, his .858 OPS against southpaws is still solid, and his 20 homers this year speak to the fact that he still has some pop in his bat. If the Rays run Happ off the field, expect Longoria to be right in the middle of it.

The rest:
It really is a pretty crappy day to choose a guy at the hot corner. All of the remaining options are similarly unappealing to me, but here are a few to choose from: Todd Frazier, Adrian Beltre, Yangervis Solarte.

Outfielders

Billy Hamilton - FD 2900 DK 4400 DD 7350 SS 7200
While he's unplayable against left handers, Hamilton becomes my favorite upside play in the outfield almost every night he draws a righty. Let's be real - he's been as cold as hell recently, but the price drop here is downright unfair. All he needs to do is turn a couple of balls in play into hits, and those hits into steals and runs, and before you know it he's got 9 points. Lohse's pitch to contact approach really benefits him.

Andrew McCutchen - FD 4200 DK 5400 DD 12000 SS 9500
McCutchen has posted nearly a 1.000 OPS against left handers for his career, and while Wada is off to a nice start, it's not exactly common to face a guy with Cutch's ball bruising abilities.

Bryce Harper - FD 3100 DK 3700 DD 8900 SS 6200
I can't blame you if you are dissuaded by the big strike out rate this year, but the fact remains that Harper is one of the game's highest upside talents. Mark my words - this time next year, his price will be 30%-50% higher than it is now.

Jacoby Ellsbury - FD 4200 DK 4700 DD 9800 SS 8200
You've got to pay to get Ellsbury, but well, you should have to pay to get him. With 15 homers and 38 steals, he brings a combination of high floor and big upside that's hard to find anywhere, and taking him against a right hander is rarely a bad move.

Matt Holliday - FD 3400 DK 4400 DD 9300 DFSTR 3500
This time of year, a lot of the value is going to look a little bit suspicious. Holliday is clearly a player in decline. So why am I giving him to you? Jorge De La Rosa. While Holliday's more expensive than some other guys, he's still a professional hitter. And guys of his caliber don't start to lose it against terrible pitchers, they stop being able to catch up to elite guys. Fine play, if you ask me.

Ryan Braun - FD 3400 DK 4700 DD 10300 DFSTR 3000
It creeps me out to think about Braun as a sub .800 OPS guy, but here we are. Even with the steep decline, Braun has posted 19 homers and 11 steals this year, and against Latos (who is basically a pitch to contact guy), I could see him building upon last night's homer with another solid fantasy game today.

Also considered: Mark Trumbo, Nick Markakis, Yasiel Puig
 

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