Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 9/6/16

 

Welcome to Tuesday baseball! We have a 15 game main slate on our hands with some aces and a few offenses in great spots to put up some runs. Make sure to check out our other articles as they will touch on more pitching options, tournament stacks and any weather concerns that may arise. Let's get into the top options at each position!

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PITCHER

Corey Kluber FD 10800 DK 12600
Opponent - HOU (Keuchel) Park - @CLE
FD - 38.63 DK - 25.39

Corey Kluber is going to start us off at pitcher he on this very interesting slate. Today is a big day around the industry as it is kind of the last big slate until the NFL season takes over. In result, FanDuel is running an insane $1500 entry tournament, which should be very fun to watch and keep track of. Kluber will likely be one of the higher owned tournament pitchers, as this match up has a great ceiling. While the Astros always have a ton of upside with their bats, they also have a bunch of strikeout potential. Against righties, the Astros have struck out the 3rd most in the league with a 23.9% K rate. Kluber on the other hand, has been dominant against both lefties and righties with a combined wOBA of .270, to go along with a K/9 of over 9. While there is definitely a little bit of risk here, Kluber is my top option in both tournaments and cash games.

Gio Gonzalez FD 8700 DK 9300
Opponent - ATL (Perez) Park - @WSH
FD - 36.84 DK - 23.92

Gio Gonzalez is very annoying to roster, trust me, I know. He constantly goes 3-2 to bad hitters and ends up putting himself in a bad spot pitch-count wise. That being said, he still finds a way to produce month in and month out. He gets a spectacular match up tonight with the Braves, who have been atrocious against left handers. Since the start of the season, the Braves have held a pitiful .286 wOBA against lefties and has backed that number up with a league worst .103 ISO. Gio has absolutely dominated lefties on the year with a .283 wOBA that is supported by any peripherals and batted ball rate you can think of. Gio is a lot cheaper on both sites than Kluber, and while he doesn't have the exact same upside, he still brings a ton of it. Gonzalez deserves consideration in both cash games and tournaments, though I prefer him in tournaments. As a side note, don;t watch him pitch if you roster him, as you might have a heart attack every inning.

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CATCHER

Buster Posey FD 4000 DK 4700
Opponent - COL (Anderson) Park - @COL
FD - 14.31 DK - 11.05

Buster Posey is going to be very highly owned and rightfully so, as he is taking on a lefty in Coors Field. Posey has destroyed lefties over the course of his career with a .286 wOBA that is backed up by plenty of peripherals and batted ball rates. The opposing pitcher, Tyler Anderson, has had some problem with right handers on the season. In 66 innings, he has given up 10 home runs and .277 BABIP. While Anderson is actually a pretty good pitcher, Coors Field cripples even the best of them. Posey is the top play at the position and it isn't close at all. If you are looking to pay up at other positions, let's take a look at a guy that is cheaper and pretty safe.

Stephen Vogt FD 2800 DK 3000
Opponent - LAA (Nolasco) Park - @OAK
FD - 9.71 DK - 7.53

When describing Vogt in terms of DFS, safe and cheap are 2 of the words that come to mind first. Vogt usually hits in the top 5 of the lineup, which is pretty rare for a catcher, let alone a catcher that is only $2800 and $3000. He will take on Ricky Nolasco tonight, who has struggled against lefties with a 4.95 xFIP. Vogt has been great against righties over the past 2 seasons with .341 wOBA that is backed up by a 24% line drive rate. While the ballpark limits a lot of power upside, we are not reliant on a home run here. I am a big fan of Vogt in both cash games and tournaments tonight, though I do prefer him in cash games as he has nowhere near the upside a guy like Posey does tonight.

FIRST BASE

Miguel Cabrera FD 3600 DK 5400
Opponent - CHW (Gonzalez) Park - @CHW
FD - 13.53 DK - 10.29

First of all, play Miguel Cabrera on FanDuel at $3600. He is way too cheap and I would play him at that price against almost anyone, let alone Miguel Gonzalez. Gonzalez has been decent against righties, though his peripherals tell a whole different story. With a 4.77 xFIP and a 25% line drive rate, you can expect righties to start destroying him. While it goes unsaid, Cabrera has mutilated righties for the last decade and this year has been no different. The Tigers are in a fantastic spot tonight and you will definitely see a few more of them before this article is over. While he might be a little pricey on DraftKings, I still like him in tournaments as he will be too low owned.

Adrian Gonzalez FD 3200 DK 4200
Opponent - ARI (Miller) Park - @LAD
FD - 11.48 DK - 8.72

Shelby Miller is back, so you should know what that means. If a lefty is in the starting lineup, you have to consider him. Adrian Gonzalez certainly constitutes as a left hander that should be in the lineup. Shelby Miller is one of the worst pitchers in the league, and if it wasn't for his 1 lucky run, he wouldn't be anywhere near the majors, let alone in a starting rotation. We will touch on some specific numbers late, but just know that he is horrible. Gonzalez has always hit righties extremely well and has done so this year with a .367 wOBA and a 36% hard contact rate. While he will be highly owned, I am a big fan of Gonzo in all formats across the board.

SECOND BASE

Chase Utley FD 2800 DK 4200
Opponent - ARI (Miller) Park - @LAD
FD - 10.42 DK - 8.19

We will move right into another Dodgers lefty here with Chase Utley. Utley has certainly slowed down since the start of the season, but has still hit righties very well. Over nearly 400 at-bats, Utley has sported a .333 wOBA against righties that is held up by numerous peripherals. Against lefties in 2016, Miller has given up a ridiculous .414 wOBA that is held up by an insane 40% hard contact rate and 24% line drive rate.  Though Utley is super expensive on DraftKings, he is very fairly priced over on FanDuel at only $2800, which puts him  in play in both cash games and tournaments.

Matt Carpenter FD 3900 DK 5000
Opponent - PIT (Vogelsong) Park - @PIT
FD - 11.74 DK - 9.02

Along with Shelby Miller, Ryan Vogelsong is back in our lives. Vogelsong has earned himself the nickname "Vogeldong" for a reason, as he has had home run problems for his entire career. It doesn't appear that he has turned that around as he has already given up 3 home runs to lefties in only 23 innings this season. Matt Carpenter is one of the best pure hitters in the league, and has destroyed right handed pitching. Since 2014, Carpenter has sported a .372 wOBA that is backed up by a 34% hard contact rate and a 23.6% line drive rate. While PNC Park isn't too friendly, it is a bit better for lefties as it has a bit of a short porch in right field.

SHORTSTOP

Addison Russell FD 2600 DK 4300
Opponent - MIL (Peralta) Park - @MIL
FD - 10.4 DK - 8.05

While this is the first Cubs bat mentioned, they are in a great spot and you will likely see them in the stacks article later this day. Russell is going to be one of my favorite guys on the team, especially on FanDuel at $2600. That price is just stupid and you have to take advantage of something like that, in both tournaments and cash games. The Brewers are throwing out Wily Peralta, who has been a below average pitcher for more than a few years now. Thus far in 2016, Peralta has given up a .384 wOBA to right handers to go along with a .384 wOBA against left handers. As you can see, Peralta is not very good and you can take confidence in rostering the Cubs against him. While Russell is very expensive on DraftKings, I still like him over there as he has the upside to produce and will be much lower owned than he should be because of his opposing price on FanDuel.

Corey Seager FD 3700 DK 5300
Opponent - ARI (Miller) Park - @LAD
FD - 11.48 DK - 8.97

If it wasn't for the absurd price on Russell over on FanDuel, I would likely have 100% exposure to Corey Seager, as this is the ideal match up for him. As mentioned a few times, Shelby Miller is atrocious against lefties and has shown no signs of any kind of improvement. Seager on the other hand, has been insanely good against right handers. In slightly less than 400 at-bats, Seager has sported a .407 wOBA to go along with a fantastic 39% hard contact rate. Seager has also exhibited a ton of power, which is very rare at the shortstop position. If you are paying down at pitcher and have the salary, you have to go Seager here, but the price on Russell is going to be hard to ignore.

THIRD BASE

Kris Bryant FD 4100 DK 5500
Opponent - MIL (Peralta) Park - @MIL
FD - 14.05 DK - 10.79

Kris Bryant is a guy that you can count on almost every single day, as he has destroyed every type of major league pitching. There is absolutely nobody that should scare you away from Bryant, let alone Wily Peralta. Peralta is one of the worst pitchers on this slate and will be taking on the best team in baseball, the Chicago Cubs. Bryant has hit righties to an insane clip this season, and will continue to do so for about 10 seasons (let's hope). In 2016, Bryant has sported a .399 wOBA and has hit 23 of his 36 homers against righties. Bryant is my pick for home run of the night, and this is one of the more confident selections I have made over the year. While he will cost you a pretty penny, this is the guy you want to spend some money on.

Maikel Franco FD 2800 DK 3500
Opponent - MIA (Urena) Park - @MIA
FD - 9.42 DK - 7.27

If you are looking to spend down for a guy that brings some upside, Maikel Franco is a spectacular way to go. Franco has hit righties better than he has lefties, though it is very close. Since 2015, Franco has sported a .341 wOBA against righties and while his peripherals are very spotty, I am going to chalk it up to h is weird style of hitting. Franco swings for the fence every at-bat and when he makes contact, it tends to go very far. He will take on Jose Urena tonight, who is just a placeholder until the Marlins can find a few decent pitcher to throw in their starting rotation. Urena has struggled against righties and there is no reason to think that will change anytime soon. While Bryant might be in 100% of my lineups, Franco will be the guy I pivot to if I decide on doing so.

OUTFIELD

Carlos Gonzalez FD 3800 DK 4600
Opponent - SF (Samardzija) Park - @COL
FD - 14.52 DK - 11.15
David Dahl FD 3900 DK 4900
Opponent - SF (Samardzija) Park - @COL
FD - 12.98 DK - 10.79

CarGo and David Dahl, 2 very different hitters, but both are in a great spot here against Jeff Samardzija. While Samardzija is a guy I don't tend to pick on, I am willing to pick on almost any pitcher in Coors Field. The altitude is a monster and can make a fool out of anyone, especially a guy that relies on fly-ball outs like Samardzija does. Both CarGo and Dahl have hit righties extremely well, though Gonzalez is on a different level in terms of both longevity and production. Since 2014, Gonzalez has sported  a.389 wOBA against righties and has improved on that number in 2016. If I had to pick 1, it is definitely Gonzalez, but you have to love them as a duo or part of a Rockies stack.

Bryce Harper FD 3700 DK 5400
Opponent - ATL (Perez) Park - @WSH
FD - 15.88 DK - 12.25

Bryce Harper is going to be the only lone outfielder we look at tonight, as the rest of the Nationals outfield instills very little fear in any opposing pitcher. Harper though, definitely instills an insane amount of fear. Against righties, Harper has sported a .373 wOBA since 2014 and he is still crazy young. The opposing pitcher, Williams Perez, is someone who has struggled for about 3 seasons now. Against lefties, he has given up a .341 wOBA that i held up by plenty of peripherals and batted ball numbers. While I do prefer Cabrera and Bryant in terms of high priced options, Harper is a very close 3rd and I think he makes a phenomenal tournament option. On FanDuel, he is way too cheap, as a note.

Justin Upton FD 2900 DK 4200
Opponent - CHW (Gonzalez) Park - @CHW
FD - 10.67 DK - 8.36
J.D. Martinez FD 3600 DK 4600
Opponent - CHW (Gonzalez) Park - @CHW
FD - 12.1 DK - 9.26

Our 2nd and final outfield duo is going to be from the Tigers, with J.D. Martinez and Justin Upton. While both of these guys hit lefties better, they hit right handed pitching just fine. Since 2014, both Upton and Martinez have sported +.340 wOBA against righties, and all peripherals support those numbers. Like I mentioned earlier, Miguel Gonzalez is a below average pitcher and someone we can take advantage of, especially in the hitter friendly U.S. Cellular Field. U.S. Cellular has been a top 10 park for right handed power, and both of these guys will look to take advantage of the huge upgrade from their home, Comerica Park. If I had to pick 1, I would go with Martinez, but I love them as a combo that is paired with Miggy Cabrera and Victor Martinez or Ian Kinsler.

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