Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 9/13/16

Welcome to Tuesday baseball! We have a 15 game full 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

Marcus Stroman FD 7800 DK 9000
Opponent - TB (Smyly) Park - @TOR
FD - 33.82 DK - 22.28

Marcus Stroman is going to start us off here at pitcher, and this is not a normal day at pitcher. There is no elite option at the pitcher position that jumps off the page. Noah Syndergaard is the most expensive guy on the slate, but he didn't come back for about 25 minutes. Stroman and the Blue Jays will be facing off with the Tampa Bay Rays. Against right handed pitching, the Rays have struck out nearly 24% of the time and have sported a lackluster .737 wOBA. Stroman on the other hand, has been exceptional against both sides of the plate with a .309 combined wOBA. He strikes out nearly a batter per inning, but makes up for that with a great BB rate. While he is definitely hard to trust, Stroman comes into the day as our top option in both cash games and tournaments. He is cheaper on FanDuel, so definitely makes more sense there.

Robbie Ray FD 8300 DK 7700
Opponent - COL (De La Rosa) Park - @ARI
FD - 34.28 DK - 22.93

Like I said, pitcher is not pretty today. There are bunch of guys you can consider but definitely don't love, and Robbie Ray is one of those guys. The ballpark is not good, but the upside and match up is definitely there. The Rockies are a team that relies heavily on Coors Field to produce, as evident by there 25th worst .302 wOBA on the road. Robbie Ray has been spectacular against both sides of the plate with sub .333 wOBA's against both sides. Against lefties in particular, Ray has sported a .296 wOBA that is backed up by numerous peripherals and batted ball rates. While he is definitely another guy that is hard to trust, we don't really have the luxury of trusting anyone on a slate like this.

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CATCHER

Victor Martinez FD 3400 DK 3600
Opponent - MIN (Gibson) Park - @DET
FD - 11.52 DK - 8.82

Victor Martinez is going to start us off at catcher, though he only fits the catcher slot on FanDuel. The Tigers are at home and will facing off with Kyle Gibson and the Minnesota Twins. Gibson has been atrocious against both lefties and righties, but lefties in particular. So far in 2016, Gibson has given up a .391 wOBA alongside 19 homers. Wow, that is horrible. Victor Martinez has been a guy that you can trust for about 10 seasons now and this one is no different. He is extremely safe and is a tremendous play in both cash games and tournaments. On DraftKings, I am a fan of him at 1st, and he will likely be very low owned.

Welington Castillo FD 2900 DK 4100
Opponent - COL (De La Rosa) Park - @ARI
FD - 11 DK - 8.51

Welington "Beef" Castillo is going to be our tournament-special catcher here on this huge 15 game slate. Castillo always has a ton of upside, especially against a left hander at home in hitter friendly Chase Field. The Rockies will be tossing out Jorge De La Rosa. De La Rosa appears to have run into a wall this year, as he has given up a putrid .351 wOBA on the season that is supported by 15 homers allowed and a 4.98 xFIP. Castillo, while not a good pure hitter, has a huge power bat and can connect on 2 homers any day. If you are feeling sneaky or want to get a tournament special, go with Beef Castillo. On FanDuel, it is going to be extremely difficult to not just plug him in as he is way too cheap.

FIRST BASE

Paul Goldschmidt FD 3700 DK 5300
Opponent - COL (De La Rosa) Park - @ARI
FD - 14.45 DK - 11.31

We will move right into another Arizona Diamondback here with Paul Goldschmidt. Goldschmidt is the beating heart of the d-backs order, and is a top 3 hitter in baseball against lefties. Since 2015, Goldy has sported a .396 wOBA against southpaws, and those numbers are far from a fluke. The ballpark  is another big thing to consider here. Chase FIeld is the 2nd best ballpark in the league and that will only help Goldschmidt put one into the left field seats. Like mentioned a second ago, De La Rosa has hit a wall and has no hope against guy like Goldschmidt anymore. Goldy is my pick for homer of the night and I could see him having a HUGE game here. While he is excessively expensive on DK, he is extremely fairly priced over on FanDuel at $3700.

Justin Bour FD 2200 DK 3900
Opponent - ATL (Wisler) Park - @ATL
FD - 10.11 DK - 7.74

After Goldschmidt, there are definitely a bunch of guys in the upper range of prices that you can consider and are quality plays across the board. That being said, you rarely find a guy at first base that has huge home run potential and is sitting at $2200 on FanDuel. That guy today is Justin Bour. The Marlins are one of our favorite offenses on the slate and you should be ready to see quite a few of them here. The pricing situation must be a bit messed up as Dee Gordon is $2100 and Bour is only $100 more. While the ballpark isn't tremendous, Bour has the power to hit it out anywhere. In 2015, Bour sported a .346 wOBA against righties. While he is not someone I am looking at on DK, I have my eye on him on FanDuel. I am not too sure if ownership will come into play here, but I expect the Marlins guys to be about 6%-8% owned, which is perfectly fine for both cash and tournaments.

SECOND BASE

Dee Gordon FD 2100 DK 4000
Opponent - ATL (Wisler) Park - @ATL
FD - 9 DK - 8.66

We are going to go right back to another Miami Marlin here in Dee Gordon. Gordon and the Marlins, like I just mentioned, are one of our biggest targets on the slate, for a few reasons. One of which being the great match up and the other being the pricing errors on FanDuel. Dee Gordon, who is a top 4 second baseman, is priced at $2100!!!!! That is just an utterly ridiculous price and I see no reason to not have him in almost every single roster. While I will have a few tournament pivots, Gordon will be in 100% of my cash games and I am willing to go down with the ship. Wisler also struggles holding runners, which means Gordon can turn a single into a triple in 2 pitches. The Marlins are a team you will want exposure to and Gordon offers a cheap way to do so.

Robinson Cano FD 3600 DK 5200
Opponent - LAA (Meyer) Park - @LAA
FD - 12.09 DK - 9.4

If you are looking for a pivot, I would go with a guy like Robinson Cano. In this situation, I want the guy with some insane upside. Everyone will be on Dee Gordon, and rightfully so. If I want to fade him, Cano has the upside to do so. He is obviously one of the best hitters in the league against righties and I expect him to have a big game here. THe opposing pitcher, Alex Meyer, has struggled mightily against lefties in the majors, though the sample size is incredibly small.  Cano on the other hand, has sported a .400+ wOBA against righties in 2 of his last 5 seasons, and was very close to .400 in 2 of those other seasons. While the ballpark is tough, Cano doesn't rely on power and can score in many different ways. On FanDuel, go with Dee Gordon in your cash games and tournament. I see the merit of fading in a few large field tourneys, but be careful. He is one of the best Pt/$ plays on the year.

SHORTSTOP

Addison Russell FD 2800 DK 4000
Opponent - STL (Garcia) Park - @STL
FD - 9.69 DK - 7.51
Javier Baez FD 2600 DK 4300
Opponent - STL (Garcia) Park - @STL
FD - 9.46 DK - 7.67

We have a little shortstop combo here with Addison Russell and Javier Baez. These 2 guys are so similar, yet diferent in so many ways. One of their main similarities is the ability to hit left handed pitching. While Jaime Garcia is no surefire guy to pick on, he has trouble against righties and can certainly give up the long ball on occasion. Both of these guys are similarly priced on both sites, and I like them about evenly. Baez offers a bit more upside in my opinion as he has a ton of power, but can also swipe a bag at anytime. Another thing to consider is their ability to hit righties. Once the bullpen comes into the game, these guys will likely see 2 or 3 AB's against right handers. Baez hits righties better and for that, I will go with him if I have to choose.

Troy Tulowitzki FD 3000 DK 3800
Opponent - TB (Smyly) Park - @TOR
FD - 11.26 DK - 8.58

While this is the first Toronto Blue Jay mentioned, they make for a very interesting stack option in tournaments. While Drew Smyly is a pretty good pitcher, he struggles against righties and can give up a ton of homers when his "stuff" isn't moving right. Tulowitzki has mashed left handed pitching since 2013 to a crazy .378 clip that is backed up by all of his peripherals and batted ball rates. While I definitely prefer the Cubs guys in cash games, Tulo makes for a very interesting option in tournaments. He is extremely fairly priced and has the upside to hit 2 homers on any given day.

THIRD BASE

Nolan Arenado FD 3500 DK 4600
Opponent - ARI (Ray) Park - @ARI
FD - 12.05 DK - 9.13

Nolan Arenado is going to start us off at third base, a position that we suggest you pay up for today. Arenado is only $3500 on FanDuel, which likely means I will have him in 99% of my FanDuel lineups. Even though we talked about Robbie Ray earlier, we have touch on Arenado here against the southpaw. He destroys lefties and has sported a .381 wOBA against them on the season. The game will take place in Chase Field, which is the 2nd best ballpark in the league for power, but is still a big downgrade from Coors Field. Arenado is a fantastic play and if you want to get crazy in tournaments, play both Ray and Arenado.

Josh Donaldson FD 4100 DK 4800
Opponent - TB (Smyly) Park - @TOR
FD - 14.42 DK - 10.96

Nolan Arenado and Josh Donaldson are actually quite similar. Both destroy left handed pitching, but also hit for average at the same time. Donaldson has been a little bit better against lefties than Arenado has with a nearly .400 wOBA dating back to his Athletics days. Like I mentioned a bit ago, Drew Smyly is no bum but does struggle at times with right handers. The game will be played in the Rogers Centre, which is a top 10 ballpark for right handed power. I am going to double down with my home run pick and take Donaldson along with Paul Goldschmidt. Donaldson is more expsnsove than Arenado on both sites, and with that, will come insanely low ownership. Do not be afraid to play Donaldson over Arenado in any format, especially if you think the ownership difference will be drastic.

OUTFIELD

J.D. Martinez FD 3500 DK 4500
Opponent - MIN (Gibson) Park - @DET
FD - 12.56 DK - 9.61
Cameron Maybin FD 3000 DK 3900
Opponent - MIN (Gibson) Park - @DET
FD - 11.03 DK - 9.31

The Tigers outfield duo of J.D. Martinez and Cameron Maybin will lead us off in the outfield. Like I mentioned a bit earlier, Kyle Gibson is horrible and we should be looking to take advantage of him at any chance we can get. Though the ballpark is below average, Martinez has the power to hit it out anywhere and Maybin has the speed to make something happen on the base paths. Both Martinez and Maybin have sported a +.350 wOBA since 2015 against righties. If I had to choose 1, it would definitely be Martinez, but it is not as close as you may think. Both guys are terrific options and I am a big fan of them across the board. Maybin is way too cheap on FanDuel and I recommend throwing him on some teams.

Christian Yelich FD 3000 DK 4600
Opponent - ATL (Wisler) Park - @ATL
FD - 10.51 DK - 8.5

We are going to finish up the outfield and article with Christian Yelich, another left handed Miami Marlin. The Marlins are in a fantastic spot tonight as they will be taking on Matt Wisler. Wisler, a right handed youngster, has been pretty horrible against lefties. Through nearly 70 innings, he has given up 11 homers alongside a .333 wOBA and a 5.33 xFIP against left handers. Yelich on the other hand, has held a .354 wOBA against righties and has shown a hint of pop in his bat recently. Yelich is another guy who has a huge pricing difference from site to site, so make sure to keep that in consideration. In a head to head situation, I do prefer Pollock, but if you have any other Marlins already in your lineup, go with Yelich.

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