DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Saturday 9/17/22

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Pitchers

Zac Gallen FD - P 10000 DK - SP 9900
Opponent - SD (Joe Musgrove) Park - ARI
FD - 33.75 DK - 18.09

The streak of starts allowing zero earned runs ended at six last time out in Colorado but Gallen was still dominant striking out 11 adding to his very impressive season for a rebuilding D-Backs team. The matchup tonight may not look that great against the Padres but considering they have scored a league-low 38 runs over the last 14 days with the second-worst wOBA(.275) and wRC+(78) I am fully on board with Gallen in all formats.

George Kirby FD 9300 DK 8000
Opponent - LAA (Shohei Ohtani) Park - LAA
FD - 35.61 DK - 19.04

It is the year of the teammates when looking the rookie of the year awards in both leagues. In the NL, it's Strider and Harris for the Braves up top and in the AL it's Julio Rodriguez and not far behind is George Kirby. He has been good all year but has really come on in the second half holding opponents to two or fewer earned runs in eight of nine starts and one or fewer in four straight. He will face off against another top pitcher in Shohei Ohtani but gets is cheaper and gets the better matchup against the Angels' offense that has been below average over the last month when looking at wOBA(.302) and wRC+(95) and has struck out over 25% of the time. At these prices, Kirby is easily our top PTS/$ play on the mound tonight.

Catcher/First Base

Freddie Freeman FD - 1B 4300 DK - 1B 5600
Opponent - SF (Undecided) Park - SF
FD - 12.63 DK - 9.52

The Dodgers were the first team to clinch their division so there is always the risk of them limiting their starters down the stretch but if Freeman is starting, he is must-play right now. He has been tremendous in the second half(.344/.413/.523 slash line) and even better in the short term hitting .432 over his last 10 games while averaging 13.6 DK/18.1 FD points per game. He and the Dodgers get another smash spot against the Giants who will be throwing a bullpen game and seeing as Freeman was once a regular in the $6K range on DraftKings, I will be buying low in all formats as my top play at first.

Yuli Gurriel FD - 1B 2600 DK - 1B 3700
Opponent - OAK (Cole Irvin) Park - HOU
FD - 8.69 DK - 6.7

If you are worried Freeman may get pulled early a value approach makes a ton of sense and Yuli Gurriel is at the top of that list. He lacks upside with just eight home runs on the season but has been consistent in the short term with hits in six of his last seven games including three multi-hit efforts and has also been more productive against lefties. That lines up nicely as he faces Cole Irvin who has finally hit the regression we called for early in the season as he has tallied a 6.50 ERA/4.61 xFIP in his last six starts. I will have exposure to Gurriel in all formats but prefer him as a cash option.

Second Base

Marcus Semien FD 3900 DK 5300
Opponent - TB (Shawn Armstrong) Park - TB
FD - 7.66 DK - 5.79

We are definitely going to want to get some exposure to the turbo slate today as the Rangers offense looks to play spoiler for the AL Wildcard. Leading the way for the red-hot offense(25 runs last four games) is Marcus Semien who has hits in 13 of 15 games in September in with six multi-hit games and a .317/.348/.603 slash line. He has been pretty even when looking at the left/right splits but gets on base about 40% more vs. lefties and has 13% better wRC+ in the split. Fire up Semien in all formats.

Jeff McNeil FD - 2B 3000 DK - 2B/OF 4500
Opponent - PIT (Bryse Wilson) Park - NYM
FD - 9.75 DK - 7.5

On the main slate, we are going to pick on Bryse Wilson who has given up three or more earned runs in seven of his last eight starts for a 5.48 ERA/4.42 xFIP and has been much worse against lefties giving up a .405 wOBA/.577 SLG. Enter Jeff McNeil who comes at a reasonable mid-tier price and better yet has been red-hot with multiple hits in seven September games for a .383 average and .385 wOBA during the month. Lock and load in all formats.

Shortstop

Jeremy Peña FD 2400 DK 4800
Opponent - OAK (Cole Irvin) Park - OAK
FD - 10.25 DK - 7.89

Pena was one of the reasons the Astros felt comfortable parting ways with Carlos Correa and while the average(.249) isn't quite where he wants it he has shown a ton of upside for fantasy. There is a good chance we see that upside on display Saturday as he faces a struggling lefty in Cole Irvin and has been much better in the split. The price is on the rise but given the matchup and move to the two-hole in the lineup, I am on board in all formats.

Elvis Andrus FD - SS 3300 DK - SS 3500
Opponent - DET (Eduardo Rodriguez) Park - DET
FD - 8.93 DK - 7.02

Speaking of being elevated up the lineup, we have Elvis Andrus who is now leading off for the White Sox and the move has paid off handsomely as he has hits in 13 of 15 games and a .344/.391/.688 slash line. Despite being scorching hot with tons of opportunity, the price has yet to rise which easily makes him a top PTS/$ target on Saturday.

Third Base

Yoán Moncada FD - 3B 2200 DK - 3B 3700
Opponent - DET (Eduardo Rodriguez) Park - DET
FD - 8.71 DK - 6.59

Building lineups on this turbo slate is not going to be that hard considering the extreme value with the White Sox bats. If we are playing Andrus, who I just mentioned, it makes perfect sense to stack him with Moncada who has flashed some big upside down the stretch with hits in six of nine games with four multi-hit games and two games with four or more hits. He is also a switch hitter with a huge split differential posting a .359 wOBA/137 wrC+ against lefties(.257 wOBA/64 wRC+ against righties). He is a top target in all formats today.

Alec Bohm FD - 3B 2800 DK - 3B 4500
Opponent - ATL (Jake Odorizzi) Park - ATL
FD - 7.89 DK - 6.07

We aren't having to pay top dollar for our pitchers tonight but will still be looking for some mid-tier value to ensure we can stack some big bats. Enter Alec Bohm who not only gives us that mid-tier value but has also been extremely consistent for the Phillies' hitting .310 with a 117 wRC+ in the second half. The Phillies will look to hold on to a wildcard spot and get a decent matchup against jake Odorizzi who has been average-at-best(4.15 ERA/4.68 xFIP) this season and has given up home runs in his five straight starts(seven total). Fire up Bohm in all formats.

Outfield

Kyle Schwarber FD - OF 3400 DK - OF 5200
Opponent - ATL (Jake Odorizzi) Park - ATL
FD - 11.73 DK - 8.69

I just mentioned the home run struggles for Odorizzi(at least one in five straight) and that makes Schwarber a top target in the outfield as he trails only Aaron Judge in home runs this season. Consistency is not the game he plays with a .214 average but he has been better in the short term with hits in six of his last seven games. The price also stands out here as he comes in outside the top 10 at the position on both sites. Add on that he hits leadoff and you have a top play in the outfield in all formats.

Eloy Jiménez FD - OF 3600 DK - OF 5200
Opponent - DET (Eduardo Rodriguez) Park - DET
FD - 11.05 DK - 8.39

While Jimenez doesn't come cheap, his teammates at the top of the order that I already mentioned help us get there with ease on this turbo slate. That is good news as Eloy has been red-hot with not just hits in nine of his last 10 games but has added five multi-efforts and four home runs in that time. The White Sox also get a plus matchup against E-Rod who has given up 13 earned runs with five long balls in his last three starts.

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