Howdy! Thank you for checking out my best practices for MLB season-long drafts. If you are like me, a long-suffering New York Mets fan, you spent the offseason rejuvenated by the idea that has been circulated via a meme on Twitter that much like Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, we [the Mets fans] have “crawled through a river of shit [The Wilpons] and came out clean on the other side [Steve Cohen]”. To give you an idea the type of fan I am, my son regularly wears my old 1988 NL East Champs t-shirt, my wife has graciously allowed me to keep the seats I purchased from Shea Stadium in 2008 in our backyard despite multiple moves and houses, and my two offseason Mets-related purchases were a Barstool Sports “Uncle Stevie” t-shirt and a Pitching Ninja “Amazin’ Edition” t-shirt.
If you are also like me and live in the northeast, March means winter is ending, the snow is melting, and baseball is fast approaching. It also means that it’s time to figure out your plans for that year’s rendition of season-long fantasy baseball. I’m not even talking about player rankings or draft strategies; I’m talking about just figuring out how many leagues you will play in and when those drafts will be.
Some of these concepts may seem simple and not worth your time – but they are important – and we must start somewhere. In future articles I will go more into the nuts and bolts of season-long fantasy baseball but let us start here for now.
As we all know, DFS is on the rise. The ability to start with a clean slate every day (and not play every day) is extremely appealing. Conversely, it’s not appealing to draft a season-long team that is ravaged by injuries and poor play which effectively ends your fantasy season in May. However, I’m a firm believer that you can enjoy both DFS and season-long fantasy at the same time. The key is diversification. Much like having multiple entries in a DFS contest, I always agree to be in at least three season-long leagues in MLB, NBA, and NFL. I know this may seem time consuming to some, but if you are reading this article you are probably like me and can manage it.
This is especially true since two of my three leagues are “weekly lineup” leagues, so during the week I can afford to only monitor my teams’ performance from afar and partake in waivers, if needed, without feeling any kind of daily grind or pressure in the event life gets in the way. This diversification allows me to be more successful over time, as all my potential profit is not tied up in one league. If I win one of the three leagues, I make money. Even if I don’t win a league, usually if I finish in the money in one or two of the three leagues, I either make money or break even overall. Yes, there are occasional dry spells, but there are also really big highs, like in 2019 (the last full MLB season) where I finished in 1st, 1st, and 2nd in my three MLB season-long leagues.
I believe it’s also important that the leagues you join are fundamentally different. It wouldn’t be enjoyable if each league were exactly the same. One of my leagues is an AL-Only keeper auction 5×5 roto league with 9 keepers, 23 players starting (including 2 catchers) and no bench. Another is a keeper auction head-to-head points league with 3 keepers. The last league is not a keeper league, but I have been in it for 20+ years, it’s usually a daily lineup league, and it has oscillated between roto and head-to-head depending on the year and the number of teams. These differences make each league feel fresh and managing them feels more like a hobby and less like a chore.
“How do fantasy baseball players keep in contact?” “They touch base every once in a while!” (My website biography warns of “Dad” jokes!)
Being in three leagues also obligates me to being available for three separate drafts. Personally, I enjoy drafting more than most; it never feels like an obligation to me. However, the key to a successful draft is all common sense based: be available (don’t auto-draft) and avoid having multiple drafts at the same day/time. Most leagues try to make the draft as close to the start of the season as possible (so all injuries are known, and opening day rosters are set) but this can lead to fantasy leagues vying for the same prime draft slot.
My advice is to either be the commissioner of the league so you can have final say on scheduling the draft and can avoid conflicts or be vocal early and often with the league and/or the commissioner on your availability. I prefer the latter, as the extra time commitment and headaches the commissioner has to deal with is not worth it to me. Out of my 9 season-long MLB, NBA, and NFL fantasy leagues, I am only the commissioner in 1 and I only became the commissioner to keep the league together and save my friend’s sanity. However, I make myself helpful and indispensable to the commissioners in the other 8 leagues, because I am genuinely a nice guy and because it will usually buy me some draft scheduling preferences.
Once you have your drafts at different days/times, you have set yourself up for success. Each league having its own date/time is a great way to give each league the attention it deserves. However, now I have three separate nights in late-March where my normal routine is altered. For those of you like me with a spouse or a significant other (and young kids), please, please, please, make sure you clear your availability with your partner, and have it marked in your shared Google calendar or old-school written on your refrigerator as soon as your league schedules its draft. I will even mark it as “tentative” in our shared Google calendar to help avoid any surprises and allow for preparation – both actual and mental! Real life fights over fantasy sports don’t help you in real life or in fantasy sports, and you aren’t going to draft a successful team if you don’t have a successful team/situation in your house at the time of the draft.
Lastly, speaking of your house. In pre-COVID-19 times when leagues routinely got together to draft, I learned the hard way a few times that I will do everything in my power to avoid hosting the draft. I love seeing my friends, but I have never been successful in a league in a season where I hosted the draft. You wind up having to spend time actually hosting, which takes away from the key objectives of the draft – compiling an awesome team and making fun of everyone else and their teams! Good luck on choosing your leagues and scheduling your drafts. I hope my best practices for MLB season-long drafts help you.
As a diehard Mets fan, bleeding Orange and Blue, there is nothing I look forward to more than seeing the Amazin’s back on the field and with an abbreviated season heading our way (fingers crossed), it means we get the return of my other love – fantasy baseball! So here is a New York Mets Fantasy Season Outlook!
For fantasy baseball players, when they think of the Mets, they are going to immediately turn to Jacob deGrom and Pete Alonso and rightfully so as consensus top 20 players even in an abbreviated season. There is nothing to say about deGrom or Alonso that hasn’t been said and drafting them inside the top 20, you will likely get a strong return on their value but there is one player right now that I think is not being hyped up nearly enough and could return elite fantasy baseball value in 2020 – Michael Conforto.Right now, Conforto is being drafted outside the top 25 OF’s and barely within the top 100 overall which seems like a mistake for a 27-year-old player hitting his prime after a season in which he knocked 33 HR’s and 92 RBI’s.The circumstances surrounding Conforto heading into this season could not be better, as the Mets will get one of the biggest boosts in baseball with the addition of a DH, swapping out a pitcher for the likes of Yoenis Cespedes. The Mets lineup heading into 2020 is strong across every spot and that day in and day out grind on pitchers without the “benefit” of facing an opposing teams SP in the batter’s box, I believe will make for inflated offensive numbers in the heat of the summer.
Last year, the most common Mets line-up included Todd Frazier and the pitcher’s spot in the line-up and now in 2020 you swap those out for a duo of Cespedes and JD Davis and well, you can start to see how there is simply no break for opposing arms facing this lineup.
If you look at Conforto’s splits, it won’t shock you to see that his K rate drops and his slugging % and ISO metrics jump materially when he is up in the count, specifically early in the count as we saw him generate well over a third of his HR/RBI output when he got up in the count 1-0. This is where the lengthened line-up and the addition of guys like Yo and JD behind him will pay massive dividends as he gets to take advantage of hitter’s counts with more threats around him and more high leverage, run-producing situations.
I also think the fact that Conforto will play 40 of the 60 games against the NL East gives him a familiarity with the parks and pitchers he will face for the large majority of the season, helping bring some continuity to 2020 in which any sort of normalcy will be a big boost to players in this new world.
One interesting note, the last two seasons Conforto has been a huge second-half player with a massive jump in 2018 as his ISO jumped well over .100 points to .266 and we saw a similar improvement in the second half of 2019. You could argue that resurgence comes with the weather warming up which in theory would translate to this year with all games coming in the heat of the summer or you can take the approach that he takes a while to get going – which in a shortened season could be an issue as every game on the schedule has a higher degree of importance.
There is one constant though in the numbers for Conforto – a consistent upward trend and sometimes as Mets fans, we may forget he is still just 27 years old. Heading into this season with McNeil/Nimmo ahead of him and Alonso/Yo/Cano/JD/Ramos right behind him – there is going to be some serious per game run production hitting in the middle of a lineup that showed it was a top 10 offense across every metric in the second half of last year, ranking top 10 in runs, RBI, team ISO and team wOBA. With the addition of a DH, and one as talented as Yoenis Cespedes, I want as many underrated pieces of this Mets offense as I can get!
And hey – LFGM!
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If you are completely new to MLB DFS or just need a reminder, you ALWAYS stack two teams. This means you want four hitters from two different teams to fill out your lineup. The only way I would possibly not do this is on a very short slate (ex. two-game slate, four teams).
An example of a two-team stack would be one pitcher, four Astro bats, and four Braves bats.
Why do you want to stack in MLB DFS? Why would you not try and pick the best player from each team like with NFL or NBA?
The answers are because of all scoring correlates for hitters in baseball. If a hitter gets an RBI you also want the runner(s) on the base(s) who are going to score. For example, if the bases are loaded and your hitter gets a grand slam you get a ton of points for the four RBIs and the home run which is great! However, if you don’t have the three players on the bases that cross home plate during the grand slam you are missing out on three hits (or walks, depending on how the bases got loaded) and the three runs (that get hit in by the grand slam slugger). Not only are you missing out on these points, but it’s more likely than not your competition stacked this team and got the points you are missing out on. Therefore while you are moving up the rankings, you are still getting passed by the people who stacked making it near impossible to get first place.
MLB DFS is very momentum dependent. This means if a pitcher is getting lit up momentum builds as players round the bases and the offense smells blood. Every batter wants a piece of the pitching and running up the score is on the table. Also, once a team is winning significantly, the bullpen is no longer putting in their best arms in an attempt to get a win. The BP may even let an unproven arm come in the game who is still developing and take his lumps while working through a high-pressure situation. This is a dream situation if you stacked against him.
How do I know who to stack in MLB DFS?
This is what I do. I pick my pitcher first. If your pitcher fails, you will most likely not be cashing so that should be your main focus. Once you have your pitcher write down your top six teams. I personally write down the starting lineup for each of the six teams I prefer and go through each eight/nine (depending on DH) hitters in the order they are batting. I cross out any batter that has bad (not average) stats against the pitcher (depending on if the pitcher is right-handed or left-handed). I mainly look at ISO, WOBA, Weather and Home Runs. I will glance at BvP (Batter vs Pitcher) but it is not something I focus on too heavily unless there is a clear advantage that has a long track record.
Once you have the hitters you are considering from your top two teams see if you can fit them in a lineup with the pitcher you have selected. If one of your hitting combos in your second favorite team is not fitting then it does not work. You are going to need to move on to your next favorite team. Continue going through your preferred teams until you find a clean fit of the hitters you like. If you can’t fit your favorite team, that also means your competition won’t be able to either. Baseball is a high variance sport. Chalk in baseball tends to fail more than any other sport in my opinion. I hardly ever play chalk in baseball because of this.
What order of the batting lineup should I stack in MLB DFS?
Try and clump your batters together best you can in MLB DFS. If you can take the 1-4 hitters that’s great. 2-5 works, 3-6 works and so on. You can also skip a player you don’t like and do something like 1; 3-5, 2; 4-6. Do not stack a team by skipping too many batters for example 1,3,5,7. This does not tend to correlate well. You can even go the route of stacking 8,9,1,2. This will be lower owned because you are taking two guys from the back of the lineup however you are still getting batters that are hitting in order.
There will be times where you try and stray from stacking in GPP’s. This is a mistake. Your main focus should be picking your pitcher and stacking two teams in MLB DFS and not getting cute and cherry-picking from teams.
Below is my best example of stacking from last season. I chose my pitcher and stacked the Mets and the Indians.
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This Saturday September 21st slate is all about landing the right bats. Follow my stud and value plays and lock in the MLB DFS Picks of Destiny.
Check out our Data Driven Projections for FanDuel Hitters for Premium Gold Members.
Todays picks are listed in order of preference, not price.
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Minnesota Twins
The Twins go against Glenn Sparkman (6.02 ERA) at home tonight. Here are Sparkman’s FanDuel points the last five games (4, 24, 6, -5, 13). He has given up 22 hits in the same amount of time. The Twins let some people down last night but I will go back to them today on a slate where there are several stackable MLB DFS teams.
Garver, Rosario, Kepler, Cruz, Sano, Polanco
LA Dodgers
Goodness, there are a lot of great MLB DFS stacks I like tonight. I love to target Chi Chi Gonzalez (6.23 ERA). He looked good in his last start at Coors only surrendering one run, but that was vs a poor Padres team. Tonight he should regress to being bad. The Dodgers lineup is stacked and I think you can play basically anyone that fits.
Bellinger, Smith, Joc, Muncy, Seager, Pollock, Freese, Beaty
Astros
Patrick Sandoval (L) is on the mound for the Angels in Houston tonight. He should only last three to four innings here, as that his been his average over the last several games. The Astros’ top of the order should help make it a short night for Sandoval. They looked fantastic last night early, but took their foot off the gas late. I think we get a few more homers from the boys tonight from what I consider the best team in baseball.
Altuve, Bregman, Alvarez, Gurriel, Correa
Stack Pivots: Brewers, Indians, A’s
Catcher: Yasmani Grandal ($3,200 FD) I really like the matchup for the Brewers against James Marvel (9.0 ERA in two starts). Grandal slugs righties at .201 ISO/.353 wOBA with 16 home runs on the season. I like his place in the middle of the order for a team that should rake tonight. I am counting on him to bust out of his slump.
Catcher Pivots: Mitch Garver (obvious spot, I like him just as much as Grandal), Josh Phegley, Roberto Perez, Sean Murphy, Will Smith. Catcher is deep today.
First Base: Matt Olsen ($3,700 FD) This guy is producing every night in MLB DFS and tonight he goes against Brock Burke, who gave up nine runs in his last start. The Oakland A’s are in a sneaky spot and Olsen gets his when the whole lineup is turning over, which I expect tonight. Olsen hits to a .262 ISO/.317 wOBA with 10 home runs in 141 ABs vs lefties.
First Base Pivots: Yuli Gurriel, Carlos Santana, David Freese, Eric Thames
Second Base: Jose Altuve ($4,400 FD) When Altuve is hot you play him. He has four home runs in his last six games. He is elite versus lefties and that’s what he gets tonight in Patrick Sandoval. He has a homer in each of his last two games. Yes please.
Second Base Pivots: Keston Hiura, Max Muncy
Third Base: Mike Moustakas ($3,400 FD) I don’t love a lot at third basemen today so I am landing on Moustakas because of the matchup vs James Marvel. I mentioned earlier he is getting bludgeoned in his first two MLB games. Mous has 24 homers off lefties this season and there is no reason he can’t go deep again tonight.
Third Base Pivots: Matt Chapman, Miguel Sano
Shortstop: Alex Bregman ($4,300 FD) Over his last five games he is averaging 17.9 FD points per game. No need to overthink it here vs Patrik Sandoval. He is locked in to give you MLB DFS production and keep your lineups alive. He has three home runs in his last five games.
Shortstop Pivots: Fransisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, Cory Seager, Jorge Polanco
Outfield: Cody Bellinger ($4,500 FD) He is locked in right now and he gets one of my favorite pitchers to target in Chi Chi. He hits to a .332 ISO/.438 wOBA against righties and has 28 home runs. Easy play.
Pivots: Yordan Alvarez, Nelson Cruz, A.J. Pollock
Outfield: Eddie Rosario ($3,500 FD) He has a poor outing last night but the three games before he had multiple hits in each. Going against Glenn Sparkman will give him an excellent chance to get back on track. He hits .to a 237 IS/.333 wOBA with 24 home runs against righties this year. He should be batting fifth and can help clear off the bases.
Pivots: Franmil Reyes, Mark Canha, Joe Pederson
Outfield: Trent Grisham ($2,700 FD) batting lead off against James Marvel and he is cheap. He is not the Brewers best bat, but he should exceed value at $2,700 in MLB DFS.
Pivots: Jordan Luplow
I primarily used FanDuel when building optimal MLB DFS lineups.
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We’ve got a loaded 14-game 7:05 EST main slate for MLB 9/17 DFS – one that we’ve got some high game totals for, including another big-time stack at Coors. The lineups get unstable toward the end of the year, but that just gives us more opportunities to embrace the variance and make it fun on this enormous slate.
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The Mets are expensive but have the highest implied total on the slate. Last night they scored just four runs in Coors but on Tuesday get to face Melville, who’s been torched in his three home starts (.516 xwOBA, 9.00 ERA, 6.31 xFIP). I’ll be applying a liberal smattering of Mets hitters in most of my lineups, with most of my exposure coming with the first five hitters: Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, Michael Conforto, Robinson Cano and Pete Alonso. Wilson Ramos is a very affordable $2,900 on FD as well, where he can be used in one of two spots.
The Sox may be missing Mookie Betts (foot) but they’re still a powerful bunch of bats in a hitter’s park. Logan Webb has been tuned up for a .400 xwOBA vs. RHP) during his short time in the Majors, and he’s not going to like the ballpark shift from Oracle. The usual suspects (Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez and Andrew Benintendi) are all $5,000 or under on DK, and Mitch Moreland is just $4,200.
The Blue Jays are a sneaky stack in a slate with Coors Field on the docket, and they’ll be playing in Baltimore, where the homers fly out and the Orioles pitching staff has reached a new nadir in allowing the long ball. I’m stacking the 1-5 with occasional shares of Randal Grichuk ($4,300 DK) and Billy McKinney ($3,300 DK).
The Indians are underpriced for the matchup on this 9/17 DFS slate, whether it’s against Schreiber (the possible opener) or Turnbull, who’s really struggled this season (3-15 in 27 starts with a 4.77 ERA and 1.48 WHIP). I’m leaning toward mini-stacks considering there are so many other great matchups on this slate, but feel free to grab shares of the 1-5 hitters and get some exposure to the value bats (Franmil Reyes, Mike Freeman and Jordan Luplow, if he’s in the lineup).
Atlanta Braves at Vince Velazquez (It’s tough to fadeFreeman and Co. in a hitter’s park)
Miami Marlins at LHP Alex Young (all the righties –including my guy Starlin Castro)
Colorado Rockies vs. Marcus Stroman (The contrarian side ofCoors against a decent RHP)
I’m a huge fan of Realmuto, who sports a .443 xwOBA and .227 ISO against LHPs over the past two seasons. It’s a one-off play that should command low ownership and provide a decent floor – as well as immense upside in GPPs.
Tellez has four homers in his last 11 games, crushes right-handedpitching (.453 xwOBA, .245 ISO since 2018), and bats fourth between Lourdes Gurrieland Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. Tellez is my double-dinger call of the day, and he’snot really thrown off by lefty relievers, either (.430 xwOBA against LHPs since2018).
Biggio is another Jays bat I want exposure to in Camden Yards, where he’s already got three homers in five career games and a 168 OPS+ that screams GPP play. As part of stack or simply a value bat at a reasonable price, Biggio makes a solid play for his speed and power.
Chapman and his surging power numbers (4 HRs in September so far) couldbe overlooked on this slate, and if you’re wary of spending more than $5K for J.D.Davis but still want to get some other Coors bats in, he could be a big help.All these games matter for the A’s, and Chapman (.423 xwOBA and .250 ISO vs.RHPs since 2018) is the heart and soul of their lineup along with Matt Olsonand Marcus Semien, the other two Oakland bats with 30+ homers this year.
Lindor is my favorite shortstop of this slate. He gets lotsof ABs and benefits from a circular Indians lineup that has some decent hittersat the bottom of the order – giving him some run-creating opportunities alongwith table-setting ability. His price is cheaper than Xander Bogaerts, Trevor Storyand Bo Bichette on DK (with just as much GPP upside) and he’s playable in allformats at home (where he owns a .386 wOBA and .403 xwOBA sine 2018) against theTigers.
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Idiscussed the Red Sox stack up top, but if there’s one bat from Boston I’d likein this matchup, it’s J.D. His .506 xwOBA vs. RHPs since 2018 (over a hugesample of 998 plate appearances) means he can hit all types of pitching (it’s apreposterous .560 vs. LHPs) and he’s still surrounded by Bogaerts andBenintendi, who both hit RHPs well. I’m banking on a three-run homer for the RedSox OF/DH in hitter-friendly Fenway against young Logan Webb (.400 xwOBA vs. RHP).
Thehome numbers for Mercado are impressive (.290/.340/.477) and his bat has beenshowing some life again (10 hits in his last 26 AB). You’re getting thetalented young OF at a discount on both sites, and he’s a great piece to havein Indians mini stacks along with Lindor and Carlos Santana.
Hampson is red-hot at the plate and is dirt cheap onDK. He’s played much better since getting more regular time, starting in theRockies’ last five straight and games and going 11-for-22 over that stretch(counting Monday night). He’s easy to overlook in the lineup as the No. 7 hitterand makes plenty of sense in both cash games and GPPs.
C:Roberto Perez ($3,600 DK, $2,900FD), Reese McGuire ($3,900 DK, $2,800 FD)
1B: Pete Alonso ($5,600 DK, $4,300 FD), Carlos Santana($4,300 DK, $3,900 FD)
2B: Robinson Cano ($4,700 DK, $3,600 FD), Jonathan Villar($4,700 DK, $3,800 FD)
3B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr, ($3,900 DK, $2,900 FD), EugenioSuarez ($4,500 DK, $3,900 FD)
SS: Bo Bichette ($5,400 DK, $3,900 FD), Xander Bogaerts ($5,000DK, 3,800 FD)
OF: Austin Meadows ($5,600 DK, $4,400 FD), Yordan Alvarez ($5,200DK, $4,100 FD), Brandon Nimmo ($4,500 DK, $3,900 FD), Khris Davis ($3,800 DK,$3,200 FD), Michael Brantley ($4,000 DK, $3,800 FD), Matt Joyce ($4,100 DK, $2,400FD)
This Saturday September 14th slate is all about landing the right bats. Follow my stud and value plays and lock in the MLB DFS Picks of Destiny.
Check out our Data Driven Projections for FanDuel Hitters for Premium Gold Members.
Todays picks are listed in order of preference, not price.
David Jones won 100K on FanDuel! Read about it here!
Cleveland Indians
The second game of the doubleheader will be on the main slate and should be a bullpen game for the Twins. Former Uber driver Randy Dobnak recently got called up and he will be starting for Minnesota. He actually has looked pretty good in MiLB with a 2.07 ERA but this Indians team is a different caliber of hitters than what he is used to. In Dobnak’s last three innings pitched in the bigs he has given up three runs. I feel like the Twins will try and extend him, until he implodes, in an attempt to preserve the bullpen arms as long as possible.
Fransisco Lindor, Franmil Reyes, Carlos Santana, Jose Ramirez, Yasiel Puig, Jason Kipnis
San Diego Padres
Last night Coors Field made the struggling Padres finally come alive again. Tonight Peter Lambert is pitching for the Rockies and it’s not going to be pretty, again. He currently has a 6.86 ERA and gets absolutely dominated every time he is on the mound. I had to go back to the June game-logs to find a start where he didn’t give up multiple runs. The Padres are priced fairly tonight and there really is no reason half of them shouldn’t pay off. Last night they were able to put eight runs on the board. If they can do that again, which they certainly have a chance of with Lambert pitching, we should be building our bankroll for NFL tomorrow.
Eric Hosmer, Manny Machado, Greg Garcia, Nick Martini, Wil Myers, Austin Hedgers
Colorado Rockies
I like to play the Rockies vs lefties. Eric Lauer is on the bump for the Padres, and while he has been decent for San Diego (4.41 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) pitching in Coors Field isn’t something that is going to help his numbers. My MLB DFS stack will start with Trevor Story, who has already taken Lauer deep twice in just 12 at bats against him in his career. The Rockies put up 10 runs last night, we just need them to keep their foot on the gas.
Trevor Story, Nolan Arenado, Ian Desmond, Ryan McMahon, Patrick Valaika, Daniel Murphy, Charlie Blackmon
Sneaky Stacks: White Sox, A’s, Giants, Twins
Catcher: James McCann ($3,000 FD) goes against Felix Hernandez (R) in Seattle. In 10 ABs vs Hernandez, McCann has one home run and hits to a .400 ISO/.315 wOBA. On the season McCann has 12 home runs vs right handed pitching. Hernandez has been struggling towards the back end of the season and is getting lit up basically every start. He has not made it six innings since April 30th. McCann should be low owned and he has upside.
Catcher Pivot: Austin Hedges
First Base: Jose Abreu ($4,100 FD) is on fire right now. He has hit five home runs in his last eight games. In the same time frame he has had at least one hit in every game. He also gets to pick on the struggling Hernandez mentioned above. On the season, he has 24 home runs vs righties with a .226 ISO/.327 wOBA. Love it for MLB DFS.
First Base Pivots: Carlos Santana, Eric Hosmer, Daniel Murphy
Second Base: Ryan McMahon ($3,500 FD) is at home in Coors today and is priced very fairly for someone who is in the middle of the lineup and hits lefties at .229 ISO/.337 wOBA. He has nine home runs in 140 ABs vs. southpaws and I think the Rockies are going to get to Eric Lauer tonight. If you stack Rockies, McMahon fits nicely.
Second Base Pivots: Jason Kipnis, Greg Garcia
Third Base: Nolan Arenado ($4,800 FD) is the best Rockie on the board. He is another hot bat right now with three home runs in his last four games. He smashes lefties at .302/.448 wOBA. He is my favorite MLB DFS bat on the slate.
Third Base Pivots: Yoan Moncada, Manny Machado
Shortstop: Francisco Lindor ($4,400 FD) is also slashing the ball lately. He has four home runs in his last six games. He has 23 home runs on the season vs righties and hits .274 ISO/.380 wOBA. He should lead the charge vs. the Twins bullpen tonight and is extraordinarily safe. Plug in him, or Trevor Story (OR BOTH) and get weird somewhere else.
Shortstop Pivots: Trevor Story (also elite option at SS)
Outfield: Ian Desmond ($3,400 FD). I am going to stay with this underpriced Rockie. Desmond has the second best numbers vs. lefties on the Rockies, which is surprising. He carries a .301 ISO/.389 wOBA with 11 home runs on the season, which ties Charlie Blackmon. I trust him tonight hitting behind Arenado.
Outfield: Franmil Reyes ($3,000 FD) is just too cheap. He has be up and down lately but I can get behind him in this bullpen game at $3,000 on FanDuel. He has the most home runs vs righties on the Indians with 28. He hits .272 ISO/.339 wOBA. Excellent MLB DFS value here.
Outfield: Wil Myers ($3,200 FD) has a hit in 12 of his last 13 games with two home runs. He has 10 home runs on the season vs righties. I like his place in the order and I like the park his is hitting in today. Also he faces Peter Lambert (6.68 ERA) who gets absolutely crushed in Coors.
Outfield Pivots: Charlie Blackmon, Yasiel Puig, Nick Martini, Kyle Lewis
I primary used FanDuel when building optimal MLB DFS lineups.
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A flashback at some of the best performances from the Thursday slate plus their outlooks for the remainder of the season on the 9/13 MLB DFS review and look ahead.
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As Jason had him in our Premium Gold Cheatsheet as a value outfielder, Adam Eaton had a productive day at the plate against the Minnesota Twins. He ended up going 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI. Eaton also had an outfield assist during the game as well.
Outlook for the rest of the season: Eaton has been producing for the Washington Nationals during the stretch run, batting .304 in his last 30 games. He also has seven of his 14 home runs during that span. Expect Eaton to continue feasting off the opposing pitchers in the final few weeks of the season.
Here is a Premium Gold screenshot of all the Top 25 players based on salary from the Reds-Mariners game last night. Freddy Galvis was the main component in the Reds lineup against the Seattle Mariners. He ended up going 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI and a walk.
Outlook for the rest of the season: Do not expect Freddy Galvis to be a productive offensive shortstop compared to the rest of the league. With this game, he is 6-for-his-last-46 and has a miserable .200 OBP in that span. There will be better offensive players for value prices compared to Galvis down the stretch,
Here is a list of the top-15 pitchers on the slate based on salary from our Premium Gold Pitcher Projection Model. Yu Darvish was in the Top Five but still seemed like a value for how he pitched against the San Diego Padres. He ended up going six innings of two hit ball with two walks and 14 strikeouts. All but four outs were via the strikeout.
Outlook for the rest of the season: Yu Darvish seems to have figured something out since the All-Star break, going 4-2 with a 2.44 ERA and a 0.78 WHIP. Darvish is getting stronger at a time where the Cubs are tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the second Wild Card spot. The team needs to win as much as possible and Darvish will provide great outings every time on the mound.
The New York Mets had a good day at the plate as a team against the Arizona Diamondbacks, scoing 11 runs with 11 hits and added three walks. Juan Lagares went 2-for-4 with a pair of homers and six RBI (all with two outs).
Outlook for the rest of the season: The Mets have just swept a four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks and are two games back of the second N.L. Wild Card spot. The Mets are scoring 4.86 runs per game and 6.6 runs in their previous five games. With their subpar bullpen, the Mets need the offense to continue to put up solid numbers since no lead is necessarily safe.
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