Friday, Sept. 10, brings a 13-game main slate loaded with pitching choices. Let’s get into the top MLB DFS picks for pitchers and stacks for Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy baseball lineups.
MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers and Top Stacks, Friday, Sept. 10
Yahoo Stack of the Day: Toronto Blue Jays at RHP Chris Ellis — 6.1 implied runs
Chris Ellis shut out the Yankees in his last appearance. In three outings since the Orioles claimed him, he has provided 12.2 innings, a 2.84 ERA and 0.87 WHIP. However, the four walks and two home runs are concerning, as is the issue that he has a grand total of 17.2 MLB innings under his belt. Across 314.2 innings in Triple-A, Ellis was not particularly inspiring, with his strikeout efficiency not enough to overshadow a dismal 6.44 ERA.
Last night Bo Bichette ($14) launched his 22nd home run and stole his 22nd base. There is a good chance he will be at the top of the order again if George Springer ($19) is still out with his knee issue. Corey Dickerson ($12) should also be in the lineup with a righty on the mound. Both of the Baltimore lefties in the bullpen have seen work in the last 48 hours, which decreases the odds of Dickerson being lifted for a pinch-hitter.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($21) is four RBIs behind Salvador Perez, one home run from Shohei Ohtani 2 percentage points behind Trea Turner’s batting average. Marcus Semien ($23) and Lourdes Gurriel ($20) continue to produce, and Teoscar Hernandez ($20) is crushing at the plate. Extreme value option Jake Lamb ($7) is likely to be near the bottom of the order, but he is in play as a desperation punt at the Yahoo minimum salary.
Evening Slate
Kansas City Royals at RHP Griffin Jax — 4.6 implied runs
On the four-game evening slate the masses are projected to be leaning towards the Twins facing Daniel Lynch and the Reds squaring off against Jon Lester. Kansas City will still be garnering interest, though it does not seem to be an avalanche at this point. Rookie Griffin Jax has had a rough go, particularly over his last six starts. Across 31.2 innings he has a 7.11 ERA, 7.01 FIP, 2.84 home runs allowed per nine innings and as many strikeouts (25) as earned runs.
Batters from both sides of the plate have found success against Jax, and the top priority is Perez. He is leading the league with 104 RBIs, and his 42 home runs trail only Ohtani. There are still three weeks left in the regular season, and Perez is already 15 home runs and 24 RBIs ahead of his career highs.
Andrew Benintendi is coming at a bargain salary across the DFS sites tonight, and he should be in the cleanup slot. Though his power tends to ebb and flow, he has three multi-hit games in the last week. Whit Merrifield is an intriguing leadoff option with his power/speed combination. He has swiped two bags in his last three games as he battles Starling Marte for the stolen base title. Carlos Santana is always a smooth option with his switch-hitting skillset, and he has a prime spot in the batting order.
Adalberto Mondesi has been dealing with all sorts of injuries this season, and he looks lost at the plate. Since the beginning of last season he has a woeful 34.1% strikeout rate, just a .265 wOBA and a .103 ISO against right-handed pitchers. Let other gamers assume the risk of yet another dismal performance. Nicky Lopez has been locked in at the plate, and while he does not have much power — only six extra-base hits in his last 90 at-bats (22 games) — he does have a .359 average and six stolen bases. Michael A. Taylor and Hunter Dozier can be sprinkled in as discount dandies who will provide differentiation at the bottom of the order.
Late Slate
Seattle Mariners vs. LHP Madison Bumgarner — 4.8 implied runs
It looked like Madison Bumgarner had figured some things out, with three sterling starts in early August. Sadly, his last three starts have been a mess, and while he has allowed only five extra base hits in 17 innings, the 12 walks, 7.41 ERA and 1.76 WHIP have done him in.
After missing the better part of two seasons, Mitch Haniger has been locked in this season. While he has always been good against lefties, things have gone up a notch this year, with an impressive .283 ISO. Kyle Seager recorded his 34th home run of the season on Wednesday, and he is just five RBIs away from a career high in that category. Though this is a lefty/lefty matchup, Seager has always held his own and should be in the middle of the order.
Ty France and Abraham Toro do not have a lot of power, but they have extra-base upside and profile well against Bumgarner. Finally, look to Tom Murphy or Luis Torrens at catcher as part of a Seattle stack or as a one-off on all slates.
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Top MLB DFS Picks Target: LHP Robbie Ray at Baltimore Orioles — 3.3 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $56 | FanDuel $11,200 | DraftKings $10,700
Last Monday Robbie Ray struck out 10 against Baltimore, and he is in the mix for the American League Cy Young Award with his 2.60. ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings; all are top-six marks among qualified starters. Toronto is nearly a 3-to-1 favorite to garner the win tonight, and that mitigates some of the risk associated with Ray’s track record of spontaneous combustion.
Secondary MLB DFS Picks Target: LHP Framber Valdez vs. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim — 3.4 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $46 | FanDuel $10,500 | DraftKings $9,100
Though Framber Valdez had a bit of a hiccup in his last start, allowing four runs to the Padres, that was just the second most runs he has ceded this season. In his last eight starts Valdez has allowed only one home run on his way to a 2.86 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and nearly a strikeout per inning. As long as he can navigate Ohtani, the rest of the Angels are not particularly intimidating by any stretch of the imagination.
Wild Card MLB DFS Picks Target: RHP Ian Anderson vs. Miami Marlins — 4.6 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $40 | FanDuel $7,800 | DraftKings $6,600
Ian Anderson is definitely in play on DraftKings as a discounted second pitcher in his matchup against the woeful Marlins. Anderson went on the injured list in early July with shoulder inflammation, missing nearly a month. He did get four minor league rehab appearances, and this is his third MLB start since being activated, so he should be in line for 80 to 85 pitches tonight. While he is in play on Yahoo and FanDuel, there are better options on those sites at a similar salary. The punt option on Yahoo is Michael Wacha, who is inexplicably at the $25 minimum salary against Detroit despite regularly pitching five innings per start for the last two months.
Final Thoughts for the Friday, Sept. 10 MLB DFS Picks Slate
Tonight should be a fun one, with 26 teams in action and no weather concerns. Do not forget that college football DFS is in full swing, and there is a four-game slate kicking off at 7:30 p.m. ET as a warmup for Saturday’s all-day action.
