Monday, Sept. 13, features a solid seven-game main slate loaded with intrigue. 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, Monday, Sept. 13
Yahoo Stack of the Day: St. Louis Cardinals at LHP Rich Hill — 3.8 implied runs
While the Astros, Red Sox and Dodgers will be the primary stacks tonight on Yahoo, the Cardinals help bring differentiation. The sub-four implied run total is not particularly enticing, but the Cardinals will be running out a righty-heavy lineup against southpaw Rich Hill. While Hill has been solid, he allows power to opposite-handed hitters, and his strikeout stuff is not what it used to be.
St. Louis provides several discounted hitters, which makes it perfect for a secondary stack. Hill is good enough that gamers should roll with pairs or trios rather than a full stack. The desired grouping is at the bottom of the order, with Yadier Molina ($10) and the minimum-salary duo of Paul DeJong ($7) and Harrison Bader ($7). This group has above-average pop against lefties, with ISOs in the of .200 over the last season-plus. This is a nice way to take care of the catcher requirement while also gaining differentiation from the masses.
Late Slate
Boston Red Sox at RHP Logan Gilbert — 5.0 implied runs
Logan Gilbert has shown flashes of brilliance for the Mariners, but he seems to be hitting the proverbial rookie wall. The 100.1 innings Gilbert has logged are the third most of his career. Gilbert has completed the fifth inning just once in his last five starts. In this stretch he has allowed six home runs in 22 innings on his way to an 8.59 ERA. On a positive note, he has still been able to record a strikeout per inning, though that is small consolation.
J.D. Martinez has been dealing with back spasms, and there is a chance he will be out again tonight. If he is in the lineup, he should be considered a full go and someone to target in all formats. Kyle Schwarber has been lights out this season, with a .305 ISO against opposite-handed pitchers, and he is a strong option for a home run. Rafael Devers has been even better than Schwarber, with a .326 ISO against right-handed pitching this season, which is one of the highest marks in the league. Continuing the power theme, Alex Verdugo, Hunter Renfroe, Travis Shaw and Bobby Dalbec are all big bats with extra-base hit upside when they make contact. If Martinez is out again, Dalbec should be in the lineup tonight.
Spotlight Pitchers
Top MLB DFS Picks Target: RHP Sandy Alcantara at Washington Nationals — 3.8 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $44 | FanDuel $10,600 | DraftKings $9,600
While the Washington lineup is not horrible, it is not particularly threatening either. Juan Soto and Josh Bell are far and away the best hitters and though Lane Thomas and Yadiel Hernandez have had their moments for the post-fire sale Nationals, they are not consistent. Everyone else is replacement level at best. Sandy Alcantara does a decent job of limiting power, and he has excellent control and above-average strikeouts. A lot of gamers will be flocking to Yu Darvish, so Alcantara is a stronger play tonight.
Secondary MLB DFS Picks Target: RHP Adam Wainwright at New York Mets — 4.0 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $49 | FanDuel $9,800 | DraftKings $9,000
Adam Wainwright is second in MLB with 15 wins, and his 2.98 ERA and 1.03 are basically top-10 marks among qualified starters. Wainwright has also been incredibly consistent and durable, with his 19 quality starts ranking fourth. By no means are the Mets a pushover, but they still cannot seem to stay out of their own way. The lineup does not have many holes, particularly with Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez finally healthy at the same time. In 18 starts since June 1, Wainwright has allowed more than three runs only twice — both were four-run efforts, by the Dodgers in his last start and the Giants back in July.
Wild Card MLB DFS Picks Target: RHP Paolo Espino vs. Miami Marlins — 3.8 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $32 | FanDuel $7,700 | DraftKings $6,100
Paolo Espino is a neutral option on Yahoo, a stay-away on FanDuel and a target on DraftKings. It is important to keep in mind that FanDuel offers points for quality starts. In his 15 starts this year Espino has yet to accomplish that feat. He is a career minor leaguer, so this is not about going with a talented prospect with upside. However, for $6,100 on DraftKings, if he can get 10-12 fantasy points, he provides significant salary cap flexibility.
Final Thoughts for the Monday, Sept. 13 MLB DFS Picks Slate
Tonight should be an interesting slate, as there are not a lot of obvious pitching options, and a lot of gamers are likely to be distracted by Monday Night Football. Tuesday should bring some gigantic prize pools, as the DFS sites look to keep the NFL money in play.
