Monday, Sept. 27, kicks off the final week of the regular season with a three-game set in the afternoon and two evening matchups. Today, Yahoo is beginning the main MLB slate at 1:10 p.m. ET and including all five games on the docket. 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. 27
Yahoo Stack of the Day: Chicago White Sox at RHP Matt Manning — 5.3 implied runs
While the Chicago White Sox have punched their postseason ticket, they are still battling for potential second-round seeding, so expect most of their usual hitters to take the field today against rookie Matt Manning. This has been a bumpy ride for Manning, as control has been an issue this month, with three walks in three of his four starts. Though he has allowed only two home runs in this stretch, he has been saddled with a 6.62 ERA and striking out 6.6 per nine innings.
Eloy Jimenez ($10) is far too talented for this pedestrian salary. Jose Abreu ($18) is also quite appealing for his elite .200 ISO this season against same-handed pitchers. Most gamers will blanch at the lofty salary for Yasmani Grandal ($24) because they have been conditioned to spend as little as possible on catchers. Grandal is better at the plate than most first basemen, which provides a fine way to obtain some differentiation. Gavin Sheets ($10) and Andrew Vaughn ($7) should be in the lineup today, and they are two excellent discount dandies to go with Jimenez.
Late Slate
Colorado Rockies vs. RHP Josiah Gray — 4.6 implied runs
This could be a rough night for Josiah Gray, who has been allowing power at an absurd rate (.300 ISO) since joining the Nationals as part of the Max Scherzer and Trea Turner deal. The Rockies have been home for a week and should be fully acclimated to the effect the thin Denver air has on breaking balls. Though they managed to score just six total runs in their three-game weekend set with the Giants, this is a get-right spot of the highest magnitude.
Focusing on the batters is going to be crucial. Trevor Story, C.J. Cron, Ryan McMahon and Charlie Blackmon are the core four of any Colorado stack. Sam Hilliard should be in the back half of the lineup, and his salary provides welcome flexibility on FanDuel ($2,700) and DraftKings ($2,600). Ideally, Elias Diaz will be behind the dish, and he has extra-base upside while filling out the catcher requirement on Yahoo and DraftKings.
Spotlight Pitchers
Early MLB DFS Picks Target: RHP Cal Quantrill vs. Kansas City Royals — 4.1 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $43 | FanDuel $10,000 | DraftKings $8,600
Matt Manning has a tough matchup against the White Sox, and Jackson Kowar may pitch two or five innings given his inconsistency. Dallas Keuchel likely with throw the most innings, but he struggles to reach even marginal fantasy production. Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are looking like bullpen games, though Reiver Sanmartin is stretched out enough to see 70 to 75 pitches in his MLB debut.
That all points to giving Cal Quantrill the endorsement as the top pitching option on the slate. This is not to sell Quantrill short, as he has a 2.82 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. However, he is also at 143.2 innings, which is the second most of his career and essentially matching his high of 148 innings in the minors during 2018. The main knock against Quantrill is the lack of strikeouts, with just 7.3 per nine innings. On the short slate, however, he only needs to provide raw points, as the position has a couple pitchers with the potential to post negative fantasy points.
Late MLB DFS Picks Target: RHP German Marquez vs. Washington Nationals — 5.1 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $32 | FanDuel $9,000 | DraftKings $8,200
It is slim pickings on the late slate, and German Marquez is the most talented option, even with his game being in Coors Field. Among the four choices, he has the best strikeout upside, it can be an abrupt change for hitters to deal with the impact altitude has on pitches in the first game of a Colorado series. Chris Flexen has been magnificent for the Mariners this season after reinventing himself in the KBO. However, his strategy is to induce weak contact, and he is well below average from a strikeout perspective, which is not helpful for MLB DFS.
Final Thoughts for the Monday, Sept. 27 MLB DFS Picks Slate
The light action today was built into the MLB schedule in case any teams who were vying for the playoffs needed to make up any postponed games. The rest of the week will be a wild rollercoaster with teams clinching, being eliminated and bench players getting the chance to take the field.
