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Major League Baseball has a busy first Saturday of September, with nine games scheduled for under the lights, supplying a solid main slate on DraftKings, which starts at 7:05 p.m. ET. The stars will definitely be out on Saturday, with some of the best pitchers in the Majors scheduled to be on the mound. There are some great hitting matchups to attack, as well, meaning there should be plenty of fantasy points from top contributors.
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PITCHER
Stud
Robbie Ray, Seattle Mariners at Cleveland Guardians ($9,800) – After scuffling early in Seattle, Ray has found a groove lately. The lefty has at least seven strikeouts and 19 DKFP in five straight starts. He dominated the Guardians in a start last week, fanning seven in seven shutout innings while allowing just three hits. In those five starts, he has compiled a 1.64 ERA, 2.82 FIP and 11.18 K/9. The Guardians should be a good matchup for him again since they have the fifth-worst wOBA in the Majors since the All-Star break and will be starting rookie Xzavion Curry ($4,000) after having to put Aaron Civale (forearm) on the injured list.
Other Options – Max Scherzer ($10,900), Shohei Ohtani ($10,500)
Value
Luis Garcia, Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels ($7,600) – Garcia has the potential to rack up strikeouts when he’s at his best, and the Angels have the highest K rate in the Majors over the past 30 days — 27.0%. Garcia faced the Angels twice this season, totaling 14 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings and earning 23.1 and 21.8 DKFP. Since the last time he faced them, it’s been a bit of a struggle for the 25-year-old righty. He has gone 4-3 with a 5.22 ERA but only a 3.98 FIP, showing that some of his struggles may be due to some bad luck. Averaging over a strikeout per inning usually keeps even Garcia’s shaky starts from becoming disasters, and that strikeout potential gives him a high ceiling in what should be a good “get-right” spot against the Halos.
Other Options – Edward Cabrera ($8,000), Austin Voth ($5,200)
INFIELD
Stud
Pete Alonso, New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals ($5,500) – After homering on Friday in the first game of the Mets’ home series vs. the Nationals, Alonso gets a great matchup against Patrick Corbin ($5,400) on Saturday. Alonso has gone 13-for-34 (.382) in the past against Corbin, and five of those hits have been home runs. Friday’s blast brings him to 32 home runs on the season, to go with a .251 ISO and a .361 wOBA. He has hit safely in seven of his past nine games and should be in a smash spot at home against Corbin.
Stud
Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres ($4,500) – There was a time a few years ago when “play Justin Turner vs. LHP” was the go-to DFS strategy, but his numbers against southpaws have trailed off a little bit since then. However, his recent form is good enough to put him back on the radar for this matchup against lefty Sean Manaea ($6,600), who he is also 4-for-7 against in the past. Turner enters this contest with a 12-game hitting streak, during which he has gone 20-for-46 (.435) with seven doubles, a home run and a .481 wOBA.
Other Options – Nolan Arenado ($6,200), Brandon Drury ($5,200)
Value
Vaughn Grissom, Atlanta Braves vs. Miami Marlins ($3,200) – Grissom has been impressive in 22 games since making the jump from Double-A to the Majors. The 21-year-old is hitting .313 with four home runs, three stolen bases, a 139 wRC+ and a .374 wOBA. Grissom homered Friday in the first game of this series and has been especially excellent at home, where he’s hitting .351 with a .216 ISO and .424 wOBA.
Value
Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles vs. Oakland Athletics ($2,800) – Another 21-year-old infielder with a bright future and an affordable salary, Henderson homered in his Major League debut on Wednesday and has started his career 5-for-12 (.417) with two doubles, a stolen base and that long ball. Henderson had 11 homers, 10 stolen bases and a .393 wOBA in 65 games at Triple-A, and it looks like he is poised to make an immediate impact down the stretch. He’ll take on Adam Oller ($5,000) in this matchup, who has let lefties like Gunnar post a .376 wOBA against him in 17 games this season.
Other Options – Elvis Andrus ($2,700), Albert Pujols ($2,500)
OUTFIELD
Stud
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres ($6,400) – Betts is the highest-priced OF on this packed slate, but he’s still worth considering as a cornerstone since he is averaging an impressive 13.2 DKFP per game over his past 10 contests. Betts has five home runs and a stolen base while going 12-for-37 (.324) with a .514 wOBA over that stretch. He should be in a spot to stay hot since he has smashed lefties all year, hitting .325 against them with a .434 wOBA, as well as in his past meetings with Manaea, he has gone 8-for-22 (.364) with a pair of home runs.
Stud
Hunter Renfroe, Milwaukee Brewers at Arizona Diamondbacks ($4,200) – The Brewers have a great matchup highlighted below in stacks, and Renfroe has been an awesome addition for Milwaukee this year. The 30-year-old righty has a nine-game hitting streak coming into this contest and has gone 15-for-35 (.429) with five walks, three doubles, a home run and a .471 wOBA over that span. He’s settled into the heart of the order and become a key piece to the Brew Crew’s offense as they make their playoff push.
Other Options – Tyler O’Neill ($5,600), Michael Harris II ($4,500)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Diamondbacks OF Jake McCarthy is not in the lineup Saturday vs. the Brewers.
Value
Jake McCarthy, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Milwaukee Brewers ($3,300) – On the other side of that Chase Field matchup, McCarthy has also been surging lately. The 25-year-old lefty has hit .350 (21-for-60) with five doubles, a triple, three home runs and five stolen bases over his past 17 games to produce an impressive 11.3 DKFP per contest. He doesn’t have an ideal matchup against Corbin Burnes ($9,600). But, Burnes has struggled a little bit in his recent outings, and McCarthy’s hot enough to look past the matchup and still target the value.
Value
Nick Gordon, Minnesota Twins at Chicago White Sox ($2,400) – Gordon is another nice value play to consider since he’s getting everyday playing time at 2B and still carries dual eligibility in the OF, as well. He has a mini five-game hitting streak coming into Saturday and has hit .308 (16-for-52) with seven doubles, a triple, a home run, and 15 RBIs in his 16 games since August 15. He has at least 11 DKFP in three straight games since exploding for 29 DKFP vs. the Red Sox earlier this week. Gordon offers both speed and power giving him a high ceiling and relatively low risk for a play under $2.5K.
Other Options – Lars Nootbaar ($3,300), Corbin Carroll ($2,000)
TEAMS TO STACK
New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals – The Mets have been one of the best home offenses in baseball all season and rank near the top of most offensive categories in the second half. On Saturday, they’ll face veteran lefty Corbin, who has turned into a great matchup to target this season, going 5-17 with a 6.56 ERA, 4.97 FIP and 24 homers allowed in 26 starts. Right-handed hitters have a .393 wOBA against him on the year, and the Mets lit him up for four runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings when they faced him on August 1. In addition to Alonso (highlighted above), Mark Canha ($3,700) has a good career track record against Corbin, going 5-for-12 with a home run. Starling Marte ($5,700) and Francisco Lindor ($5,600) are expensive options who will hit right-handed near the top of the order while Eduardo Escobar ($3,600) and Darin Ruf ($3,200) can round out the stack vs. Corbin at a value salary.
Milwaukee Brewers at Arizona Diamondbacks – The Brewers are usually a stack to avoid when facing a lefty, but Madison Bumgarner ($5,600) is another veteran lefty who has been a great stacking target this season. In his last four starts, he has given up 23 runs in 20 2/3 innings for a brutal 10.02 ERA. He has surrendered seven homers in his past seven starts and 20 long balls on the season. The Brewers have several players who struggle against southpaws, but they do have some good right-handed options that still make s strong core to stack. Renfroe (discussed above), Willy Adames ($5,200), and Andrew McCutchen ($3,700) are a good place to start, with the resurgent Keston Hiura ($2,700) and Tyrone Taylor ($2,600) filling in with some solid value.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $175K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
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