Fantasy Baseball Picks Today: Top DraftKings MLB DFS Targets, Values for September 9

Saturday night is a key part of a jam-packed sports weekend and includes a juicy, five-game fantasy baseball featured slate on DraftKings, which gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET. A Texas two-step starts things off with a pair of games from the Lone Star State followed by National League contests from Atlanta and San Francisco. The late-night hammer is the third game of the American League series in Anaheim. Even with just 10 teams in action, there are still plenty of fantasy options to choose from, and you can find my top plays highlighted below.

For DFS fantasy baseball, you always need to keep up with the latest injury, weather, and lineup news leading up to the first pitch. One of the best ways to do that is by installing the DK Live app and following DraftKings Network on X (@DKNetwork). I’m also on X (@ZT_Sports), where you can keep up with all my picks as the regular season races play out and we get geared up for what should be an outstanding postseason.

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $125K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]

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PITCHER

Stud

Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies ($9,500) – Each of the expensive plays taking the mound on Saturday night comes with significant risk factors. Of the bunch, Webb has the highest ceiling and also has a great matchup against the Rockies. He has lost three straight starts, allowing 10 runs in 18 innings, but he did look much better in his most recent outing last Tuesday against the Cubs.

Webb should be poised for a bounce-back outing at home against the Rockies. This season he posted a 2.51 ERA, 2.96 FIP and 0.99 WHIP in his 14 home starts. He had over 22 DKFP in four of his seven most recent home starts, including a complete-game shutout against the Rockies that resulted in an impressive 45.05 DKFP on July 9. He struck out 10 and allowed just seven hits in that outing, and he’ll look to have a similar outing in this rematch on Saturday. He’s not a sure thing based on recent form, but the 26-year-old has a high ceiling against the Rockies, who have the fewest runs scored fourth-lowest team wOBA since the All-Star break even with the Coors Field effect boosting their home games.

Other Option – Seth Lugo ($8,600)

Value

Cristian Javier, Houston Astros vs. San Diego Padres ($8,000) – The pitching options get even thinner as you get to the bottom of the salary structure, and Javier is the cheapest option I think makes sense. The 26-year-old has had his ups and downs this season and gone 9-3 with a 4.65 ERA, 4.76 FIP and 1.28 WHIP in 26 starts. After posting a K/9 rate over 11.5 in each of the past two seasons, his K/9 rate slipped to just 8.32. Javier did go six innings and turn in his first quality start since July in his most recent outing, finishing with 21.1 DKFP against the Yankees.

Like Webb, Javier has been a much better option when pitching at home. His ERA is two runs lower at home than on the road, and he has a 3.79 FIP at Minute Maid Park. He’ll face the Padres, who rank in the middle of most offensive categories on the season and over the last month. San Diego cooled off the Astros' bats on Friday night, but Javier will hope they return to the form that they showed in Arlington, where they piled up 39 runs in three games in their sweep of the Rangers. With the potential for run support like that, Javier has a good shot to earn his 10th win of the season on Saturday.

Other Option – Johan Oviedo ($7,400)

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INFIELD

Stud

Alex Bregman, Houston Astros vs. San Diego Padres ($5,500) – While he didn’t have a signature performance quite like his teammate Jose Altuve ($6,300), Bregman has been red-hot alongside Altuve as the two teammates have helped the Astros surge back to the top spot in the AL West. Bregman had 10 multi-hit games in his past 18 contests while going 20-for-75 (.413) with eight doubles, two homers and 20 RBI. He averaged 12.1 DKFP per game over that stretch and was held hitless just twice. He and the Astros face veteran righty Seth Lugo ($8,600) on Saturday. Bregman has hit much better against righties this season with a .292 batting average and .375 wOBA in the split.

Stud

Xander Bogaerts, San Diego Padres at Houston Astros ($4,800) – Bogaerts has gotten off to a sizzling start to September. In his first seven games this month, he went 14-for-27 (.519) with four doubles, two home runs and a .601 wOBA. He went yard on Friday, giving him 17 homers on the season, although his .271 batting average would still be his lowest since his first season as a regular back in 2014. There’s still time for X to bring up that batting average, though, and he is currently in the middle of his strongest stretch since signing in San Diego.

Other Options – Matt Olson ($6,400), Ha-Seong Kim ($4,900), Ke’Bryan Hayes ($4,600)

Value

Jose Abreu, Houston Astros vs. San Diego Padres ($3,700) – Abreu had a dismal start to the season and his season-long numbers are still low overall. He has been much better than those numbers indicate, though, over his past 10 games. In that stretch, he went 11-for-38 (.289) with two doubles, four home runs and a .433 wOBA while averaging 12.7 DKFP per game. He had a two-homer, seven-RBI game on Wednesday that resulted in 43 DKFP, showing off his ceiling potential, and he has at least nine DKFP in seven of his last 10 games, showing his recent consistency.

Value

Liover Peguero, Pittsburgh Pirates at Atlanta Braves ($3,400) – The Pirates will be an interesting lineup to target on Saturday since they have a good matchup with lefty Dylan Dodd ($5,600) even though they are still facing the Braves’ juggernaut. Dodd has given up 20 runs in 24 ¹⁄₃ innings in the majors and posted a 6.55 ERA and 5.74 FIP at Triple-A across 66 innings. Peguero had hit a scorching .357 (15-for-42) against lefties this season with three doubles, a home run and a .390 wOBA. He has six homers and four stolen bases across his 41 games in the majors, and the 22-year-old has shown enough upside to be a solid salary saver at either middle infield position on Saturday night’s slate.

Other Options – Nolan Schanuel ($3,600), David Fry ($2,600), Jordan Diaz ($2,500)

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OUTFIELD

Stud

Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves vs. Pittsburgh Pirates ($6,900) – Acuña just keeps on doing Acuña things and being a great pay-up play regularly. He had multiple hits in each of his past two games and produced 28 and 26 DKFP. He smashed three homers in those two contests bringing his total to 35 long balls on the season to go with his MLB-leading 63 stolen bases. He’s all the way up to 12.9 DKFP per game on the season, which is amazing production even for a short window. The fact that Acuña has maintained that pace and continues to perform at such a high level is amazing. He will look to keep rolling on Saturday night against Johan Oviedo ($7,400), and as usual, he brings the highest ceiling of any hitter on the slate. If you can make his hefty salary fit under your cap, Acuña usually finds a way to deliver big fantasy numbers.

Stud

Nolan Jones, Colorado Rockies at San Francisco Giants ($4,400) – If you need a lower-salaried outfielder to slot in with Acuña who still brings plenty of upside, Jones is a great option to consider. The 25-year-old has hit safely in eight straight games and has gone an impressive 12-for-30 (.400) with four doubles, two triples, two home runs and a .546 wOBA during his hitting streak. He homered and had 28 DKFP on Friday and has averaged 16.9 DKFP during his streak with double-digit DKFP in seven of the eight contests. Jones will look to stay hot in his matchup with Logan Webb on Saturday night.

Other Options – Yordan Alvarez ($6,200), Juan Soto ($5,600), Bryan Reynolds ($4,800)

Value

Randal Grichuk, Los Angeles Angels vs. Cleveland Guardians ($3,400) – The Angels have put Grichuk on waiver multiple times but haven’t found any takers for what remains of his $10.3 million salary this season. Grichuk does make sense for your fantasy lineup, though, since he has been productive lately and is under $3.5K. He has hit safely in nine of his past 10 games and gone 12-for-35 (.343) with three doubles, two homers and a .421 wOBA. He averaged 8.2 DKFP over that span and will look to stay hot while going up against another ill-fated Angels’ trade deadline acquisition, Lucas Giolito ($8,300), who has allowed 14 runs in his last two games and has gone 1-6 in his seven most recent starts.

Value

Evan Carter, Texas Rangers vs. Oakland Athletics ($2,000) – Carter made his MLB debut on Friday and went 1-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base and 10 DKFP. The 21-year-old is the team’s No. 1 prospect and the No. 8 prospect in all of baseball, per MLB Pipeline. He looks ready to contribute right away, though, after posting 12 homers and 25 stolen bases in his 105 games in Double-A and Triple-A. Since he’s still available for the minimum $2K, Carter is a great way to save the salary to spend up on superstars like Acuña or an Astros stack while still maintaining plenty of upside.

Other Options – Jack Suwinksi ($3,500), Hunter Goodman ($3,400), Trey Cabbage ($2,500)

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Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $125K Relay Throw [$25K 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 skills 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.