Fantasy Baseball Picks: Top DraftKings MLB DFS Lineup Strategy for Mariners vs. Angels Showdown on September 25

This week’s Saturday night Showdown contest on DraftKings is the second game of an AL West series between the Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Angels. While the Angels are limping to the end of the season dealing with multiple injuries, the Mariners are still in the playoff hunt, starting the day just two games back of the second wild card. Seattle has won six straight coming into Saturday night’s contest while Los Angeles has dropped six of their past seven.

After a 6-5 win in the series opener, the Mariners will look to keep rolling by giving the ball to trade deadline acquisition Tyler Anderson ($16,200 CP; $10,800). In his 10 starts with Seattle, the lefty has gone 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA and 3.92 FIP. He’ll be opposed by Jaime Barria ($14,400 CP; $9,600), who has gone 2-4 with a 4.77 ERA and 4.94 FIP in his 10 starts this season. With the teams trending in opposite directions, DraftKings Sportsbook has the Mariners favored in this contest at -140 on the Moneyline and the over/under set at 8.5 runs.

Which players are specifically set up for success in this matchup? Let’s take a look at how to construct your DraftKings lineups for Saturday night’s Showdown contest.

Refer a friend and get $20 DK Dollars! Head to the DraftKings Playbook Promo page for more details!

Captain’s Picks

Ty France ($14,700 CP) - The Mariners’ hottest hitter over their recent surge has been France, who has had a few torrid stretches this season and shown that last year’s shortened-season production was no fluke. In his 144 games, he has hit .293 with a .163 ISO, .354 wOBA and 130 wRC+.

France has been locked into the top third of the Mariners’ lineup and hit exactly .333 over his past 45 games with a 43.7% hard-hit rate resulting in a .388 wOBA and 153 wRC+ over that span. Recently, he has been even better with a pair of performances with over 20 DKFP in his past three games and at least 10 DKFP in five of his past eight.

Tyler Anderson ($16,200 CP) - Anderson is another solid option to consider as he faces the struggling Angels, who have been the worst offense in the Majors this month. In September, they’re hitting just .213 as a team with a .132 ISO and an average of 3.3 runs per game. It’s almost impressive that they have been able to reach those numbers while having one of the best hitters in baseball (more on him below).

Anderson comes into this favorable matchup pitching well. He has allowed three or fewer runs in eight of his nine starts since the beginning of August and gone 2-1 with a 3.20 ERA and 3.86 FIP over that span. He doesn’t typically pile up a ton of strikeouts (7.46 K/9), but the control specialist has only walked 10 batters in his 10 starts with the Mariners. Against a punchless Angels’ lineup, he’s a low-risk captain and a must-play as a flex, although his upside isn’t quite as high due to his lower strikeout rate.

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $10K Extra Inning [$2K to 1st] (SEA vs LAA)

Value Plays

Jack Mayfield ($4,000) - It’s honestly hard to find many options in the Angels’ lineup since they’ve been so awful lately, especially against lefties when Brandon Marsh ($4,000) and Jared Walsh ($7,200) are on the wrong side of the split. For showdown contests, though, we need at least one Angel in our lineup, and Mayfield has actually been making good contact lately. In his past nine games, he is 10-for-35 with a 44.4% hard-hit rate leading to six doubles, a home run and 11 RBI. Mayfield is also on the right side of the splits and has hit five homers this season against southpaws, resulting in a .217 ISO and .305 wOBA vs. left-handed pitchers.

Jarred Kelenic ($7,400) - While his average is still a miserable .172 for the season, the Mariners’ top prospect has shown he’s catching up to Major League league pitching. He has been hitting a little better recently with a .227 average over his past 29 games, but his power potential is really what makes him a usable fantasy option. In those 29 games, Kelenic has crushed seven home runs with a .255 ISO and a .327 wOBA, and he has a 47.3% hard-hit rate and 16.2% barrel rate, per Statcast, which indicates he’s getting a little unlucky with hard-hit balls in play. Since he’s due for some positive regression, I like his upside at this salary.

Fades

Shohei Ohtani ($10,600) - Through no fault of his own, Ohtani is hard to play at this price. With the struggles of the rest of the Los Angeles lineup, teams have just started walking him to avoid being beaten by the only power bat in the order. Ohtani has gone 0-for-4 with 11 free passes in his past three games. It’s also a lefty-vs.-lefty matchup, and Anderson has been good against lefties this season, allowing only a .263 wOBA to left-handed hitters, but the main reason avoid paying up for Ohtani is that the Mariners are set on giving him nothing good to hit.

The Outcome

The Angels’ lineup is just too shallow to back against anyone right now, especially a control artist who has been as on-point as Anderson has been lately. The Mariners should continue rolling in this one and keep the pressure on the teams at the top of the Wild Card race.

For showdown lineups, a conservative build around Anderson is a good option with low risk and decent upside. Going with France or another bat who could go off is a less certain strategy but does have a higher ceiling if you get a hitter with a big game.

Final Score: Mariners 6, Angels 1

Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $10K Extra Inning [$2K to 1st] (SEA vs LAA)

Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.

For sports betting, head over to DraftKings Sportsbook or download the DraftKings Sportsbook app.

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 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.

IIf you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL).

Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-888-532-3500 (VA), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ) or call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN).

21+ (18+ NH/WY). AZ/CO/IL/IN/IA/MI/NH/NJ/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.