Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings, DraftDay and Draftster 9/5/14

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Pitchers

Stephen Strasburg - FD 9900 DK 11100 DD 20500 DFSTR 10000
Strasburg is simply a force of nature. His K rate is out of this world, and he can go deep into games as well. He's a cinch for the top spot on most nights that he plays, and tonight is no different. He's facing the Philadelphia Phillies - a team that strikes out the 11th most in the majors, and has a bottom 5 wOBA (meaning he can go deeper into games and accrue even more Ks). The opposing pitcher - the hapless Jerome Williams - is only icing on the cake. Great spot for Washington's ace.

Jeff Samardzija - FD 8900 DK 9600 DD 18050 DFSTR 7500
Samardzija isn't quite the force that Strasburg is, but our system likes him just as much it does Strasburg. The reason? Houston's K-happy offense. With a 23.8% strike out rate, the Astros strike out more than all but 3 teams in the major leagues. And it's not like Samardzija's 165 Ks in 181 IP is anything to sneeze at. I mean, Brett Oberholtzer isn't exactly Jerome Williams, but he's pretty damned bad in his own right. While Stras is my #1 guy, the As acquisition is a fairly close second.

Alex Cobb - FD 8400 DK 10400 DD 16400 DFSTR 10300
Check it out: Alex Cobb is rounding out into the ace that it looked like he would be when he first broke into the bigs. With nearly a strikeout per inning and an xFIP of 3.21, there's really no team that likes seeing him coming. He's below the above guys because the Orioles are a roughly league average offense, but Cobb should be able to hold them down and put together a nice outing.

Also considered: Michael Fiers

Catchers

Miguel Montero - FD 2400 DK 3400 DD 8500 DFSTR 3000
I guess I don't get the continuous Miguel Montero pricing hate. With a .741 OPS against right handed pitching, Montero is a more than serviceable play - and doesn't justify the punt prices he's given. I love starting anyone against Haren in a GPP format, because the man loves giving up the long ball. Chicks dig him, and so do I.

Evan Gattis - FD 2600 DK 4000 DD 8400 DFSTR 3000
Gattis tends to be a much better play against lefties, but the price has gotten so low on FanDuel that he's worthy of a look regardless. Enter Jarred Cosart, whose 3.80 ERA doesn't tell the story of how terrible he has been this season. 92 Ks against 58 BB in 149 IP is basically an abomination, and if he's hanging around the plate without control the way he has all season, Gattis could punish him.

Jonathan Lucroy - FD 2900 DK 4300 DD 8650 DFSTR 3000
Lucroy's price has fallen off because he has been solid but unspectacular recently - but his .834 season OPS is simply terrific for a catcher - so getting him at prices under 3K on FanDuel is going to make him a very attractive play regardless of the pitcher he's facing. Lackey hasn't exactly been lighting the world on fire in his return to the national league - so this isn't one of those times to avoid the Brewers' backstop.

First Basemen

Edwin Encarnacion - FD 3900 DK 4600 DD 11050 DFSTR 7700
E5 is an animal, and has flexed his incredible power recently with 2 homers in the last 3 games. He'll bring his inhuman power up against the desperately underqualified Allen Webster, whose 21 Ks against 23 BBs in 35 IP makes him basically the worst starter in baseball.

Jose Abreu - FD 4300 DK 5500 DD 12450 DFSTR 9500
The Cuban phenom is already a power machine, and the news gets better for tonight. On the docket is a guy who is just his speed: TJ House. House is a lefty without strike out stuff who tends to make big mistakes. It should be no surprise that this is exactly the type of guy Abreu is looking to hit against, and our projection system thinks he's a great way to invest a good chunk of salary in a guy with considerable upside.

Albert Pujols - FD 3100 DK 4400 DD 9750 DFSTR 4500
A little dry spell for Pujols has him looking like a great value play, and facing Ricky Nolasco is essentially akin to doing a rain dance. If you know why Nolasco and his near 6 ERA has had the opportunity to pitch almost 130 innings this year, you can email us at dailyfantasysr@gmail.com. If you're like me and you have no clue how the guy toes the rubber every 5th day, start some Angels against him tonight.

Also considered: Mark Teixeira

Second Basemen

Robinson Cano - FD 3100 DK 4700 DD 10050 SS 9300
Given the fact that Cano is a superstar at the position, the price around him remains a mystery. His .912 OPS against right handed pitching this year is objectively great for any position, but for 2nd base it's out of this world. Throw in a little Scott Baker love, who should give Cano and the lefty-heavy Ms plenty of opportunity for big innings, and you have the best 2B play on the board.

Howie Kendrick - FD 2200 DK 3900 DD 7100 SS 6000
If you like to go cheap at the up the middle positions (and I don't blame you if you do), Kendrick makes an interesting solid but unspectacular play today. He should have plenty of opportunity to put balls in play against Nolasco, and he's always been a dynamic BABIP threat. A couple of hard hit balls could mean both RBI and R opportunities, and Kendrick could pay these prices nicely without a whole lot breaking right for him.

Ben Zobrist - FD 3200 DK 3900 DD 8400 SS 9200
Zobrist makes an interesting play on any given night because he can put up stats in a bunch of different ways. He can steal the odd base, hit a random homer, or draw a walk or two. I can't say I like him nearly as much as Cano for similar prices, but if you're looking to go against the grain, snagging him against the lefty Chen could turn out nicely for you.

Shortstops

Jose Reyes - FD 3700 DK 4700 DD 9150 DFSTR 8800
Reyes has been flexed the upside he showed in the prime of his career recently - swiping bags, hitting for power, and generally terrorizing opposing pitchers. That's what makes this match-up so awkward. It's really hard to overstate how terrible Allen Webster has been this season. I literally can't think of another starter with more walks than strike outs. And Webster hardly even strikes anyone out! It won't surprise me whatsoever if Reyes is one of the top scoring players overall today, and that's a great value from the SS position.

Hanley Ramirez - FD 3100 DK 4000 DD 9400 DFSTR 3000
Let's not beat around the bush - it's been an ugly run for Hanley recently. The thing that makes him a stand-alone play at SS is what he's capable of when things are breaking right. The major thing breaking right for him on this fine night is the opposing pitcher. Vidal Nuno has compiled 109 Ks and 38 BBs in 139 IP, and while that's not the worst of the worst, those sorts of numbers from the left side of the rubber are exactly what Hanley is looking to face.

Erick Aybar - FD 2800 DK 4200 DD 7950 DFSTR 5800
I love Aybar if you'd prefer to go a little cheaper at SS today. While he doesn't provide nearly the upside of the other two, his high batting average gives him a pretty high floor on a lot of days. Nolasco is a great guy for anyone to face, and I imagine I'll find reasons to play Aybar in both Angels stack lineups and as a stand alone in double up formats.

Consider Alexei Ramirez

Third Basemen

Kyle Seager - FD 3300 DK 4600 DD 9400 DFSTR 8500
Seager continues to remain one of the underpriced and underrated platoon split threats in all of daily fantasy sports. With a .385 wOBA against right handed pitching, Seager is a truly elite offensive talent. Getting him at less than premium prices against Scott Baker's pitch-to-contact approach in the Texas heat is a fantastic spot.

Nolan Arenado - FD 3600 DK 4400 DD 8850 DFSTR 6800
Whenever he's facing a lefty in Coors he needs to be part of the discussion. He's tagged lefty pitching this season with a 149 wRC+ and Eric Stults is the kind of pitcher who helps righties realize their greatest potential. Arenado is coming reasonably priced across the industry and makes a safe play today with upside.

Evan Longoria - FD 3500 DK 4200 DD 9750 DFSTR 8100
Longoria's underwhelming full season line is absolutely scoff-worthy, but he's actually been quite good against left handers. His .869 OPS against southpaws is more than solid, and he's priced at a point where he could deliver serious power upside if Chen leaves one hanging in the zone.

Todd Frazier - FD 2700 DK 4500 DD 9350 DFSTR 5200
If you're thinking about upside, you don't need to think a lot harder than about Todd Frazier. His 23 homers and 19 steals is positively elite, and while he's got significant downside risk as well, the bargain basement prices have to make you think for a second. Colon has been teetering on the brink of destruction for a month, and Cincinnati's fine hitter's park could make for a nice day for the Reds' 3B.

Also considered: Aramis Ramirez

Outfielders

Bryce Harper - FD 3400 DK 4000 DD 9700 SS 6200
Hopefully you've been reading these picks carefully, because if you have, you'd seen Harper's name come up time and time again. The Nationals' phenom is back doin what he does best - tearing the cover off of the ball. With 4 homers in the last week, he's showing why he's the guy on any given day that can put up the highest point total. And you still don't even have to pay superstar prices for him! I'll be gleefully sliding him in against Jerome Williams and his 59 Ks against 29 BBs in 84 IP this year, and not thinking twice about it.

Ryan Braun - FD 3500 DK 5000 DD 10950 SS 8800
It's kind of weird to think about Braun as less than a superstar, but here we are. With 18 homers and 11 steals, he's solidly dipped into a lower tier of player. But that doesn't mean we can't play him. It's the beauty of daily fantasy sports! Braun didn't kill your season, because you can pick and choose your spots. Our projection system has a feeling that Lackey will continue is national league woes, and that Braun might just get a hold of one.

Drew Stubbs - FD 3500 DK 4000 DD 7350 DFSTR 3000
Another Rocky that's in a great price zone with a fantastic matchup. Stubbs has crushed righties all season with a .964 OPS on that side of the split. He should be in line for another today as Eric Stults offers little to no resistance when it comes to offensive output.

Yasiel Puig - FD 2600 DK 4200 DD 10850 SS 8600
The holes in Puig's swing are well documented at this point, but the price has gotten downright absurd. Grabbing him in a righty/lefty match up against Vidal Nuno is exactly the place to grab his upside and hope for the best.

Melky Cabrera - FD 3000 DK 4200 DD 8800 SS 7600
Cabrera has whipped right handed pitching for a .311 batting average and a .358 wOBA this year, and he'll bring his high effort swing up against Webster's now well documented inability to pitch at the major league level.

Angel Pagan - FD 2600 DK 4600 DD 8600 SS 6500
Pagan's balanced approach intrigues me against the pitch-to-contact Porcello. It's hard to imagine him positively going off, but when he is getting on base, Pagan is a terrific source of speed and runs. I see him as a relatively safe play with more upside than you might think.

Also considered: Jose Bautista, Wil Myers, Curtis Granderson, Mark Trumbo, Josh Hamilton

Give a follow on Twitter @dailyfantasysr and @dougnorrie.

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