Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 9/4/16

Welcome to Sunday baseball! We have an 9 game main slate on our hands with some aces and a few offenses in great spots to put up some runs. Make sure to check out our other articles as they will touch on more pitching options, tournament stacks and any weather concerns that may arise. Let's get into the top options at each position!

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PITCHER

Yu Darvish FD 10500 DK 11800
Opponent - HOU (McHugh) Park - @TEX
FD - 38.01 DK - 24.84

The pitcher position is pretty rough tonight, and we are not going to be 100% comfortable with any single option. That being said, there are definitely a few guys that are in good spots, one of which being Yu Darvish. Darvish and the Rangers will be taking on the Houston Astros, who strikeout a ton against right handers. Dating back to the start of the season, the Astros have struck out at a 23.8% rate, which is the 3rd worst in the league. Darvish on the other hand, has been fantastic since coming back from his injury. Against both lefties and righties, Darvish has sported a sub .290 wOBA that is backed up by great peripherals and batted ball rates. In cash games, there is no way I will be going anywhere else.

Julio Teheran FD 8400 DK 10000
Opponent - PHI (Thompson) Park - @PHI
FD - 31.4 DK - 20.92

Julio Teheran is a guy I will be looking at in tournaments, though I am not a huge fan of him in cash games. He is a bit dangerous in cash games due to his volatility, to go along with a hitters ballpark. That being said, he has a ton of upside against a Phillies team that has been horrible against right handers. Against righties, the Phillies have sported a .297 wOBA that is backed up by a 22.1% strikeout rate. Teheran, who does struggle a bit against lefties, has dominated right handers to an elite degree. Like I said, Teheran is a fantastic tournament option as he should go very low owned and has a huge strikeout ceiling. At only $8400 on FanDuel, you have to give him some serious consideration.

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CATCHER

Gary Sanchez FD 4000 DK 5200
Opponent - BAL (Miley) Park - @BAL
FD - 11.79 DK - 9.15

The catcher position is another one that is extremely ugly tonight. I am going to be paying up in this spot, because there is only a few guys that have both the safety and upside that I am comfortable with in my cash games. While Gary Sanchez has definitely over performed to start his career, it is very evident that he is a fantastic hitter. His opponent, Wade Miley, has struggled against righties over the last few seasons with a .331 wOBA. Aside from the decent season so far, his peripherals suggest that he is the same pitcher that he has been. With this game being played in Camden Yards, I see a good shot of Sanchez hitting another home run tonight. While he is not my homer pick of the night, I wouldn't be surprised.

Victor Martinez FD 3300 DK 4100
Opponent - KC (Volquez) Park - @KC
FD - 9.68 DK - 7.41

On FanDuel. you always have to consider Victor Martinez at the catcher position. He is the best hitter at the position and will be taking on Edinson Volquez, who is far from a good pitcher. Since 2015, Volquez has sported a .336 wOBA against lefties as well as a 34% hard contact rate. While those numbers are nothing to rite home about, they offer a solid spot for a guy like Martinez. While I will not play him on DraftKings, he makes for a tremendous play on FanDuel.

FIRST BASE

Freddie Freeman FD 4100 DK 4900
Opponent - PHI (Thompson) Park - @PHI
FD - 11.83 DK - 9.09

Freddie Freeman is one of the most consistent bats in the game and I will look to take advantage of that here against Jake Thompson and the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen. Though the sample size is far too small, Jake Thompson has given up a .400 wOBA to left handers over the course of 14 rough innings. Freeman has been a +.340 wOBA hitter against righties for a while now and this season is no different. While he is expensive, he is very safe and has a ton of upside with ballpark considered.

Chris Carter FD 3500 DK 4200
Opponent - PIT (Brault) Park - @PIT
FD - 9.48 DK - 7.07

I haven't played Chris Carter much as of late, which is weird because he is usually one of my favorite first baseman. He brings such a huge upside, and hits that ceiling a lot normally than most guys can do. The Brewers will face off with Steven Brault, a southpaw that has struggled against right handers. Through 15 innings, he has given up 6 earned runs as well as  6 extra base hits. While the sample is very small, it is far better than nothing. Brault is a bad pitcher and I could see Carter have one of his big games tonight.

SECOND BASE

Matt Carpenter FD 4100 DK 5200
Opponent - CIN (Adleman) Park - @CIN
FD - 12.26 DK - 9.42

The Cardinals surely disappointed yesterday, and will look to bounce back here against the Reds. The Reds will trot out right hander Timothy Adleman, who has struggled mightily against both sides of the plate since entering the league. Against lefties in particular, he has given up a .383 wOBA that is sitting next to a 5.25 xFIP and a great 24% line drive rate. Matt Carpenter is one o fthe absolute best hitters from the left side of the plate, and will look to dominate in this match up. While it might cost you a pretty penny, it should be worth it against a pitcher like Adleman.

Joe Panik FD 2800 DK 4400
Opponent - CHC (Lackey) Park - @CHC
FD - 7.79 DK - 6.26

First of all, this is a FanDuel only play. He is almost $2000 cheaper on FanDuel, and there is absolutely no reason to even consider him on DraftKings. While John Lackey is not a guy I tend to target, the price was just way too good here. On a day where we are looking to spend up in certain spots, Panik gives you the ability to do just that while giving you a very quality 2nd baseman. Panik has been extremely solid against right handed pitching for the course of his career and I definitely love him as a 2nd base saver today. On DraftKings, just stick with Carpenter. On FanDuel, I would take a long hard look at Joe Panik.

SHORTSTOP

Tim Anderson FD 3100 DK 4000
Opponent - MIN (Albers) Park - @MIN
FD - 10.45 DK - 9.31

Tim Anderson is going to be the expensive guy we look at here at the shortstop position. Tim Anderson has started evening out in the majors and the insane numbers that he started with have begun simmering down, which I actually like to see. His speed is settling down and he has surely shown his ability to hit it out of the ballpark. Andrew Albers will be facing off with the White Sox, and he is the last guy to be scared of. The game will be played in Target Field, which does limit his homer upside just a bit. In cash games, I will likely ride with Arcia, but I definitely see the merit for Anderson in all formats.

Orlando Arcia FD 2600 DK 3200
Opponent - PIT (Brault) Park - @PIT
FD - 5.38 DK - 4.6

If you are looking to pay down a bit, make sure to look at Orlando Arcia. Arcia has been seeing the top of the lineup, and will likely do so again as the Brewers are taking on a left handers. The Brew Crew are one of our favorite offenses on the slate and that's why there are 3 guys scattered throughout this article. While Arcia is nowhere near the hitter that the other guys are, he does have power and is sitting very cheap across the industry. Though Anderson in a good play, I definitely prefer Arcia across the board.

THIRD BASE

Todd Frazier FD 4100 DK 4900
Opponent - MIN (Albers) Park - @MIN
FD - 12.16 DK - 9.57

Todd Frazier is going to be our 2nd White Sox bat to lead off a position here against Andrew Albers. Dating back to 2014, Andrew Albers has given up a .358 wOBA that is backed up by 9 homers allowed and a 36% hard contact rate in only 52 innings. While he will likely be without a job soon, we need to take advantage for as long as possible. The White Sox are a great team to stack tonight and Frazier is going to come in as my to play at the position. When you combine the power of Frazier and the arm of Albers, I can only see good things happening.

Evan Longoria FD 3200 DK 3800
Opponent - TOR (Happ) Park - @TB
FD - 10.28 DK - 7.85

Moving onto another guys that is basically just a specialist at this point, we are going to look at Evan Longoria. While "specialist: is a bit harsh of a word, we only really use him when he faces off with a lefty. He will do so tonight against the Blue Jays and J.A. Happ, in the hitter neutral Tropicana Field. Longoria has been one of the best hitters in the league against lefties and this year has been no different as he has exhibited elite numbers against southpaws. While Frazier is my preferred play, Longoria is a terrific way to go in both cash games and tournaments.

OUTFIELD

Miguel Sano FD 3000 DK 3700
Opponent - CHW (Ranaudo) Park - @MIN
FD - 12.84 DK - 9.65
Max Kepler FD 3200 DK 4700
Opponent - CHW (Ranaudo) Park - @MIN
FD - 11.82 DK - 9.36

While these are the first Twins that have been mentioned, I absolutely love them as a team stack. Both Sano and Kepler have had good seasons hand have rocked right handers with a +.360 wOBA for both guys dating back to the start of the season. The opposing pitcher, Anthony Ranaudo, has been horrible against both lefties and righties with a .370 combined wOBA this far into 2016. I am going to use my home rof the night pick here on Sano, and I am definitely pretty confident that one of these guys are going to give one a ride to downtown Minnesota, if that's even a thing.

Stephen Piscotty FD 3400 DK 4500
Opponent - CIN (Adleman) Park - @CIN
FD - 10.99 DK - 8.61
Randal Grichuk FD 3500 DK 4800
Opponent - CIN (Adleman) Park - @CIN
FD - 10.37 DK - 8.17

Stephen Piscotty and Randal Grichuk are going to be my 2nd favorite outfield duo, slightly behind Sano and Kepler. While I mentioned how bad Adleman is against lefties, we never looked at his numbers against right handers. So far in 2016, Adleman has given up 3 home runs and a .340 wOBA to right handers in only 19 innings. Both Grichuk and Piscotty have hit right handers well over the course of their respective careers with wOBA's sitting over .335 since 2015. If you force me to take only 1 pf these guys, it has to be Piscotty as he is just a better hitter. As a note, this game is being played in the Great American Ballpark, which is a top 5 ballpark for right and left handed power.

Ryan Braun FD 4000 DK 5100
Opponent - PIT (Brault) Park - @PIT
FD - 10.5 DK - 8.43

Ryan Braun against a southpaw, one of the most favorable spots in baseball. Braun has absolutely slaughtered left handers over the past few seasons with a near .400 wOBA that is backed up by plenty of peripherals and batted ball rates. Like mentioned, Steven Brault is a young guy that is going to struggle finding his way in the majors. Sitting $1100 cheaper on FanDuel, I definitely prefer him over there in both cash games and tournaments. On DK, I would go with one of the above guys listed as they are cheaper.

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