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

Welcome back for another day of daily fantasy baseball with DFSR. We have one early game today(MIL vs. CHC) leaving us with 14 games on the main slate that kicks off at 7:00 p.m. ET. The aces have come out to play on Friday combined with a another series in Coors Field means finding value will be at a premium. Let's dig in.
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PITCHER

Max Scherzer FD 11000 DK 13700
Opponent - ATL (Gant) Park - @ATL
FD - 42.62 DK - 27.81

Even with his high price he is an elite play on Friday and is the beneficiary of some terrific matchups over the last month. He has faced the Nationals division rivals the Phillies and Braves four times in the last five starts and hasn't disappointed. In those five starts he has gone 4-0 with a 2.00 ERA while striking out 40 and walking just seven batters. The Nats are the biggest favorites on the day at -250 and as we have told you all season the Braves just aren't a very good offensive team ranked 25th in wOBA(.307) and 28th in ISO(.137) against right handed pitching. The price on DraftKings leaves him as a GPP only play but safe in all formats on FanDuel where the pricing is much closer at the top.

Luke Weaver FD 7100 DK 5200
Opponent - SF (Moore) Park - @SF
FD - 29.78 DK - 20.17

Rookie Luke Weaver has been excellent in his first six starts for the Cardinals. He has only recorded one win but the peripherals are elite with a 11.32 K/9 rate and 3.48 ERA which is supported by an elite 2.76 xFIP. His only knock so far is the 20% HR/FB rate which should stabilize over the long term as indicated by his low 29.3% hard contact rate. He draws a Giants team on Friday that has struggled over the past two weeks ranking dead last in wOBA(.274) and 29th in wRC+(72). He is a perfect GPP option if you are trying to fit Scherzer in your lineup on DraftKings and allows to stack elite bats on FanDuel.

CATCHER

Tom Murphy FD 3000 DK 2900
Opponent - SD (Friedrich) Park - @COL
FD - 10.35 DK - 7.74

If he is back in the lineup on Friday, Tom Murphy makes a great value play. He was called up in September and impressed at home picking up six hits in his first 12 major league at bats including two solo home runs. On a day when you are looking for value he makes perfect sense in any format.

Yasmani Grandal FD 2800 DK 3700
Opponent - ARI (Greinke) Park - @ARI
FD - 10.46 DK - 7.93

Grandal comes in as a top play from a PTS/$ projection tonight, especially on FanDuel where comes in under $3K. He has been much better in the second half with a .373 wOBA and 138 wRC+ with an elite 41.5% hard contact rate. He gets a big park upgrade going to Chase Field where he has a career .270/.377/.528 slash line.

FIRST BASE

David Ortiz FD 4300 DK 5600
Opponent - NYY (Cessa) Park - @BOS
FD - 15.07 DK - 11.34
Hanley Ramirez FD 3500 DK 4900
Opponent - NYY (Cessa) Park - @BOS
FD - 11.79 DK - 9.25

The Red Sox rank as the top offense in baseball and provide two terrific options at first base. If you find enough salary relief I suggest paying up for Big Papi who has been one of the best clutch hitter of our generation and is putting together quite a final season slashing .314/.400/.619 with 33 HR and 111 RBI going into Thursday's action. If you can't quite afford Papi take a look at Hanley Ramirez who has been one of the hottest hitters at the position over the last 14 days with a .435 wOBA, 173 wRC+, five home runs and 13 RBI. The matchup is very appealing vs. Luis Cessa who has given up eight home runs in his last four starts. Roll the Red Sox out with confidence.

James Loney FD 2500 DK 2900
Opponent - MIN (Berrios) Park - @NYM
FD - 9.68 DK - 7.59

IF you wanna go way of the radar at first base tonight take a shot with James Loney who comes at a big discount under $3K on both sites. He hits near the bottom of the Mets lineup which isn't the most favorable situation but has very strong splits against right pitching with a .279 average(.167 vs. LH). He gets a nice matchup vs. Berrios who has been struggling since the start of August with a 5.52 xFIP while walking close to five batters per nine. He doesn't have the safety for cash games but is a perfect fit if you are allin on Scherzer on Friday.

SECOND BASE

Daniel Murphy FD 3700 DK 5200
Opponent - ATL (Gant) Park - @ATL
FD - 11.87 DK - 9.35

The only thing holding Murphy back from the National League MVP award is Kris Bryant's tremendous season. He has carried the momentum of his amazing post season for the Mets over to his first season with the Nats setting career highs in average(.348), OBP(.393), HR(25), RBI(102), runs(88) and wRC+(158). He is a nice high upside play on both sites but comes with the best value on FanDuel as the 6th in salary tonight.

Dustin Pedroia FD 3400 DK 4700
Opponent - NYY (Cessa) Park - @BOS
FD - 11.03 DK - 8.7

It's impossible to talk Red Sox without mentioning the gritty Dustin Pedroia who is firmly cemented as their new leadoff hitter. He comes into Friday's game red hot in September hitting .392 with a .418 OBP and 147 wRC+. If he can get on base ahead of the power bats in the middle of lineup he has huge run scoring potential in a matchup vs. Luis Cessa who has given up eight home runs in his last four starts.

Robinson Cano FD 3500 DK 4500
Opponent - HOU (McHugh) Park - @SEA
FD - 11.46 DK - 8.91

If you are looking to go a bit off the board at the position take a look at Cano. He has put together his best season as a Mariner with 33 HR, 87 RBI and 95 runs scored with a .520 slugging %, his highest since 2012 with the Yankees. He hasn't been quite as good as he was in the first half which has kept his price in a very affordable spot which makes him a safe play in any format.

SHORTSTOP

Brad Miller FD 3200 DK 4000
Opponent - BAL (Jimenez) Park - @BAL
FD - 11 DK - 8.83

Miller has unleashed the power in 2016 with the Rays hitting 28 home runs with a career high 34% hard contact rate. It has been a struggle lately as he has fallen into a slump but will be a nice high upside, low owned GPP option on Friday.  He has actually had very neutral splits when looking at average but the majority of the power comes against righties where he has .3434 wOBA and 117 wRC+ for the season.

Asdrubal Cabrera FD 3400 DK 3800
Opponent - MIN (Berrios) Park - @NYM
FD - 10.76 DK - 8.4

Cabrera has been an elite option since returning from a DL stint in early August slashing .367/.402/.689 with six home runs and a 191 wRC+. He has been rewarded by getting moved up to second in the lineup as the Mets are trying to hold on to that final Wildcard spot in the National League. He has been better against lefties this season but it's hard to ignore the consistency and the matchup. He will face rookie Jose Berrios who has struggled to a 2-6 record and 5.34 xFIP in his first 11 major league starts.

THIRD BASE

Nolan Arenado FD 3800 DK 5500
Opponent - SD (Friedrich) Park - @COL
FD - 16.8 DK - 12.73

We kick off the third base position with a one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the last month. He has put together a .365/.405/.683 slash line with seven home runs and 28 RBI with an elite 38.9% hard contact rate. Pick and choose your splits tonight as Arenado has been better against righties but also much better at home with a .429 wOBA, 136 wRC+ and 22 of his 37 home runs. It will be tough to fit him in your cash game lineups tonight with a top end price but makes a very high ceiling GPP play on both sites.

Adrian Beltre FD 3200 DK 4700
Opponent - OAK (Graveman) Park - @TEX
FD - 11.63 DK - 8.91

Anytime the Rockies are at home in Coors we can usually find some nice value at third base as Arenado commands a lot of ownership. Adrian Beltre is one of those players that can be used in any format with a very high floor but also a high ceiling. He comes at a $600 discount on FanDuel and a $800 discount on DraftKings and has been red hot lately. He has recorded a hit in 15 of his last 17 games including an outburst of power with seven home runs.

Maikel Franco FD 2800 DK 3400
Opponent - MIA (Koehler) Park - @PHI
FD - 10.46 DK - 8.08

Digging even further into the value bucket on Friday we find Maikel Franco who has been very streaky in 2016 which has helped keep his salary in the mid to bottom tier. He does come with nice power upside with 22 home runs, 15 of which have come against right handed pitching. He hasn't hit one out since in almost a month but gets a nice matchup tonight vs. Tom Koehler who has given up seven long balls in his last five starts for the Marlins. Franco is best used in the deepest of tournaments.

OUTFIELD

Jose Bautista FD 3600 DK 4300
Opponent - LAA (Weaver) Park - @LAA
FD - 13.44 DK - 10.15

He has returned to the cleanup spot for the Jays who are trying anything to get the offense going late in the season. The move opens up a ton of value for the slugger as he should get plenty of opportunities to drive runs in against a struggling Jered Weaver. Over his last seven starts he has allowed opponents a 39% hard contact rate which has resulted in 12 home runs against and a 5.67 xFIP. Joey Bats is coming off a two hit night in Los Angeles as the Jays scored five in a big win and is safe pick in any format with a second tier price on both sites.

Gregory Polanco FD 3200 DK 4600
Opponent - CIN (Stephenson) Park - @CIN
FD - 11.87 DK - 9.92

In his third season in the big leagues it appears Polanco is finally starting to turn a corner. After hittign just 16 home runs in the previous two yers combined he has recorded 22 this season alone while driving in 82 and scoring 74 runs. The increase in power has only resulted in a 2% increase in strikeout rate and when he learns to hit for contact he is going to be a top all around outfield int he National League. For now he makes an excellent GPP option on both sites hitting cleanup in Great American Small Park.

Seth Smith FD 3100 DK 3300
Opponent - HOU (McHugh) Park - @SEA
FD - 10.15 DK - 7.68

Smith is a perfect addition to a GPP lineup if you are paying up for Scherzer on Friday. His salary sits around the $3K mark on both sites and he has provided some power for the Mariners this season with 14 home runs, three which have come in the last week. He is a platoon player that gets the majority of his at bats against right handed pitching which he has a .345 wOBA, 120 wRC+ and .171 ISO against for the season.
 

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