Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 10/2/16

Welcome to Sunday baseball! We have a nice 15 game spread out 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

Quick note: This isn't a normal day in baseball. There is one day left in the regular season, most teams' fates have been decided and as of this post about 60% of the games didn't even have a Vegas line. This is uncharted territory with tons of info missing. We'll do our best here, but late season MLB (especially today) is very dicey.

Max Scherzer FD 11400 DK 13200
Opponent - MIA (Koehler) Park - @WSH
FD - 37.13 DK - 24.81

Max Scherzer is going to start us off here at the pitcher position, as he usually does when he is on the mound. Scherzer is one of the undisputed best pitchers in the league, and his numbers back it up. Since the start of the season, he has sported a sub .280 combined wOBA to go along some unbelievable strikeout numbers. His opponent, the Marlins, are a team that can be taken advantage of by right handed pitching. They have been the 7th worst team in the league against right handed pitching with a .304 wOBA and a 23.5% strikeout rate. The game will take place in Nationals Park, which is a pitchers ballpark. Scherzer makes for a tremendous play on both sites, and he is the top option in both formats, cash games and tournaments.

Kyle Hendricks FD 10200 DK 10300
Opponent - CIN (Stephenson) Park - @CIN
FD - 33.54 DK - 21.88

Secondly, we are going to take a look at Kyle Hendricks. To be clear, I wouldn't be surprised if Kyle Hendricks was pulled after 60 pitches. It is the last day of the regular season and the Cubs have already clinched everything. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if it goes the other way either. Joe Maddon could be looking for a strong finish out of his starting rotation. Hendricks has been very solid on the season with a sub .300 wOBA against both lefties and righties. He will be taking on a Cincinnati Reds team that has been very lackluster at hitting on the season. I do not mind Hendricks in any format, though I prefer him in tournaments. I also prefer him on FanDuel, as the win is worth more and that shouldn't be tough to get with Robert Stephenson on the opposing mound.

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CATCHER

Jonathan Lucroy FD 3600 DK 4200
Opponent - TB (Whitley) Park - @TEX
FD - 10.01 DK - 7.82

Lucroy is going to start us off here, and will be taking on a bad righty in a fantastic park. The Rangers will be facing off with Chase Whitley, the ex-Yankee right hander that is not very good. While he is a lot worse against lefties, he is not good against righties either. With a .320 wOBA alongside some brutal peripherals, Whitley deserves the scrutiny he is receiving. Lucroy has actually hit righties better this year, though it might be a fluke. All in all, Lucroy is a guy I like on both sites and could see myself playing him in either format.

Welington Castillo FD 2800 DK 3200
Opponent - SD (Clemens) Park - @ARI
FD - 10.2 DK - 7.89

Welington Castillo has a very underrated match up on the board. Paul Clemens has sported a .405 wOBA against righties in over 35 innings of work. If that doesn't jump out to you, I am not sure what will. Maybe his 34% hard contact rate. How about his 6 K/9. Castillo is way too cheap around the industry to be facing off with a guy that sported a +.400 wOBA. The game will also take place in Chase Field, which is the 2nd best ballpark in the league for right handed and left handed power. Castillo is cheap enough to the point that he makes a great play on both FanDuel and DraftKings in both tourneys and cash games.

FIRST BASE

Anthony Rizzo FD 4200 DK 5300
Opponent - CIN (Stephenson) Park - @CIN
FD - 13.94 DK - 10.65

The Cubs, along with the Rangers, are going to be our top 2 offenses outside of Coors Field. Of course, you can stack Coors Field and have a lot of projected runs, but the ownership will also be high. I expect the Cubs to fly under the radar today, and while it is obviously weird because its the last day of the season, they should all be in the lineup. Rizzo is one of the best hitters in the league against right handed pitching as shown by his near .400 wOBA and surrounding peripherals. We will touch on Robert Stephenson later, but just know that he is a very below average righty facing off with a team that is pretty tough to succeed against. Rizzo is the top option at first on both sites, and in both formats.

Justin Morneau FD 2500 DK 3300
Opponent - MIN (Berrios) Park - @CHW
FD - 7.78 DK - 6.01

If you want to pay down and are looking for a guy with a bit of upside, you have to look at Justin Morneau. Sure, he is facing a REALLY GOOD prospect. But that prospect, Jose Berrios, has not gotten acclimated to the MLB ecosystem. This will likely be the last year we can pick on him, so we need to take advantage of it. Morneau has been great against righties for the better part of 15 years and while his numbers now don't compare to his old, they are by no means bad. The game will take place in U.S. Cellular Field, which is a great park for home runs and run in general. Morneau is a solid play in both tournaments and cash games, though I prefer him on DraftKings as Rizzo is too cheap on FanDuel.

SECOND BASE

Rougned Odor FD 3500 DK 4300
Opponent - TB (Whitley) Park - @TEX
FD - 11.46 DK - 9.28

Rougned Odor is going to start us off here at the second base position. We talked about Jonathan Lucroy earlier and I mentioned that Whitley was even worse against left handed pitching. Since 2015, Whitley has sported a .384 wOBA against lefties and has put that next to a high hard contact rate and a prime BABIP. Odor is a very good hitter and has crushed lackluster right handed pitching. Odor is actually pretty affordable on both sites, though I definitely prefer him on FanDuel because of the scoring. Another great factor is the ballpark. Globe Life Park in Arlington is one of the best around, especially for left handed power.

Ryan Schimpf FD 3400 DK 4400
Opponent - ARI (Koch) Park - @ARI
FD - 10.32 DK - 7.91

Let me be clear, I prefer Rougned Odor over Schimpf, in any and every possible format or site. However, Schimpf is my 2nd favorite guy at the position. The Padres as a whole are in a pretty god spot here against Matt Koch. While Koch has been spectacular in his 10 innings, that is a far too small sample size to judge anything off of. His minor league numbers suggest he is going to be a below average guy for the end of the season. Schimpf jumped into the majors and had a great season, finishing with 20 home runs. Let's see if he can make it 21 on the last day of the season. Once again, Odor is the clear number 1 option with Schimpf following behind.

SHORTSTOP

Addison Russell FD 2300 DK 3700
Opponent - CIN (Stephenson) Park - @CIN
FD - 10.3 DK - 7.97

The shortstop position is a very weak one today, and we will be looking to pay down as much as we possibly can. On FanDuel, Addison Russell is a fantastic way to go. he is only $2300 and has a fantastic match up with Robert Stephenson, the young righty in Cincinnati. Russell has been great against righties in 2016 with a +.340 wOBA to go along with some strong power peripherals. The game will take place in the Great American Ballpark, so that definitely helps. It ranked as a top 5 park for right handed and left handed power in 2015. While Russell is the easy choice on FanDuel, we have to look somewhere else on DraftKings.

Alexei Ramirez FD 2400 DK 3100
Opponent - TEX (Perez) Park - @TEX
FD - 7.31 DK - 6.2

I told you, the shortstop position is ugly. When Alexei Ramirez is being recommended, something is off. However, I am a big fan of this Rays offense against Martin Perez. Perez is one of my favorite guys inn the league to consistently pick on, and it works. Though Longoria is easily my top option on the team, every righty is in play. Alexei Ramirez has sported  a.341 wOBA against lefties over the past 2 seasons and actually has some power upside in this ballpark. With Russell being locked into my FD teams, Ramirez will be limited to just DraftKings for me.

THIRD BASE

Evan Longoria FD 3400 DK 4400
Opponent - TEX (Perez) Park - @TEX
FD - 11.3 DK - 8.63

Speaking of Evan Longoria, here we go. Martin Perez is a home run machine to right handed hitters. Since 2014, Perez has sported a .361 wOBA against righties and his peripherals tell the same story. Longoria on the other hand, is a known left handed masher and has been one of the best lefty killers in baseball for about 7 seasons. This year has been no different and his numbers agree. With this game taking place in Globe Life Park, Longoria gets a huge park upgrade from the spacious Tropicana Field. Longoria is fairly priced on both sites, though his FanDuel price is VERY tempting. It will be an extremely tough decision for me between Evan Longoria and Kris Bryant.

Kris Bryant FD 4000 DK 5000
Opponent - CIN (Stephenson) Park - @CIN
FD - 13.91 DK - 10.68

Robert Stepheson is really bad, I promise. He is the worst pitcher on the slate. Against righties, he has sported a .372 wOBA that is backed up by a 5.61 xFIP and a rediculous 42% hard contact rate. Kris Bryant on the other hand, is a top 5 hitter in the MLB and will look to absolutely demolish this guy. With the game taking place in the Great American "Small" Ballpark, Bryant is going to be my call for home run of the day/night. I am pretty confident in this one and I would be very surprised if the Cubs rolled out there good lineup and didn't go off on Stephenson and the Reds lackluster bullpen.

OUTFIELD

Carlos Beltran FD 3700 DK 4100
Opponent - TB (Whitley) Park - @TEX
FD - 12.05 DK - 9.24

We are going to start the outfield with our 3rd and final Ranger, Carlos Beltran. Beltran is the 3 hitter for the Rangers, and while he has slowed down as of late, has been having a great season. He has been phenomenal against righties with a .362 wOBA alongside a bunch of great peripherals and batted ball rates. As mentioned, Whitley is atrocious for left handed hitting. Anyone in the Rangers lineup is in play, especially if they are left handed and have the power to hit one out. Beltran fits both of those brackets and because of that, he will be one of my favorite plays on the board tonight. Like Odor, Beltran can be used in any format on any site, as long as he is not too expensive.

Carlos Gonzalez FD 3900 DK 5000
Opponent - MIL (Nelson) Park - @COL
FD - 11.2 DK - 8.6

Sure, I could of stacked the entire article with left handed Rockies. Jimmy Nelson is absolutely atrocious on the road and in Coors Field, I dont even want to imagine what will likely happen. Nelson has been almost a full .100 points worse on the road wOBA-wise. He also struggled a lot more against lefties and the home run ball. Gonzalez has quietly had another dominating season against righties and his .361 wOBA confirms it. While CarGo is pretty expensive on DK, his price on FanDuel makes him a great play in all formats at any price range.

George Springer FD 3900 DK 4200
Opponent - LAA (Weaver) Park - @LAA
FD - 10.17 DK - 8.04

Last, but certainly not least, we are going to take a look at George Springer. While this is the first Astros bat, I really like the offense an think they are in a good spot for a tournament stack. Jered Weaver has sported a sub .370 wOBA against both sides of the plate and I see no reason to believe that changes now. His 80 MPH fastball has been figured out by the entire league and he has had major trouble lately. The Astros shoul dbe able to tee off here and Springer is my favorite of the bunch. He has a rare combo of speed and power that not many players have. He is fairly priced on both sites and makes for an excellent play in all formats.

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