DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Friday 9/6/19

While many people will be focused on football this weekend, baseball is as strong as ever. What I love about this time of the year is that we get a bunch of fish joining the MLB contests. People make deposits for the NFL and play MLB in their off days just to try it out. That makes the field so much weaker, which is huge for players like us who play every day. With that in mind, let's get into the best pitcher on the board.

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Pitchers

Clayton Kershaw FD 11700 DK 11900
Opponent - SF (Jeff Samardzija) Park - SF
FD - 41.7 DK - 23.14
How can we possibly fade Kershaw on this slate? While many people were worried about CK at the beginning of the year, he's arguably been the most reliable pitcher in the Majors this season. That's evident by the fact that he's pitched at least six innings in all 24 of his starts. That's absurd and it's led to a 2.89 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. Facing the Giants at home is simply the icing on the cake, with San Fran ranked 26^th in runs scored, 27^th in OBP, 26^th in OPS and 28^th in wOBA. That's no surprise when you see that Kershaw has allowed just two runs across 14 innings against this team in two starts, thus making him a -250 favorite here.

Miles Mikolas FD 6300 DK 8000
Opponent - PIT (Joe Musgrove) Park - PIT
FD - 28.07 DK - 14.46
Mikolas is by no means a safe play but he's a quality option in such a superb matchup. Let's begin with his opponent, as Mikolas gets a matchup against a Pittsburgh club who's been one of the worst offenses since the break. They currently rank 21st in runs scored and 22nd in OPS since the All-Star break. That's huge for a guy like Mikolas, with the right-hander pitching to a 3.49 ERA and 1.13 WHIP since joining the Cardinals last season. Vegas really likes Mikolas too, making him a -130 favorite in this matchup.

Whoever starts for the Rays between Charlie Morton and Brendan McKay are definitely in play as a -350 favorite against a 28th-ranked Toronto offense.

Catcher/First Base

Howie Kendrick FD 2400 DK 5000
Opponent - ATL (Dallas Keuchel) Park - ATL
FD - 8.98 DK - 6.98
The price discrepancy between these sites is truly amazing, as Kendrick is one of the best values on FanDuel. What's even more surprising about all this is the fact that Washington doesn't play Kendrick regularly, despite having a career year. How often do you see a guy with a .330 AVG, .559 SLG and .940 OPS priced this cheaply? Those would be MVP numbers if Kendrick played every day and it's bizarre that he's become a platoon player. We really have to like him against lefties though, with Kendrick posting a .350 AVG, .560 SLG and .953 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor this season.

Matt Olson FD 3600 DK 4600
Opponent - DET (Spencer Turnbull) Park - DET
FD - 11.85 DK - 8.85
Olson is always in play against a weak righty. The reason for that is because of his absurd power. Since joining the A's, Olson is one of the league leaders with a .254 ISO and .514 SLG. Those numbers are even better this year, with Olson knocking out 28 dingers en route to a .268 ISO. The reason we like him today is because he faces a right-hander, with Olson totaling a .357 OBP, .553 SLG and .910 OPS against them since 2017. Spencer Turnbull is certainly not scary either, pitching to a 4.45 ERA and 1.44 WHIP.

Second Base

Luis Arraez FD 2600 DK 4100
Opponent - CLE (Adam Plutko) Park - CLE
FD - 11.5 DK - 8.81
Arraez continues to be undervalued by these DFS sites and it's hard to understand why. This guy has done nothing but rake since joining the Twins, hitting .343 en route to an .855 OPS. That would make one believe that he should be $500 more on each site, especially in such a good matchup. Not only does Arraez get the platoon advantage against Adam Plutko, the Cleveland righty is also pitching to a 4.53 ERA and 5.67 xFIP so far this season. That's huge for a guy who has a .912 OPS against righties in addition to his superb season-long averages.

Brian Dozier FD 2500 DK 3600
Opponent - ATL (Dallas Keuchel) Park - ATL
FD - 9.24 DK - 6.96
Dozier has quietly had a bounceback year for the Nationals and he's been downright special against left-handed pitching. Let's take a look at those splits, with Dozier generating a .377 OBP and .905 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor this season. He's actually been pretty good since the opening months too, posting a .386 OBP over his last 49 games in total. We're not really concerned with Dallas Keuchel either, with the southpaw pitching to a 4.61 FIP and 1.32 WHIP in a hitter's ballpark like SunTrust Park.

Shortstop

Tim Anderson FD 3100 DK 4500
Opponent - LAA (Dillon Peters) Park - LAA
FD - 12.86 DK - 10.06
Anderson is being priced like an average shortstop and it really doesn't make any sense when you look at his season-long statistics. The slugging SS currently has a .331 AVG to match his .506 SLG and .858 OPS. Those are obviously all career-highs and he's traditionally been better against left-handers. Since 2017, Anderson's SLG is 50 points higher against lefties than righties while his OPS is 87 points higher. Dillon Peters is certainly not a lefty we're scared of either, with the southpaw pitching to a 4.13 ERA and 1.38 WHIP.

Alex Bregman FD 4400 DK 5500
Opponent - SEA (Tommy Milone) Park - SEA
FD - 11.41 DK - 8.6
Bregman very well might be the best play on the board. The reason for that is because he's one of the best pure hitters in baseball and is arguably the hottest player in the league right now. Over his last 29 games, Bregman has a .429 AVG, .500 OBP, .775 SLG and 1.275 OPS. Those are MVP caliber numbers and it's scary that he has a .413 OBP and 1.082 OPS against left-handers this season too. Not to mention, Tommy Milone has a 4.90 ERA.

Third Base

Manny Machado FD 3400 DK 4200
Opponent - COL (Tim Melville) Park - COL
FD - 12.77 DK - 9.72
Anytime a decent hitter faces the Rockies, they have to be in consideration. While he has struggled recently, Machado has been much better over the last two months. Over his last 69 games, Machado has a .285 AVG, .538 SLG and .879 OPS. That's the Machado that we've become accustomed to, as he's obliterated the Rockies this season. In fact, Manny is hitting .353 in 51 at-bats against Colorado this season en route to a 1.022 OPS. That's no surprise when you see Tim Melville's xFIP above 5.70 at the majors and minors, which is on par with the rest of this pitching staff.

Jake Lamb FD 2500 DK 3300
Opponent - CIN (Tyler Mahle) Park - CIN
FD - 10.03 DK - 7.52
Lamb is a very inconsistent player but he's got a lot of power potential in a matchup like this. Let's start with his splits, as Lamb has a .357 OBP, .466 SLG and .823 OPS against right-handers since 2017. That's really all you can ask for from a player this cheap, particularly against a guy like Tyler Mahle. The Reds righty is currently pitching to a 4.72 ERA and 1.26 WHIP which is truly scary in a hitter's haven like Great American Ballpark.

Outfield

Max Kepler FD 3500 DK 5000
Opponent - CLE (Adam Plutko) Park - CLE
FD - 12.79 DK - 9.69
Kepler gets a good matchup against Plutko who strikes out less than six batters per nine and allows a lot of flyballs. Kepler's putting up a fantastic season and is on pace to hit the 40HR mark before it's all said and done. He's tough to strike out at 16.5% though doesn't get on base at a super high clip. But he's still a play in this matchup hitting leadoff for the Twins and is an excellent value on FanDuel.

Robbie Grossman FD 2300 DK 3500
Opponent - DET (Spencer Turnbull) Park - DET
FD - 10.14 DK - 8.87
Grossman has actually been batting second for the A's recently and that's really all you can ask for from a player in this price range. The reason he's more attractive here is because this switch-hitter is much better from the left side, with his OPS nearly 200 points higher against right-handers than it is against southpaws. While his numbers aren't necessarily pretty, it's going to be tough to fade such a cheap hitter in such a great matchup.

Ben Zobrist FD 2500 DK 3600
Opponent - MIL (Zach Davies) Park - MIL
FD - 11.1 DK - 8.48
The Cubs have been struggling to find a leadoff hitter all season long but Zobrist may be capturing that role in his return off the IL. We have to appreciate the leadoff hitter in a matchup like this, with the Cubbies projected for more than five runs against Zach Davies. That's no surprise when you see his 5.23 xFIP, 1.36 WHIP and 15 percent K rate. That's a nightmare against a potent lineup like this and a solid hitter like Zobrist. For his career, Zobrist has an OPS approaching .800 against right-handers, which are the better splits for the switch-hitter.

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