DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Friday 9/4/20

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It sounds crazy but we're nearly two-thirds of the way through the season. It feels like we're just getting started but here we are approaching the finish line. That makes every game very important and most of these squads will be facing division opponents from here on out. So, let's go ahead and get into it!

Pitchers

Carlos Carrasco FD - P 9300 DK - SP 10200
Opponent - MIL (Corbin Burnes) Park - CLE
FD - 34.57 DK - 18.69

It sounds really strange to say but the Brewers offense is really bad. So far this season, Milwaukee ranks 28th in runs scored, 26th in OBP, 27th in OPS and 29th in K rate. That's shocking when you consider how good they've been recently but it's really no surprise when you take a look at this lineup. That's great news for a guy like Cookie Carrasco, with the right-hander owning a 3.45 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 29 percent K rate since 2015. That's why he and the Indians enter this matchup as a -160 favorite and why he's one of the best pitching options out there.

Dane Dunning FD - P 7700 DK - SP 5800
Opponent - KC (Brady Singer) Park - KC
FD - 26.28 DK - 13.58

While a lot of people may not be familiar with this kid, he's an extremely talented pitcher. In fact, the right-hander now has a 2.75 ERA and 0.75 WHIP across his first two starts at the Majors. That's backed by a 2.74 ERA and 1.13 WHIP for his minor league career. His worst season in the minors was a 3.57 ERA and 1.27 WHIP, which are averages that a lot of players would kill for this season. All of that pairs beautifully with his 30 percent K rate at that level and 40 percent mark in his short stay at the Majors, making him dangerous against almost any team. This is definitely not one we're worried about too, with the Royals ranked 28th in OBP, 23rd in OPS and 25th in wOBA.

Catcher/First Base

Rhys Hoskins FD - 1B 4000 DK - 1B 4600
Opponent - NYM (Rick Porcello) Park - NYM
FD - 12.29 DK - 9.07

Hoskins got off to a nightmare start at the beginning of the season but he's been absolutely rolling recently. After homering on Thursday, Hoskins now has five doubles, six dingers and 12 RBI over his last 11 games played. That looks even better when you see that he had an OBP north of .450 in that same span, which is actually not far off of his .433 OBP for the season. All of that is bad news for a bad pitcher like Rick Porcello, with the right-hander posting a 6.00 ERA and 1.58 WHIP so far this season.

Edwin Encarnación FD - 1B 2800 DK - 1B 4200
Opponent - KC (Brady Singer) Park - KC
FD - 11.52 DK - 8.54

I just don't like this pricing. E5 has been a power monster throughout his career and there are simply not many guys in this price range who can hit two dingers on any given night. We're talking about a guy who has 303 homers since 2012 and I'm not sure any other hitter in the league can match that power. While he's been struggling with his average this year, five homers over his last 12 games is certainly an encouraging sign. The price is the best part about using him but facing Brady Singer and his 5.19 ERA and 1.36 WHIP is the icing on the cake.

If you're in need of a catcher, J.T. Realmuto is hard to fade the way he's playing right now

Second Base

Max Muncy FD - 2B 3600 DK - 1B/3B 5100
Opponent - COL (Antonio Senzatela) Park - LAD
FD - 13.47 DK - 9.97

We just don't trust Antonio Senzatela. The Rockies righty has had a breakout season when you see his 3.32 ERA and 1.13 WHIP but those averages are big fat lies. The reason I say that is because he had a 6.71 ERA and 1.75 WHIP last season and owns a 4.32 xFIP this year. That means regression is right around the corner and what better team to do that damage than the Dodgers. Muncy would be a major part of that LA stack, with Muncy generating a .379 OBP, .536 SLG and .914 OPS against right-handers since joining the Dodgers three years ago.

DJ LeMahieu FD - 2B 3700 DK - 2B/3B 4700
Opponent - BAL (Alex Cobb) Park - BAL
FD - 8.8 DK - 6.8

LeMahieu just returned from injury about a week ago and it's kept his price way too low. Since joining the Yankees last season, the stud second baseman is hitting .336 while providing a .525 SLG and .908 OPS. His averages are actually significantly better this season and it's scary just how good this guy has gotten since putting on the pinstripes. All of that makes him worthy against anyone but we love the matchup against Alex Cobb, who's got a 5.17 ERA and 1.42 WHIP since joining the Orioles in 2017.

Shortstop

Trea Turner FD - SS 4000 DK - SS 5500
Opponent - ATL (Josh Tomlin) Park - ATL
FD - 11.78 DK - 9.1

If you think Hoskins is hot, wait until you see what Turner is doing right now. Despite going hitless in the last two games. TT is still hitting .440 over his last 22 games, en route to a .490 OBP, .769 SLG and 1.259 OPS. Those are some of the best power numbers around and we haven't even discussed how this might be the best base-stealer in baseball too. A hot bat like that is no good for Josh Tomlin, who's got a 4.80 ERA and 1.29 WHIP since 2018.

Corey Seager FD - SS 3800 DK - SS 5000
Opponent - COL (Antonio Senzatela) Park - LAD
FD - 13.51 DK - 10.23

Let's keep the Dodgers bats rolling with Seager. We already discussed how we don't trust Senzatela and that makes Seager a keep piece to this LA stack. One of the reasons we love Seager is because he gets the platoon advantage against Senzatela, with Corey providing a .302 AVG, .546 SLG and .910 OPS against righties since 2018. We love that considering he's having the best season of his career, totaling a .735 SLG and 1.133 OPS against righties and a .595 SLG and .955 OPS for the season against everyone.

Third Base

Eugenio Suárez FD - 3B 3500 DK - 3B 4500
Opponent - PIT (Steven Brault) Park - PIT
FD - 12.73 DK - 9.51

Suarez finds his way into these articles a lot, simply because these DFS sites keep his price way too low. We already discussed how E5 had some of the best power numbers over the last decade but don't forget about Suarez's 117 homers since 2017. There are only a couple of guys with a higher total in that span and we love that he gets to face a lefty here. In that same span, Suarez has an OBP north of .400 against southpaws and an OPS a few points shy of 1.000. We're certainly not worried about Steven Brault either and we'll go over that more later.

Jeff McNeil FD - 3B 2600 DK - 2B/OF 3500
Opponent - PHI (Jake Arrieta) Park - NYM
FD - 11.88 DK - 9.17

Out of all the egregious price tags on this slate, this is one of the most mind-boggling ones. We're talking about a hitter who's got a .317 AVG, .379 OBP, .496 SLG and .874 OPS for his career. It's not like it's a small sample size either, with McNeil nearing 1.000 career at-bats. So, what's with this pricing? What makes it even more bizarre is the fact that he's got four doubles over his last three games, making this the value play of the day. Not to mention, he's got the platoon advantage against Jake Arrieta and his 6.49 ERA and 1.56 WHIP.

Outfield

Bryce Harper FD - OF 4200 DK - OF 6100
Opponent - NYM (Rick Porcello) Park - NYM
FD - 13.24 DK - 9.79

We love using hot hitters in DFS and Harper has quietly thrown his hat in the ring for MVP honors. What makes him such a good option is the fact that he's stayed hot all season long, reciting at least 3.0 FD points in all but one game this season. That's an amazing feat and it's led to him generating a .439 OBP, .550 SLG and .989 OPS for the year. Those averages make him very scary against Porcello and his ugly numbers from the Hoskins write-up, especially with Harper hitting from the left side.

Nick Castellanos FD - OF 3700 DK - OF 4800
Opponent - PIT (Steven Brault) Park - PIT
FD - 12.28 DK - 9.34

We foreshadowed this play when we talked about Eugenio Suarez, as this Reds stack is easily one of the best of the day. The reason for that is because they own a bunch of strong righties, squaring off against southpaw Steven Brault. The Pittsburgh lefty has a 1.44 WHIP this season which is no surprise when you see his 4.82 ERA and 1.52 WHIP for his career. That makes anyone intriguing against him but we can't overlook the fact that Castellanos has a .554 SLG and .894 OPS in what's becoming a career year. In addition, he's got a .358 AVG, .410 OBP, .608 SLG and 1.018 OPS against lefties since 2018.

Joc Pederson FD - OF 2700 DK - OF 3400
Opponent - COL (Antonio Senzatela) Park - LAD
FD - 12.52 DK - 9.32

Splits are always a major theme in these articles and it's why Pederson finds his way into them whenever the Dodgers face a righty. The simple fact is, Pederson crushes righties and it's why the Dodgers put him in a prominent spot in their lineup whenever they face one. Since 2018, Joc Jams has a .341 OBP, .550 SLG and .891 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor. He's also one of the only Dodgers bats who's a good value and that makes him yet another great piece to this stack.

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