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DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Saturday 9/26/20
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The final weekend of the regular season is always a nightmare for DFS and we saw why on Friday. There were numerous starters held to just three or four innings, making it hard to know what to expect here. That's why we're going to focus on teams who have something to play for, so, let's start things off with one of those pitchers!
Pitchers
Brandon Woodruff FD - P 9300 DK - SP 8700
Opponent - STL (Adam Wainwright) Park - STL
FD - 36.91 DK - 19.7
Woodruff has quietly been one of the best pitchers in the NL this season and we love that his team is actually playing for something. There's only a handful of teams doing that and it makes Woodruff one of the only reliable options out there. Getting a pitcher in a must-win game on a volatile slate is enough incentive to use Woodruff but he's been amazing for the second-straight year. In fact, he's pitching to a 3.43 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 11.1 K/9 rate this season. That fantastic K rate has led to an impressive floor, with Woodruff scoring at least 16 FanDuel points in all 12 starts this season. Getting to face a 24th-ranked Cardinals offense is the icing on the cake though.
Lance McCullers Jr. FD - P 9500 DK - SP 8300
Opponent - TEX (Kyle Gibson) Park - TEX
FD - 34.76 DK - 18.62
McCullers is a risky pitcher but his upside is hard to fade. We're talking about a guy who has at least 45 FanDuel points in three of his last four starts, pitching to a 1.83 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 10.1 K/9 rate in that span. That's the stud we love to see and the matchups against Texas is the thing that really makes him attractive here. The Rangers currently rank 29th or 30th in OBP, OPS, wOBA and runs scored. That's bad news against a hot pitcher like McCullers, particularly one who just went seven scoreless innings against them last week. That's why he and the Astros enter this matchup as a -210 favorite.
Catcher/First Base
Freddie Freeman FD - 1B 4300 DK - 1B 5500
Opponent - BOS (Tanner Houck) Park - ATL
FD - 13.98 DK - 10.5
It's hard to overlook just how good this guy has been this season. He was actually in this article on Friday and unfortunately, didn't find his way into the lineup. Ironically, he homered in a pinch-hitting appearance, proving just how hot he is right now. Freeman now has a .338 BA, .456 OBP, .628 SLG and 1.084 OPS for the season. Amazingly, he's got an OBP north of .500 over his last 21 games played, en route to an absurd 1.311 OPS. That makes him an enticing option against anyone, especially Tanner Houck, who has just 11 Major League innings under his belt and posted a 1.41 WHIP for his minor league career.
José Abreu FD - 1B 4000 DK - 1B 5300
Opponent - CHC (Jon Lester) Park - CHW
FD - 11.87 DK - 9.02
Freeman might be the frontrunner for NL MVP and it's very possible that Abreu is the frontrunner for AL MVP. That's evident by the fact that he leads the AL with 57 RBI, amassing a .325 AVG, .636 SLG and 1.011 OPS for the year. Those are obviously career-best numbers and it's scary to think that he gets to face a lefty here. Since 2018, Jose's got a .389 OBP, .584 SLG and .973 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor. We're certainly not worried about Jon Lester either and we'll go over that more later.
If you're in need of a catcher on DraftKings, Salvador Perez and Yasmani Grandal make for solid options.
Second Base
Ozzie Albies FD - 2B 4100 DK - 2B 5200
Opponent - BOS (Tanner Houck) Park - ATL
FD - 9.94 DK - 7.63
Picking second baseman is always a difficult task and it was nearly impossible on this slate. Albies does make for a solid option though, posting the best numbers of his career. A lot of his damage has actually come recently, amassing a .383 BA, .683 SLG and 1.096 OPS over his last 15 games played. That directly correlates with a full return to health, proving just how dangerous thus youngster can be. We also love that he gets to face the inexperienced Houck, with he and Freeman making for a beautiful two-man stack.
Nick Madrigal FD - 2B 2500 DK - 2B 2700
Opponent - CHC (Jon Lester) Park - CHW
FD - 8.07 DK - 6.37
We foreshadowed a matchup with Lester in the previous section, with the White Sox being one of my favorite stacks of the day. Not only is he a lefty with a low K rate, Lester is also pitching to a 5.80 ERA and 1.51 WHIP over his last eight starts. That's bad news against all of these talented White Sox righties and we have to believe the young Madrigal will find his way into the lineup needing at-bats. The youngster is now hitting .344 in his rookie season after totaling a .311 AVG and 35 steals at the minors last season. Madrigal also has the platoon advantage and we can't forget the fact that Lester allows steals at an unruly pace.
Shortstop
Tim Anderson FD - SS 4000 DK - SS 5300
Opponent - CHC (Jon Lester) Park - CHW
FD - 12.62 DK - 9.83
Let's cap off our White Six stack with one of the most surprising hitters around. I really thought that Anderson would see some negative regression after leading baseball in batting average last season but he's proving that it's no fluke. In fact, TA is now hitting .338 this year en route to a .559 SLG and .931 OPS. Those are actually better numbers than he provided last season and it's clear he's developing into an All-Star caliber player. Not to mention, Anderson has a .512 BA, 1.140 SLG and 1.702 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor this season.
Adalberto Mondesi FD - SS 3000 DK - SS 5100
Opponent - DET (Matthew Boyd) Park - KC
FD - 12.24 DK - 9.5
Mondesi has now found himself in five-straight articles for me and recent results would indicate that we're doing something right. After another gem on Friday, he now has a .346 BA, .603 SLG and .995 OPS over his last 20 games played. That looks really good on the surface but it's even more absurd when you consider that he's got 19 runs scored, 10 extra-base hits and 16 steals in that span, making him the most versatile player in fantasy right now. That's a scary thought considering he gets the platoon advantage against Matthew Boyd here, who's got an ugly 6.96 ERA and 1.51 WHIP for the year.
Third Base
José Ramírez FD - 3B 4200 DK - 3B 5600
Opponent - PIT (Joe Musgrove) Park - CLE
FD - 13.75 DK - 10.36
This dude is just absurd right now. Not only is he one of the only players in baseball owning double-digit tallies in homers and steals, he's also one of the hottest players around. Over his last eight games played, J-Ram has a .483 BA, .559 SLG, 1.276 SLG and 1.835 OPS. Those are literally video game-like numbers and it's clear he wants to chase down Abreu for AL MVP honors. What's also nice is that his team is playing for something and that should make him as hungry as ever. Getting to face Joe Musgrove and his 4.68 ERA and 1.38 WHIP is only a bonus.
Rafael Devers FD - 3B 3700 DK - 3B 5400
Opponent - ATL (Huascar Ynoa) Park - ATL
FD - 13.11 DK - 9.95
I really had a hard time finding a second third basemen I liked for this slate but Devers is an intriguing option. The thing that I really like is his matchup, facing an unknown Huascar Ynoa. While it is a cool name, a 5.82 ERA and 1.66 WHIP leads to some ugly game. He also pitches from the right side and that's bad news with Devers seeing the ball well from the left side. Since his debut, Devers is generating a .294 AVG, .351 OBP, .555 SLG and .906 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor. That looks even better when you consider that Rafael has an OPS north of 1.050 since the end of August.
Outfield
George Springer FD - OF 4100 DK - OF 5500
Opponent - TEX (Kyle Gibson) Park - TEX
FD - 14.4 DK - 10.81
Springer is starting to get hot and he's someone you don't want to fade when he's rolling. Over his last 22 games played, Springer Dinger has a .341 BA, .716 SLG and 1.112 OPS. That's the stud we saw in the postseason and it's clear that his swing is fully back now. A sizzling hitter facing Kyle Gibson is an even more profitable proposition, with the right-hander pitching to a 5.87 ERA and 1.57 WHIP in yet another disappointing season.
Franmil Reyes FD - OF 2900 DK - OF 4100
Opponent - PIT (Joe Musgrove) Park - CLE
FD - 11.84 DK - 8.87
We already discussed that we want to stack against Musgrove, and Reyes would have to be a major part of that. The thing that really makes him intriguing is his price, being priced around a bunch of guys who sit at the bottom of their lineups. That looks even sillier when you consider Reyes' recent form, tallying a .299 AVG, .373 OBP, .497 SLG and .870 OPS since the beginning of August. Those averages have been falling a bit recently but not enough to justify this silly pricing.
Joc Pederson FD - OF 2500 DK - OF 3400
Opponent - LAA (Dylan Bundy) Park - LAD
FD - 10.58 DK - 7.88
Pederson finds his way into these articles a lot when he faces right-handed pitching and it's hard to understand why they keep his price so low. We're talking about a hitter who has a .336 OBP, .543 SLG and .879 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor since 2018. That usually lands him a prominent spot in the Dodgers lineup which is bad news for a struggling Dylan Bundy. In fact, the former Orioles pitcher owns a 9.39 ERA and 1.96 WHIP over his last two starts. He's simply looked like the guy we saw in Baltimore and a potent Dodgers lineup is the last thing he wants to see right now.
