DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Wednesday, 9/14/22

This is the best time to be a baseball fan. We're down to the final month of the regular season, and there's plenty to be determined. It's been fun watching these teams battle for six months, and you better believe the elite teams will go hard for these final few weeks. That's what we're going to do because this is a great time to play DFS. With that in mind, let's get started with two young pitchers.

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Pitchers

Dylan Cease FD - P 10800 DK - SP 10300
Opponent - COL (Kyle Freeland) Park - CHW
FD - 45.34 DK - 25.31

Cease missing out on the All-Star team was one of the biggest shams I've ever seen in professional sports. This right-hander has a 2.06 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 11.4 K/9 rate for the season. He's been even better as of late, allowing one run or fewer in 16 of his last 19 starts. Cease also has a 1.17 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in that span, providing one of the best K rates in baseball. All of that should be easy to duplicate against Colorado, with the Rockies always struggling on the road, sitting 29th in road OPS and dead-last in scoring. All of that has Cease and the Sox entering this matchup as a -250 favorite.

Nick Lodolo FD - P 9800 DK - SP 8800
Opponent - PIT (Roansy Contreras) Park - CIN
FD - 36.84 DK - 19.62

Lodolo's season-long numbers are nothing to write home about, but he's starting to find it in the second half. Over his last nine starts, the southpaw is slinging a 2.80 ERA, 10.6 WHIP, and 10.5 K/9 rate. He's also got an 11.3 K/9 rate for the year, and it's clear this kid will be a strikeout stud for years to come. He's done that against some good offenses, and he should have no issues mowing down the Pirates. Pittsburgh ranks bottom-three in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, K rate, and xwOBA. That has Lodolo entering this matchup as a -190 favorite, with the Buccos projected for only 3.5 runs.

Cal Quantrill (FD $7700 DK $7200) has a 1.80 ERA and 0.95 WHIP across his last seven starts and should keep that going against a 26th-ranked Angels offense.

Catcher/First Base

Pete Alonso FD - 1B 3600 DK - 1B 5500
Opponent - CHC (Drew Smyly) Park - NYM
FD - 11.34 DK - 8.47

Big Pete hit another bomb on Tuesday, and it appears The Polar Bear is starting to get hot once again. The big first baseman enters this matchup amid a seven-game hitting streak, posting a .400 OBP and 1.000 OPS in that span. We've been waiting for him to get hot since the All-Star break, and he's been known to go on home run binges like this in the past. Getting the platoon advantage against Drew Smyly is sensational, too, with the left-hander posting a 4.76 ERA and 1.34 WHIP since 2016. He's been good recently, but we don't believe that success will sustain against one of the best offenses in the NL.

Ryan Mountcastle FD - 1B 2700 DK - 1B 3800
Opponent - WSH (Patrick Corbin) Park - WSH
FD - 10.7 DK - 8.17

The Orioles have this group of young and talented players, with Mountcastle as one of the team's leaders. This first baseman has been good since his call-up, compiling a .259 AVG and .773 OPS. Those are good averages from a player in this price range, especially since Mountcastle got on base four times on Tuesday while swatting a homer. The best part of this is the matchup against Patrick Corbin, who's got a 6.30 ERA and 1.71 WHIP this year. It also gives Mountcastle the advantage from the right side, falling just shy of a .800 OPS against lefties.

Will Smith (FD $3000 DK $5200) is the best option at catcher batting cleanup for the Dodgers.

Second Base

Marcus Semien FD - 2B 3700 DK - 2B 4900
Opponent - OAK (JP Sears) Park - TEX
FD - 10.88 DK - 8.23

It has not been a great debut season for Semien in Texas, but he's turned it on since the opening month. The 2021 MVP candidate, who finished with 45 homers and 15 steals last year, has 22 homers and 21 steals over his last 100 games played. That's the stud we saw last season, and he's been feeling it even more this week. In fact, Semien has six hits and five RBI over the previous two days, including three doubles and a homer. He also benefits from facing a subpar southpaw here, with JP Sears providing a 4.62 xFIP this year. We also don't mind that Texas has 28 runs over their last five games.

Max Muncy FD - 2B 2500 DK - 3B 5000
Opponent - ARI (Zach Davies) Park - ARI
FD - 9.84 DK - 7.28

The price discrepancies on these sites make no sense. The DraftKings price is more appropriate with how this guy has been playing, with Muncy mashing over the last two months. Since July 30, Max has maintained a .358 OBP , .577 SLG, and .935 OPS. That doesn't even include another bomb on Tuesday, which gives him four dingers over the last five games. That means this slugging second baseman is getting hot at the right time, and facing a low K-rate guy like Davies could keep him scorching. Davies has a 5.11 xFIP since the start of last season, surrendering a 7.43 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in three starts against LA.

Shortstop

Carlos Correa FD - SS 3800 DK - SS 4900
Opponent - KC (Zack Greinke) Park - MIN
FD - 10.77 DK - 8.16

Correa got off to a slow start with his new team, but the former All-Star is rolling right now. The slugging shortstop has five homers and 12 RBI over his last nine games played, generating a .421 AVG and 1.255 OPS in that span. We've been waiting for him to get going all year, and we don't expect a soft-tosser like Zach Greinke to slow him down. The Royals righty has a disastrous 13 percent K rate to go along with a 5.05 xERA and 1.34 WHIP. His last two starts against Minnesota have been awful, too, posting a 5.40 ERA and 1.70 WHIP.

Gunnar Henderson FD - SS 2800 DK - 2B/SS 3400
Opponent - WSH (Patrick Corbin) Park - WSH
FD - 7.96 DK - 6.08

Why are these DFS sites keeping this kid so cheap? This 21-year-old has a .304 AVG and .822 OPS through his first 13 games. That's an impressive two weeks from a rookie, but he could be even better in the future. We say that because Henderson had a .297 AVG, .416 OBP, .531 SLG, and .946 OPS in the minors this year. Gunnar has also had his way with lefties, posting a 1.600 OPS against them in limited at-bats. Henderson happens to be facing one of the worst lefties in the league here, and we love the O's facing off with Corbin.

Third Base

Alex Bregman FD - 3B 3300 DK - 3B 5600
Opponent - DET (Joey Wentz) Park - DET
FD - 13.2 DK - 9.91

It feels like we have Bregman in here every day, but recent results would indicate that he should be. The All-Star third baseman has a .450 OBP, .635 SLG, and 1.085 OPS across his last 41 games. That makes the FanDuel price laughable, especially since he has the platoon advantage against Joey Wentz. Throughout his career, Bregman is flirting with a .400 OBP and .900 OPS against left-handers. We certainly expect this offense to wallop a guy like Wentz, with the lefty making just his fourth career start after amassing a 3.88 ERA and 1.32 WHIP in the minors over the last two years.

Justin Turner FD - 3B 3400 DK - 3B 4600
Opponent - ARI (Zach Davies) Park - ARI
FD - 10.01 DK - 7.55

Stacking the Dodgers is always one of the safest bets out there in DFS. This is the best lineup in baseball, and they regularly score 5-6 runs a night. That should happen again here versus a soft-tosser like Davies, but it's always tough to know which LA bats to trust. We'll go with Turner because he's been one of their hottest hitters recently and remains too cheap. Justin has a .394 AVG, .457 OBP, .718 SLG, and 1.175 OPS across his last 19 games. He's also one of the few guys with opposite splits, posting an OPS that's 50 points higher against right-handed pitching. This is simply the best value in a Dodgers stack, and he needs to be utilized if that's the route you want to take.

Outfield

Adolis García FD - OF 3500 DK - OF 4700
Opponent - OAK (JP Sears) Park - TEX
FD - 9.87 DK - 7.52

Sears has some negative regression headed his way, and we believe Garcia is the best bet to even out the southpaw's averages. The 2021 breakout has been even better this year, providing 25 homers and 24 steals. Marcus Semien and Julio Rodriguez are the only other two players who could reach that coveted 30-30 campaign, and it shows just how ridiculous Garcia has been. His second half has been more absurd, accruing a .277 AVG, .488 SLG, and .800 OPS over his last 35 games. That makes him about $500 too cheap on both sites, and he should continue that success against this lackluster lefty.

Anthony Santander FD - OF 2900 DK - OF 4800
Opponent - WSH (Patrick Corbin) Park - WSH
FD - 9.71 DK - 7.39

Baltimore is my favorite stack of the day. This young offense is full of talented pieces, and a matchup with Patrick Corbin could lead to a ceiling day. That lefty has a WHIP north of 1.70 and will surely struggle with this righty-heavy lineup. Santander has been the main slugger for this team, regularly batting third. He's earned that spot, too, tallying a .270 AVG, .509 SLG, and .838 OPS across his last 75 games. His splits are his most significant asset here, amassing a .299 AVG, .368 OBP, .547 SLG, and .915 OPS against left-handers this year.

Eloy Jiménez FD - OF 3200 DK - OF 4800
Opponent - COL (Kyle Freeland) Park - CHW
FD - 11.39 DK - 8.65

It's wild that these DFS sites have kept Eloy's prices so low. This masher has been raking all season, providing a .317 AVG and .904 OPS. Those are his superb season-long stats, with Eloy establishing a .364 AVG, .439 OBP, .625 SLG, and 1.064 OPS over his last 45 games. That's the stud we've been waiting to see, because Jimenez flashed elite power throughout his minor league career. Getting to face a crapy lefty like Kyle Freeland is the icing on the cake, with the lefty generating a 4.63 ERA and 1.37 WHIP.