DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Sunday, 9/18/22

Most eyes will be fixated on the NFL today, but we still have every MLB team in action. We're down to the final 2.5 weeks of the regular season, and it's crunch time for many of these clubs. That's the best time to play DFS because the elite teams throttle the ones already out of contention. That's expected to happen a few times here, two of which are in our pitching section. With that in mind, let's start with the best pitcher in the game.

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Pitchers

Jacob deGrom FD - P 11900 DK - SP 11900
Opponent - PIT (Johan Oviedo) Park - NYM
FD - 52.38 DK - 30.21

deGrom has had a hard time staying healthy, but this is the best pitcher in the world when he's on the bump. The right-hander had a 1.08 ERA and 0.55 WHIP in an unbelievable 2021 season but has backed it with a 2.01 ERA and 0.59 WHIP this year. He's done that damage while striking out 219 batters across 141 innings, scoring at least 42 FanDuel points in every start since his season debut. We were willing to use him against the Dodgers two weeks ago, so we're going to ride him against the Pirates. Pittsburgh ranks bottom-three in runs scored, OBP, OPS, xwOBA, and K rate. Not to mention, deGrom is a massive -450 favorite in this matchup, with the Buccos projected for just two runs.

Framber Valdez FD - P 11400 DK - RP 10900
Opponent - OAK (Ken Waldichuk) Park - HOU
FD - 40.65 DK - 20.83

It would be hard to imagine fading either of these top guys. It will be costly to use both of them, but that seems like the strategy on this slate. Valdez enters this matchup picking up a quality start in 22 straight outings. That says a lot, but his 2.38 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 8.9 K/9 rate in that span are equally as absurd. He also faces the worst offense in baseball here, with the A's ranked 29th or 30th in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA. In his two starts against Oakland this year, Valdez has allowed just three runs across 17 innings. The oddsmakers expect another gem, with Valdez and the Stros sporting a -300 moneyline.

Joe Ryan (FD $9600 DK $8200) threw seven no-hit innings in his most recent outing and should roll through a Guardians team that ranks 29th in xwOBA. They also played 24 innings on Saturday and could have a Triple-A lineup in this matchup.

Catcher/First Base

Ty France FD - 1B 3500 DK - 1B 3600
Opponent - LAA (Reid Detmers) Park - LAA
FD - 10.44 DK - 7.96

We need to find some cheap bats to squeeze in those two aces, and there's no better place to find value than at the first base position. France has been undervalued all season, accruing a .274 AVG and .790 OPS. We've seen him playing like this for years in a limited role, tallying a .286 AVG, .356 OBP, and .802 OPS since 2020. This guy was amid a horrific streak last week, but he's scored 37 combined FanDuel points over the previous two games. France has also been fantastic with the platoon advantage in his favor, totaling a .361 OBP and .822 OPS against left-handers since the start of last year.

Vinnie Pasquantino FD - 1B 2200 DK - 1B 2500
Opponent - BOS (Nick Pivetta) Park - BOS
FD - 8.58 DK - 6.56

There might be no better bargain bin play on this slate. We'll need a few of these guys to fit in deGrom and Valdez, but Pasquantino should never be this cheap. Let's start with his minor league numbers, generating a .292 AVG, .382 OBP, .569 SLG, and .951 OPS in nearly 1,000 at-bats. He didn't show us much of that in his debut week, but Vinnie's got a .307 AVG, .394 OBP, .563 SLG, and .987 OPS across his last 24 games. That's earned him the cleanup spot in this lineup, which is great news since KC is projected for 4.5 runs. We're not worried about a matchup with Nick Pivetta's 4.31 ERA and 1.33 WHIP.

MJ Melendez (FD $2500 DK $4700) just scored four runs atop the Royals lineup on Saturday and is the only catcher in the sport batting leadoff.

Second Base

Tommy Edman FD - 2B 3600 DK - SS 5500
Opponent - CIN (Luis Cessa) Park - STL
FD - 9.61 DK - 7.51

I've been using Edman for weeks, and it's wild just how overlooked this man has been. The Cardinals were one of those people, demoting him to the nine-hole just two months ago. That got Tommy trembling, though, responding with a .312 AVG, .596 SLG, and .950 OPS across his last 32 games. That forced St. Louis to slot him in the two-hole, and that's massive since he hits ahead of Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. We didn't even mention this guy's speed, swiping two bags on Saturday to get his season total up to 31 steals. That power-speed combo makes him impossible to fade since he faces a righty, with Edman falling just shy of a .900 OPS against right-handers this year while picking up the majority of his steals against them.

Jeff McNeil FD - 2B 3100 DK - 2B/OF 4800
Opponent - PIT (Johan Oviedo) Park - NYM
FD - 9.33 DK - 7.18

McNeil won't drop 40 FanDuel points anytime soon, but he's one of the most reliable double-digit scorers in fantasy. He's actually hitting over .300 for his career, collecting a .319 AVG and .817 OPS this year. That bat-on-ball skill has earned him the three-hole in this dangerous lineup, hitting ahead of Pete Alonso. That promotion to the third spot has done wonders for McNeil, maintaining a .353 AVG and .822 OPS across his last 12 games. Johan Oviedo's 3.34 ERA might worry some, but his 1.34 WHIP and 5.03 career xFIP show the true talent of this pitcher.

Shortstop

Bo Bichette FD - SS 4200 DK - SS 6100
Opponent - BAL (Dean Kremer) Park - TOR
FD - 11.63 DK - 8.95

There are plenty of big bats closing the season strong, but no one is as hot as this guy. Bo has been putting on a show, amassing a .471 AVG, .941 SLG, and 1.441 OPS across his last 16 games. He's also got 17 runs, 22 RBI, and two steals in that span, establishing himself as one of the best stat-stuffers in the heart of this terrifying Toronto lineup. You can't fade averages like those, especially since Bicheete has a .432 AVG, .973 SLG, and 1.435 OPS in his last nine games against Baltimore. Dean Kremer is just one of those guys, posting a 4.81 ERA and 1.40 WHIP throughout his career.

Xander Bogaerts FD - SS 3900 DK - SS 5300
Opponent - KC (Kris Bubic) Park - BOS
FD - 14.44 DK - 10.97

We saved some salary at first and second base, so let's pay up at third. The Red Sox are my favorite stack of the day, and if we love them, we have to use their three-hole hitter. That's Bogaerts, producing a .315 AVG, .382 OBP, .470 SLG, and .852 OPS in a standard Xander year. It's actually his lowest OPS since 2017, and it's wild to present that sort of consistency. He's working to get back to those averages, accumulating a .395 AVG, .440 OBP,654 SLG, and 1.094 OPS across his last 21 games. Hitting from the right side against Bubic is the best part of this, with X donning a .460 OBP and 1.012 OPS against lefties this year.

Third Base

Alex Bregman FD - 3B 3700 DK - 3B 5700
Opponent - OAK (Ken Waldichuk) Park - HOU
FD - 13.66 DK - 10.25

It's another day of baseball, so it's another day of using Bregman at third base. This man has been unstoppable as of late, accruing a .329 AVG, .442 OBP, .596 SLG, and 1.038 OPS since August 3. That's nearly 40 games of dominance, and he should continue to rake right ahead of Yordan Alvarez. The biggest variable for Bregan is his superb splits, totaling a .393 OBP, .535 SLG, and .928 OPS against southpaws throughout his career. It happens to be a rookie lefty, and that's always a difficult task to face such a horrifying Houston lineup. That has the Astros projected for five runs, one of the highest totals on the board.

Brian Anderson FD - 3B 2300 DK - 3B/OF 2700
Opponent - WSH (Aníbal Sánchez) Park - WSH
FD - 9.87 DK - 7.5

I struggled to find a second, third baseman who I thought was a good value, but Anderson looks like a sneaky GPP option. Most players on the Marlins are overlooked, but Anderson has been doing damage in their three-hole recently. Over the last six games. Brian has a .333 AVG, .385 OBP, .593 SLG and .968 OPS. He's done that damage with very little lineup protection, and it's always better for these Miami guys to hit on the road. Facing a journeyman like Anibal Sanchez is the icing on the cake, with the righty registering a 5.59 ERA and 1.49 WHIP since the start of last year.

Outfield

Mike Trout FD - OF 4400 DK - OF 6000
Opponent - SEA (Marco Gonzales) Park - LAA
FD - 15.27 DK - 11.3

Trout has been the best player in baseball throughout most of my life, and he simply doesn't get the credit he deserves. This dude literally has a .400 OBP and 1.000 OPS throughout his career! Trout is on another one of his tears right now, too, tallying a .350 AVG, 1.000 SLG, and 1.395 OPS across his last 10 games. That certainly won't sit well with a southpaw like Marco Gonzales, who's slinging a 3.89 ERA and 1.32 WHIP. He's scared of facing Trout when looking at the BvP data, with Mike amassing a .465 OBP, .703 SLG, and 1.168 OPS in 43 at-bats against Marco.

J.D. Martinez FD - OF 2700 DK - OF 4600
Opponent - KC (Kris Bubic) Park - BOS
FD - 13.38 DK - 10.12

Tommy Pham FD - OF 3200 DK - OF 4700
Opponent - KC (Kris Bubic) Park - BOS
FD - 11.17 DK - 8.48

Enrique Hernández FD - OF 2400 DK - OF 3100
Opponent - KC (Kris Bubic) Park - BOS
FD - 11.66 DK - 8.79

We said that the Sox were the safest stack on the board, so you knew we'd stack them somewhere. We'll get in all of these outfield-eligible players because they should all be in a great spot here. All three of these guys bat from the right side, and all of them should be in the top-6 of this lineup that's projected for a slate-high six runs. That's terrible news for a subpar southpaw like Bubic, who's got a 5.55 ERA and 1.66 WHIP this year.

Now that we discussed the situation, let's dive into these hitters. Martinez has hit a wall this season, but this is a great opportunity for him to get hot. The former All-Star has a .320 AVG, .405 OBP, and .935 OPS against lefties this year. That's the stud we've seen for years, making him a heck of a value with the price drop. Pham is also a good option because he will lead off for this highly projected lineup. The trade deadline target has a .352 OBP and .825 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor this season. Hernandez would be the final piece to the stack and the best salary-saver of the bunch. Not only is he eligible at multiple positions, but he also has a .823 OPS against southpaws since 2020. We truly believe this offense can reach double-digits, and these four would be doing most of that damage!