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DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Thursday 9/22/22
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Pitchers
Early
George Kirby FD 9300 DK 9600
Opponent - OAK (Adrián Martínez) Park - OAK
FD - 41.99 DK - 22.71
Would anyone be surprised(outside of Robbie Ray) if Kirby started the Mariners first game in the playoffs? In terms of efficiency, he has been one of the best in the league this season let alone for his own team. He hasn't walked more than one batter in any start, has held opponents to two or fewer earned runs in 11 of his last 12 starts and also limited opponents to four or fewer hits in four straight. He now gets an elite matchup on Thursday against an A's team that has ranked bottom five all season and has struck out over 27% of the time over the last month. Locka nd load with Kirby in all formats.
Main
Justin Verlander FD 11100 DK 10700
Opponent - BAL (Kyle Bradish) Park - BAL
FD - 40.88 DK - 22.85
Despite being limited to just 79 pitches in his return from the IL, Verlander looked dominant holding the A's hitless over five innings while striking out nine. That performance lowered his league-leading ERA to 1.78 on the season as he remains the Vegas favorite to win the AL Cy Young. He will look to add to his elite resume in a terrific matchup against an Orioles team that has really fallen off over the last couple of weeks scoring just over three runs a game with a .282 wOBA and 82 wRC+. Verlander comes at a high price but is easily our top pitcher in all formats.
Catcher/First Base
Early
Wilmer Flores FD 2800 DK 4700
Opponent - COL (José Ureña) Park - COL
FD - 8.74 DK - 6.67
David Villar FD 2800 DK 2500
Opponent - COL (José Ureña) Park - COL
FD - 7.44 DK - 5.68
The Giants are once again high on our PTS/$ rankings in Coors and with their lineup full of super-utility players, I will just group them together to start things off. Let's start with Flores who is having a career year in terms of home runs, RBI, and runs scored and while the average is down he has been good in the short term with hits in four of his last five including three multi-hit efforts. For Villar, the rookie has had some growing pains since being called up in July but has been much better down the stretch hitting .319 with a .464 wOBA and 206 wRC+ over his last 15 games showing the power upside he showed in the minors. Both players are in play in all formats if hitting in the top half of the lineup once again.
Main
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. FD 3900 DK 5200
Opponent - TB (JT Chargois) Park - TB
FD - 10.1 DK - 7.61
The main slate doesn't really provide us with a ton of standout matchups so let's start things off with a red-hot bat. By no means has Vlad been on an MVP pace like 2021 but has put together back-to-back 30 home run campaigns and enters the night with a 14-game hitting streak where he has hit .306 with a .374 wOBA in that time. The Jays face a bullpen game from Tampa which isn't optimal but Guerrero's price is the lowest it has been on DraftKings in some time so I will be loading up in all formats tonight.
Second Base
Early
Luis Arraez FD 2800 DK 3700
Opponent - KC (Jonathan Heasley) Park - KC
FD - 9.44 DK - 7.39
At one point we were talking about Arraez as the possible AL batting champ and while he has fallen that pace, he has still been solid down the stretch. He comes into today's game with hits in 17 of his last 20 in which he has started and better yet gets a plus matchup. He faces Jonathan Heasley who enters today with a 5.09 ERA/5.43 xFIP and has really struggled against left-handed batters giving up a .380 wOBA and 11 of his 17 home runs against. The Twins are in a great spot here and lead all teams in implied runs so with Arraez's value price, he is easily my top play at second base on the early slate.
Main
Gleyber Torres FD 3300 DK 4100
Opponent - BOS (Michael Wacha) Park - BOS
FD - 9 DK - 6.89
The entire baseball world will be watching Aaron Judge as he chases history but rostering him in DFS has become nearly impossible with his pricing, especially if trying to load up on Verlander on the mound. Instead, I will target his teammates and no better place to start than Gleyber Torres who checks every box. He has been a bit overlooked recently but comes in scorching hot with hits in 10 of his last 11 games including six multi-hit efforts and a .333/.403/.633 slash line in that time. The price has not even come close to catching up making Torres one of my top PTS/$ plays on the main slate.
Shortstop
Early
Carlos Correa FD 3500 DK 5200
Opponent - KC (Jonathan Heasley) Park - KC
FD - 10.57 DK - 8
The Twins can't buy a win lately and are close to elimination but that doesn't stop us from targeting their offense for fantasy. No better place to start than with veteran Carlos Correa who has done his part down the stretch with an elite .400/.451/.707 slash line over his last 18 games with six home runs and 15 RBI. The Twins lead all teams on this early slate in implied runs in a plus matchup against Heasley who has posted a 4.50 ERA/5.49 xFIP in the second half while giving up eight home runs with 44% hard contact and a 10% barrel rate. Add it all up and Correa is one of the top overall plays to build around today.
Main
Zach McKinstry FD 2200 DK 2800
Opponent - PIT (Mitch Keller) Park - PIT
FD - 9.44 DK - 7.14
To be able to pair Verlander with some big bats we are going to have to find even more value and that brings me to Zach McKinstry. He isn't going to take you to GPP glory on his own but is hitting leadoff for the Cubs lately and does come in with hits in four of his last six games including a double, triple, and a home run and while Keller isn't an ideal pitcher to target he has been worse against lefties(.337 wOBA). Considering the near min price on both sites, McKinstry will be in my player pool in all formats as a one-off tonight.
Third Base
Early
Luis Rengifo FD 2400 DK 4200
Opponent - TEX (Martín Pérez) Park - TEX
FD - 8.59 DK - 6.61
With all the top 3B-eligible players in tough matchups today, I will side with some value to help us fit pitching along with some Mariners and Twins. Rengifo fits that mold perfectly as he checks almost every box starting with his position as leadoff hitter down the stretch. Consistency has also been there as he enters the day with hits in six of his last seven games and has posted a well above-average 126 wRC+ in the second half. While the matchup against Perez doesn't jump off the page, Rengifo's splits do as he hits lefties very well with a .415 wOBA/178 wRC+. At these prices, I will have exposure in all formats.
Main
Matt Chapman FD 2900 DK 4500
Opponent - TB (JT Chargois) Park - TB
FD - 7.48 DK - 5.56
Chapman is not a player who is going to provide a high batting average but for fantasy, provides a lot of value with his power and production. He is approaching his second career 30 home run season with three in his last five games and is also back up hitting higher in the order for an absolutely loaded Jays lineup. Despite all of that, the price sticks in the mid-tier on DraftKings and has dipped into the sub $3K range on FanDuel which has him as one of the top PTS/$ plays on this slate.
Outfield
Early
Nick Gordon FD 2200 DK 3100
Opponent - KC (Jonathan Heasley) Park - KC
FD - 7.95 DK - 6.17
Back to the Twins to cap off this early slate as they give us a terrific mix of high-upside bats(Correa) and value. In the outfield, it's Nick Gordon providing that value as he has worked his way up the lineup down the stretch and it has paid off as he enters the day with a .317/.364/.533 slash line over his last 17 games. Like I mentioned with Arraez above, this matchup also really suits the left-handed bats as Heasley has really struggled in the split giving up a .380 wOBA and 11 of his 17 home runs to lefties. Fire up Gordon as a top value play in all formats.
Main
Kyle Tucker FD 4000 DK 5000
Opponent - BAL (Kyle Bradish) Park - BAL
FD - 9.87 DK - 7.49
I have yet to mention the Astros but they are definitely on my radar tonight. My favorite spot is in the outfield and with Yordan Alvarez in the Aaron Judge territory in terms of pricing, I will turn to Kyle Tucker who has improved on his very impressive 2021 campaign. He is about to post his second straight 30-home run season and has broken the 100-RBI threshold for the first time in his career. He also comes in hot with hits in 10 of his last 11 games while posting a .452 wOBA and 203 wRC+. The Astros are my top-ranked stack in my model on the sheet and I will have a ton of exposure to Tucker in all formats.
