We head into Saturday night with an 11 game slate on tap. Quite the slate without clear aces on the mound, you know it is interesting when Zach Davies is the most expensive pitcher. There are bats for days and a lot of the top options cost quite a bit of money. There will have to be sacrifices made at pitcher, some hitters, or both. Make sure to listen to MLB DFS Quick Hits to get the full rundown of the player pool.
When looking at the slate it comes down to paying up for pitching or take some savings and getting all the bats. There are so many nice spots to establish bats that mini-stacks may be the way to build tonight instead of going all-in on one or two games. I will be looking to use a high priced and valued arm to go with some sneaky value and the big bats. More small stacks and one-offs in play tonight. So, so many ways to build on this 11 gamer.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/19/2020. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like FanDuel, and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, contact me on Twitter @bdentrek.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Framber Valdez - P, HOU at SEA ($9,700)
Framber bounced back in a big way in his last start versus the Rangers after a couple of rocky outings. He went 6.1 innings, allowing one run, and striking out 11. He has been a major strikeout arm this season, striking out seven or more in three of his last four games and five or more in all but two outings this year. The strikeouts help those fantasy points rack up. He faced the Mariners earlier this season going six strong while striking out five which was good for 20.7 DK points. He has 20 or more DK points in seven of his last nine starts. He faces a Mariners team tonight who has been shut down most of the season by LHP. They strikeout 27% of the time vs LHP with a .189 average and a .145 ISO. I will be rolling with Framber again tonight.
Brady Singer - P, KC vs STL ($6,900)
Singer started out his big league career with some strong outings but hit some low times allowing three or more runs in five of six starts. He has since looked much much better with back to back gems, going at least six innings, allowing zero runs, and striking out eight in each start. He will fave a Cardinals team tonight who has struggled all season when it comes to offense. They are striking out nearly 24% of the time versus RHP with a .235 average and a .132 ISO. We will be looking for Singer to put out a third strong start and shutdown this bad Cardinals offense, making for a strong punt pitching option tonight.
Other Options: Zach Davies (SD vs LAA) $9,900, Drew Smyly (SF vs COL) $7,600, Keegan Akin (BAL at BOS) $6,300
DraftKings DFS Infielders
Salvador Perez - C, KC vs Austin Gomber ($4,700)
Salvy has returned from the IL and is raking. He has hit safely in all 9 games since his return which is good for a .474 average. He has flexed his muscle as well with nine extra-base hits including four home runs. He has a .584 wOBA, 21.4% barrel rate, and a 46.4% hard-hit rate. He is en Fuego. He faces Gomber who will be the opener tonight and then some Cardinals bullpen. I usually do not pay up for catchers, but tonight there may be an exception.
Other Options: Daulton Varsho (AZ vs TEX) $3,100, Jacob Stallings (PIT vs CHC) $2,700
Christian Walker - 1B, AZ vs Jordan Lyles ($3,300)
Walker has quietly put together a very strong 2020 season and the price tag continues to stay low. He comes into tonight's game riding a five-game hitting streak and has hit safely in eight of his last nine games. Over those nine games, he is hitting .314 with a .383 wOBA and five extra-base hits. He is even smoking the ball with a hard-hit rate of 50%. On the season he is hitting .289 with a .351 wOBA vs RHP this season and gets the cushy matchup versus Lyles tonight. RHH has a .375 wOBA and is hitting over 2 HR/9 versus Lyles this season. Walker makes for strong cash gameplay and a nice value if looking to pay up elsewhere.
Other Options: Freddie Freeman (ATL vs MIA) $5,400, Bobby Dalbec (BOS vs BAL) $3,700, Ryan Mountcastle (BAL at BOS) $3,700
Joey Wendle - 2B/3B, TB at Seth Lugo ($3,800)
Wendle is on quite the run of late and no one is really noticing it. He has hit safely in eight of his last nine games for a .364 average. He has a .394 wOBA to go with four extra-base hits and three stolen bases as he stuffs the fantasy stat sheet daily. He has also been hitting fifth or sixth most days, so right in the middle of the madness. Wendle faces Lugo tonight who has pitched well on the season and has nasty strikeout stuff but has been a bit rocky of late. Wendle is a low-rostered GPP target tonight.
Josh Donaldson - 3B, MIN vs Tarik Skubal (4,100)
Donaldson rolls into tonight's matchup swinging a hot bat, hitting safely in four straight games. He has two home runs with a .417 and is even walking 14.3% of the time. He is stuffing the stat sheet for one of the most potent offenses in baseball. He faces the youngster Skubal tonight who has been throwing well over his last few starts, but facing a team like the Twins can change things. On the season RHH is hitting .278 with a .368 wOBA and is hitting 2.5 HR/9. Donaldson and the Twins will look to stay hot, so enjoy one of the discounted pieces of the Bomba Squad tonight.
Other Options: Maikel Franco (KC vs STL) $3,700, Edwin Rios (LAD vs OAK) $2,100
Miguel Rojas - SS, MIA vs Bryce Wilson ($4,500)
Similar to Wendle, Rojas has been stringing together a strong run of games and is low-rostered nightly. Over his last 13 games, he is hitting .333 with a .430 wOBA. He has shown nice extra-base skills with three doubles and two home runs over that stretch. He threw in two stolen bases last night and is walking over 16% if the time of this stretch. He has been hitting all over the batting order and if he is in a prime spot then he is definitely in play tonight. The Marlins are facing Wilson and they are very stackable tonight, so do not forget Rojas.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Kole Calhoun - OF, AZ vs Jordan Lyles ($4,500)
Calhoun has been on fire the last few weeks and brings a six-game hit streak into tonight's action. He is hitting .458 over the six games with a .658 wOBA. He has six home runs over the six games and is only striking out 15.4% of the time. It would make sense that his quality of contact has been very strong, but it's better than that as he is barreling the ball 20% of the time with a 65% hard-hit rate. The DBacks have a great matchup vs Lyles tonight and Calhoun should be in stacks with Walker tonight.
Byron Buxton- OF, MIN vs Tarik Skubal ($3,800)
A .271 average, 12 home runs, and one stolen base, who is this Byron Buxton? Well, he's a player we can behind for DFS, especially at his price point. He brings a six-game hitting streak into action tonight with a .375 average and a .536 wOBA. He has four home runs over the six games with a 25% barrel rate and a 65% hard-hit rate. He is on fire, is affordable in a nice Twins stack, oh and he has been leading off lately which raises his value even more.
DJ Stewart - OF, BAL at Nick Pivetta ($2,600)
Yep, Nick Pivetta is on the bump tonight. Yep, we shall stack against him. Stewart has slowed down some since that crazy run we were on and this looks to be the best time to get back on track. Even with the slow few games, he has a 25% barrel rate and a 45% hard-hit rate on the season. He also has a .357 ISO and a 40% HR-FB rate this season vs RHP. He is a really strong value vs Pivetta and joins the likes of Jorge Soler for $2500 and Edwin Rios for $2100 as your major punts tonight,.
A lot of quality OF plays, especially OF values.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Arizona Diamondbacks vs Texas Rangers (Jordan Lyles, RHP)
- Atlanta Braves vs Miami Marlins (Jose Urena, RHP)
- Miami Marlins at Atlanta Braves (Bryce Wilson, RHP)
- Sneaky Stack- Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins (Randy Dobnak, RHP)