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Happy Friday, Rotoballers! The first weekend of September greets us with 14 games to watch tonight. The Pirates and Cubs kick things off earlier with a 2:20 pm Eastern start and won't make the DraftKings featured slate. Alas, we will have to watch the matchup between Steven Brault (who only makes me think of Arrested Development) and Alec Mills without any DFS stakes on the line (unless you're playing the Showdown slate). Still, 14 games always offer its fair share of arms and bats to pick from, and it enables a lot of roster flexibility on such a big slate.
Twenty-eight arms will take the mound to start their Friday evening matchups. While Adam Wainwright and Freddy Peralta are two of the best in the game since the All-Star break, they play against each other. Plus, the Cardinals and the Brewers barely strikeout versus righties with a 20.1 and 19.8 percent k-rate, respectively. So while they are great pitchers, I'm finding myself fading them in my early lineups.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/3/2021. The lineup will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also check out today's FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. It’s also important to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, find me on Twitter and ask away.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Vladimir Gutierrez - P, CIN vs. DET ($8,500)
Rostering Vladimir Gutierrez on Friday gives your squad a quality arm in a top-notch situation. The Reds' breakout righty comes into the contest against Detroit, scoring at least 18 DraftKings points in six of his last seven starts. Last time out, he busted against the Marlins with five earned runs allowed in three innings, and that's where he failed to reach the 18-point threshold. However, Gutierrez dominated his opponents in the six starts before that with a 1.86 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and a not-great-but-still-useful 23.6 percent strikeout rate. He should see an uptick in his Ks against Detroit, as the free-swinging Tigers struck out 27.1 percent of the time to righties in August.
Nestor Cortes Jr. - P, NYY vs. BAL ($6,900)
Selecting Cortes is another instance where we don't have to think too hard. First off, he's only $6,900, and those kinds of savings will provide some valuable extra dollars to commit to the hitting side of our lineup. Secondly, Cortes scored 24.7 and 25.6 points, respectively, against the White Sox and Twins before a bit of a come-back-to-earth moment versus the A's (9.8 fantasy points). Baltimore is more in line with the Twins than the mighty White Sox and A's lineups. And finally, the Orioles struck out 24 percent of the time versus left-handers in August, and it offers Cortes a chance to reach seven strikeouts for the third time in his last four starts. There are safer options on the slate, but Cortes provides a great discount and a tempting ceiling against a soft-hitting Baltimore offense.
Other options: Nathan Eovaldi vs. CLE ($9,800), Shohei Ohtani vs. TEX ($8,700), Madison Bumgarner vs. SEA ($8,600)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Elias Diaz - C, COL vs. Huascar Ynoa ($4,500)
I don't love the price Elias Diaz is sitting at tonight. However, if you're trying to upgrade your risk profile in a tournament format, there are far worse options. In 40 games at Coors Field this season, the Rockies' backstop slashes .273/.338/.516 with 26 runs, eight home runs, and 21 RBI. Considering that production is coming from the seventh position on the lineup card, and it's not something you should gloss over. Nevertheless, Colorado is playing some of its best baseball of the season right now, and grabbing a piece (or two) of this lineup is never a bad idea in the Mile High City.
C.J. Cron - 1B, Col vs. Huascar Ynoa ($5,300)
Speaking of someone playing their best baseball of the season: C.J. Cron is having a monstrous second-half surge. Since the All-Star break, the first baseman is slashing .306/.392/.639 with 13 home runs and 42 RBI. Cron has been a regular option for my DFS squads in the second half of the season and comes through more often than not. In 41 second-half contests, the former-Twins bat averages 10.1 fantasy points per game and has 14 games with at least 15 fantasy points.
Tommy Edman - 2B, STL at Freddy Peralta ($4,200)
Whatever kind of Popeye spinach Tommy Edman ate during the All-Star break is working. In the second half of the season, he has 15 doubles compared to 20 in the entire first half. Plus, last night, he hit his sixth home run since the break, which was more than he hit in the first 88 games of the year. He's turned it up a notch over the last 10 games with a 1.050 OPS while averaging 12.9 FPPG. It'll be a tough matchup against Freddy Peralta, but Edman makes an intriguing contrarian play versus a highly-rostered pitcher.
Jonathan Villar - 3B, NYM at Sean Nolin ($4,200)
The Mets are in peak Mets form right now, but Jonathan Villar is one of the players keeping them afloat as September starts to heat up. The team threw away a massive division lead, tried their hardest to get their owns fans to turn against them, but a four-game win streak has suddenly given them a second chance. Meanwhile, Villar is slashing .371/.421/.657 since Aug. 20th and is a fantastic option at third base on a 14-game schedule. I admit I don't know much about opposing pitcher Sean Nolin, but he made his first start in six years on Aug. 11 for Washington, so I like the Mets' chances to score early and often against the southpaw.
Adalberto Mondesi - SS, KC vs. Dallas Keuchel ($4,500)
I'm not sure if there is a better way to describe the Adalberto Mondesi experience than this tweet from Vlad Sedler.
Adalberto Mondesi, like clockwork, every September pic.twitter.com/jpqTKXOCvJ
— Vlad Sedler (@RotoGut) September 2, 2021
The polarizing infielder returned from a two-month IL stay and promptly went 2-for-5 with two runs, a home run, and a stolen base. He's a fun player to have on your roster, and I can picture a scenario where he single-handedly knocks Dallas Keuchel out of this contest.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Bryce Harper - OF, PHI at Zach Thompson ($5,700)
Man, Bryce Harper is really trying to slug his way to a second National League MVP award and pip Fernando Tatis to the finish line. He came out of the blocks slow to start the second half with one home run in 17 games, but it's been a different story since Aug. 3. Over his last 27 games, Harper is sporting a 1.142 OPS with a .406 ISO and 22 runs, 25 RBI, and 10 home runs. It comes out to a long ball every 9.6 at-bats, and it's been two games and 14 at-bats since he walloped his last home run. You do the math...
Kyle Tucker - OF, HOU vs. Jake Arrieta ($4,100)
If the Astros offense needs a wake-up call after two consecutive shutouts against the Mariners, Jake Arrieta may be the bucket of cold water they need to start hitting again. Tucker returned to the team on Aug. 24 after a positive COVID result and has been admirable in his comeback. The former top prospect has four multi-hit efforts in seven games, and his batting average sits at .357 as a result. There's been a few extra-base hits sprinkled in there, but he has yet to clear the outfield walls. Jake Arrieta is allowing 3.45 home runs per nine innings in the second half of the season and seems like the solution to the quiet Houston bats from earlier in the week.
Alex Verdugo - OF, BOS vs. Cal Quantrill ($4,000)
It's been quite a change for Alex Verdugo in the back half of August. First, the Red Sox moved him down the order, and he hasn't hit higher than fifth since Aug. 18. However, since the change, Verdugo is slashing .320/.382/.480 with five extra-base hits, seven runs, and seven RBI. While we would much rather have him up at the top of the order again, it seems like this change has given him an uptick in the counting categories. Over his last 10 contests, the outfielder averages 10.0 FPPG, and he has the chance to surpass that average against Cal Quantrill and his 8.3 percent walk rate.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Houston Astros at San Diego Padres (Jake Arrieta, RHP)
- New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles (John Means, LHP)
- Game stack: Atlanta Braves (Huascar Ynoa, RHP) at Colorado Rockies (Antonio Senzatela, RHP)
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