It's not often where the early slate is the main slate in baseball, but in honor of Labor Day, that's what we get today. Seven of the 12 games are matinees and on the early FanDuel slate. We have three of the 14 pitchers coming in at five figures. Do we have to pay for one of them, or can we get by with a cheaper option? We'll get into that after the weather.
It looks to be a great day to catch a game across the country. None of the day games are hot or humid, and there are light winds everywhere. That means no additional boosts for batters, but at this point in the season it doesn't seem like many of them need it anyway.
I'll be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel main slate on 9/6/2021. Be sure to also check out all the MLB player news, including late scratches, and the projected and confirmed daily MLB lineups for each DFS slate. You can also check out today's DraftKings MLB DFS lineup picks, and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. Let's get to it!
FanDuel DFS Pitchers
Cash Game/GPP Anchor Play:
Zack Wheeler – PHI at MIL ($10,200)
I have an inherent problem with using Chris Sale as my anchor since he hasn't gone more than six innings in a start yet. He's in a good spot, but this is technically better for Wheeler, even if he has had a hiccup of late. Wheeler pitched a three-hit shutout against Bernie's Brewers earlier this season. That's obviously the ceiling, but I feel his floor is higher than that of Sale or Woodruff because of the strikeouts. I can make a strong case for Woodruff as well and I have no issues using him either. However, the Brewers haven't scored more than six runs in a game in nearly two weeks. The Phillies have done it seven times in that span.
Potential Alternate Play
Tarik Skubal – DET at PIT ($8,900)
Skubal had his worst start in a month in his last time out against Oakland, but that's Oakland. This is the Pirates. If you take out a Cubs pitching staff that is nearly as abhorrent as Pittsburgh's own, they have scored 11 runs in the last four games. The strikeout rate is also gradually rising. That resulted in the Pirates having their worst month of the season in August where they hit just .217 and scored 92 runs in 28 games. That's the real Pirates, not the ones we saw against the Cubs. Skubal has a very high ceiling today.
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FanDuel DFS Infielders
Pete Alonso – 1B, NYM at WAS ($3,500)
Alonso is 8-for-27 with three homers and five RBI in his career against Patrick Corbin so far. In fact, the Mets as a whole are punishing Corbin. They are hitting .315 with 15 homers in only 181 at-bats. If I could trust that J.D. Davis would be in the lineup, I would roll him out there too. Davis has four homers and six RBI against Corbin in 28 at-bats.
Ian Happ – 2B/OF, CHC vs. CIN ($3,300)
Outfield is actually loaded today, so I'm going to take advantage of Happ still being eligible at 2B on FanDuel. Happ is hitting .356 with four homers and ten RBI over his last ten games. Happ has double digit FanDuel points in all but two of those. Sonny Gray has been much better on the road than at home this year, but Gray has a 5.06 ERA in three career starts at Wrigley. The Friendly Confines haven't been welcoming to Gray.
Jeimer Candelario – 1B/3B, DET at PIT ($3,300)
I think the Cubs and Pirates are still scoring runs from the weekend series. So I'll take the former Cubs top prospect to continue the abuse of the Pirates pitching staff today. It's not unwarranted. Candelario is hitting .359 with five doubles, a pair of homers, and eight RBI in the last ten games. He has racked up 115.9 FanDuel points in just the last five games and now he gets the Pirates? Just send my money now!
Adalberto Mondesi – 2B/SS, KC at BAL ($3,800)
Finally! A bright spot for the Royals! Mondesi has absolutely abused major league pitching this year. He has only played 13 games this year, but he is hitting .347 with five homers, five steals, and 12 RBI in those games. Mondesi has recorded four of those five steals in the last three games since returning from his latest IL stint on September 1. Let's hope the Royals don't sit Mondesi here since they said they will be cautious with him. If they do, I'm content with Nicky Lopez against a guy with a 10.80 ERA in five appearances this year.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
J.D. Martinez – OF, BOS vs. TB ($3,900)
J.D. torches Yarbs. He always has. Martinez is 13-for-24 (a .542 average!) with two homers, eight RBI, and 11 runs scored. As a standalone or a stack, J.D. needs to be in every lineup this afternoon. We can find some other places to get different. I promise.
Akil Baddoo – OF, DET at PIT ($3,000)
The Pirates pitching staff has allowed 67 runs in the last ten games. Heading home might not help either since the Cardinals piled up 27 runs on them in a four-game set during their last homestand. The Tigers aren't the Cardinals, but they do have a couple of hot bats in this lineup, Baddoo being one of them. He has homered twice already in September. He's leading off against a generous pitching staff for cheap. Sign me up!
Michael Conforto – OF, NYM at WAS ($2,700)
Today is a BvP masterpiece for some guys. J.D. was one. Conforto is another. Despite it being a lefty-lefty matchup, Cornforto is 10-for-27 with a staggering five homers and 12 RBI in his career against Patrick Corbin. Corbin is one of those guys that usually trolls me, but so long as I keep my Mets exposure limited to Conforto and Alonso, I feel good about going after him today.
FanDuel DFS Stack Options
- Detroit Tigers
- Boston Red Sox
- Kansas City Royals
- Washington Nationals