FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for September 1

Welcome to the Thursday edition of Picks & Pivots, a daily fantasy baseball column focused on providing analysis and insights into the top FanDuel MLB lineups. The purpose of this column is to first identify key building blocks that can be used for any roster construction and then identify pivot points to help differentiate your lineup in hopes of a big payday!

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Thursday’s abbreviated FanDuel Main slate gives us only three games to choose from when building our DFS lineups!

I will continue to track winning Tournament lineups and compare trends over 5 day periods to help us understand what it takes to remain profitable. I HIGHLY recommend each of you do this each morning to look back on the previous night and understand how the winning lineups are constructed in the games you participate in.

The view below tracks GPP entries over various time periods, breaking out key metrics to understand the trends and compositions of GPP winning rosters:

Time Period	Score	Pitcher Salary	Pitcher %	Hitter %	Hitter $/Player	Value
Season	256.0	$ 8,627	25%	75%	$ 3,297	7.31
5 Day	250.4	$ 9,467	27%	73%	$ 3,192	7.15
Prev Day	219.5	$ 6,600	19%	81%	$ 3,550	6.27

Now on to the picks…For more DFS Strategy insights, check out my latest article to help take your game to the next level! I highly recommend gamers track their game performance across the various types of games they play – GPP’s, Cash, Multipliers etc – as this simple exercise will help teach you more about profitable roster construction than you can imagine.

Next: Who is the top pitching option on Thursday's Slate?

With only a three game slate on Thursday, finding a starting pitcher comes down to Jacob deGrom ($10,000) or anyone else. As the highest favorite on the slate (-195), deGrom also has one of the best match-ups on the board against a struggling Marlins offense.

deGrom is the only starting pitcher with a strikeout rate over 25% and is dominant at home with a 1.95 ERA at Citi Field this season.

After two brutal outings, the Mets opted to give deGrom extended rest prior to this start which was a similar strategy they employed with success last season.

On small slates like this where the chalk play is so obvious, I am happy to watch other players try and chase the contrarian plays and will lock in the best starting pitcher going Thursday.

Next: Top Hitting Options

Similar to the pitching options, there is only one “elite” spot for offense so we can expect the Chicago Cubs to be the chalk offense to target.

Anthony Rizzo ($4,100) is the clear cut top option at first base and will be a cornerstone play for all Cubs stacks as he has .397 wOBA against RHP this season and an elite 36% hard contact rate. Kris Bryant ($4,400) may be the top overall play on the board however, as he has been pummeling the baseball over the past two weeks, averaging a whopping 22 FanDuel points per game.

Bryant actually has a higher hard contact rate against RHP than Rizzo and the fact he does not have the platoon advantage may lead him to be under owned as compared to Rizzo. I also expect many will look to drop down to Jose Reyes ($3,300) as part of a Mets left handed stack against Jose Urena.

Also do not forget that today, September 1, rosters expand and a whole slew of prospects will be joining their Major League teams. This gives DFS players a unique opportunity to scour the lineups to find new value plays and with a short slate this may be a great way to differentiate your lineup.

Michael Conforto ($2,500) returns to the New York Mets after spending time in AAA playing CF and it will be interesting to see if Terry Collins slides Conforto right back into the lineup. Jose Urena has been hit hard by LHB this season, and if Conforto is in the lineup, he makes for a great value play in the OF!

Next: Top FanDuel MLB Lineup

Below you will find my initial lineup for Thursday’s Main FanDuel MLB slate including notes/comments on my roster construction.

Pitcher:

More from FanSided

Catcher: Travis d’Arnaud ($2,300) or Omar Narvaez ($2,300)

First Base: Anthony Rizzo ($4,100)

Second Base: Brian Dozier ($3,700) Similar to first base, Dozier is the clear top option at 2B and with a great history or Jose Quintana, (4 HR’s), he is one of the true elite plays on the day

Third Base: Kris Bryant ($4,400)

Shortstop: Brandon Crawford ($2,600)

Outfield: Jason Heyward ($2,900)

Outfield: Michael Conforto ($2,500)

Outfield: Byron Buxton ($2,500) Is this the time that one of the best prospects in baseball finally sticks at the Major League level? I would expect he gets completely over looked tonight but has one of the highest ceilings of any player priced this low!

Next: DFS Strategy - Take Your Game to the Next Level

Best of luck tonight gamer’s! Make sure to review the lineups as they are announced before locking in your lineups!