FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for Wednesday September 7

Jun 7, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre (29) and center fielder Ian Desmond (20) celebrate Ian Desmond hitting a two run home run against the Houston Astros during the eighth inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers defeat the Astros 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 7, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre (29) and center fielder Ian Desmond (20) celebrate Ian Desmond hitting a two run home run against the Houston Astros during the eighth inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers defeat the Astros 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
FanDuel MLB
Sep 6, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion (10) hits a solo home run against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for September 7

Welcome to the Wednesday 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!

Follow us on Twitter @FantasyCPR and on Facebook!

Wednesday’s MLB action kicks off at 12:35PM EST with a four game Early Slate and another 11 games on the 7:05PM EST Main Slate!

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 PeriodScorePitcher SalaryPitcher %Hitter %Hitter $/PlayerValue
Season255.9$ 8,63525%75%$ 3,2967.31
5 Day251.3$ 8,81725%75%$ 3,2737.18
Prev Day230.2$ 9,80028%72%$ 3,1506.58

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 Wednesday's Slate?

FanDuel MLB
Aug 22, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher David Price (24) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

The Main Slate on FanDuel Wednesday is composed of a few top-tier aces including the expected return of Stephen Strasburg against the Atlanta Braves and Carlos Carrasco against the Houston Astros.

David Price ($10,800) at San Diego: With multiple top end aces on the hill Wednesday, the best option to build your lineups around resides in San Diego as David Price takes on the Padres.

Price comes into the game in great form, averaging 43 points per game the last month which is second only to Carlos Carrasco. The Red Sox are not surprisingly massive favorites in this game (-210) which sets Price up well to get the 12 point FanDuel win.

The match up for Price could not be better as he takes on a Padres team that strikes out at a 25.1% clip against LHP which is second in all of baseball to the Rays. Price faced the Rays back on August 22nd, striking out eight batters while putting up 60 FanDuel points.

Over the last 30 days, the Padres have struck out at a 28.5% mark which is by far the highest in the league and sets Price up for substantial strikeout upside. With multiple high-end pitchers on the slate, paying up for the elite upside and relative safety of Price will be my top option on Wednesday.

Next: Top Hitting Options

FanDuel MLB
Jun 7, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre (29) and center fielder Ian Desmond (20) celebrate Ian Desmond hitting a two run home run against the Houston Astros during the eighth inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington. The Rangers defeat the Astros 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

Texas Rangers RHB versus LHP Ariel MirandaLooking over the Wednesday slate, the Rangers right-handed bats have one of the best match ups on the board and gives us the ability to roster the “late night” hammer in the main slate.

Opposing SP, Ariel Miranda has given up a nearly 40% hard hit rate in his young major league career, including nearly 2 HR/9 to right-handed hitters. Against RHB, Miranda sees his strikeout rate drop to 15.6% while his walk rate increases to 10%. With fewer punch outs, more walks and a spike in hard hit balls, this sets up perfectly for a Rangers stack!

Adrian Beltre ($3,400) & Ian Desmond ($3,800) are both hitting over .320 against LHP and make for a great mini-stack for Texas. Beltre may be my top play on the day considering his price point and his ability to hammer left-handed pitching.

Beltre has a 41.9% hard hit rate against LHP and an elite .421 wOBA which make puts him in a spot to put up a big time fantasy day!

Mariners LHB versus RHP A.J. GriffinOne of the other top spots for offense can be found on the flip side of this match up as the Mariners take on A.J. Griffin who has struggled to contain left-handed bats this season.

Left handed hitters are putting up a 43% hard hit rate against Griffin this year with an inflated .385 wOBA and with many cost-effective lefty bats in the Mariner lineup, this may be a great spot for value including Adam Lind ($2,700). 

Next: Wednesday Main FanDuel Lineup

FanDuel MLB
Sep 5, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano (22) hits a single against the Texas Rangers during the second inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

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

Pitcher: David Price ($10,800)

More from FanSided

  • Catcher: Jonathan Lucroy ($3,400)
  • First Base: Adam Lind ($2,700)
  • Second Base: Robinson Cano ($3,700) 
  • Third Base: Adrian Beltre ($3,400)
  • Shortstop: Elvis Andrus ($2,500)
  • Outfield: Ian Desmond ($3,800)
  • Outfield: Domingo Santana ($2,300) Santana should see the start with LHP Mike Montgomery on the mound and after a 2-HR game in his last start, this is the exact type of power hitting bargain play we want to target in large field tournaments
  • Outfield: Jorge Soler ($2,400) As long as the cleanup hitter for one of the best lineups in baseball is priced here, I will continue to target him, especially when he takes on Matt Garza
  • 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!