Fantasy Baseball: DraftKings MLB Picks For September 9

Sep 12, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; A general view of the DraftKings sign board during the match with FC Dallas playing against New York City FC at Toyota Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /

DraftKings MLB Picks For September 9

We have a full slate tonight, and aces are wild! We have 11 pitchers that are priced over $9,000, with seven of them topping $10,000 on DraftKings. Should we pay for two aces? We have plenty of chances. Should we punt all of the top pitchers and pay for hitting? Let’s check the past stats for some help.

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NOTE: these picks are based solely on statistics. Some players have never faced their opponents, or have very little experience against them. I am not saying that none of those are good picks. The highest scorer of the day could be someone with no experience against his opponent. This is based on statistical analysis only. If you have a gut feeling, then by all means, follow that. This is not an exact science. The best lineups usually have a mix of proven stats and hot players. Check out this post from Matt McGarvey for great tips about whether to use a hot player in DFS or not.

For you first time players, if you would like $20 worth of free entry tickets, use this link for the referral bonus! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn that $20 into more!

Next: Should You Dismiss These Pitchers Because Of No Past History?

Sep 2, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jon Lester (34) throws against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports /

Jon Lester has only faced three current Astros (Evan Gattis, Colby Rasmus, and Luis Valbuena). Combined, they are 6-23 with a homer and five RBI. Now the good news: the homer and three of the RBI are by Valbuena, who is on the DL. Despite no history, Lester has tremendous upside against a Houston team that strikeouts out a lot.

Joe Musgrove has never faced the Cubs, but he has a 5.06 ERA in seven starts. There are so many reasons to stay away from Musgrove, I don’t want to bore you with all of them. I will sum it up by saying don’t even think about it.

The Rangers are 11-33 against Tyler Skaggs, but Prince Fielder has two of the three RBI off of him. He may be worth rolling the dice with if you need to pay for a big name.

Daniel Mengden has never faced the Mariners. After initial success in the bigs, he has been knocked around a lot lately. He has an evil 6.66 ERA, and can’t be trusted against the lefty-heavy Mariners.

Steven Brault has posted a solid 3.32 ERA through his first four starts, but the 1.58 WHIP tells a cautionary tale. The Reds are not a very intimidating team though, so Brault is an interesting punt if you want to spend on hitters.

Robert Gsellman has never faced the Braves. He has a nice 2.87 ERA through his first three major league starts. Expect some more success against the Braves tonight.

Next: Pitcher Picks

Aug 29, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Carlos Martinez throws a pitch in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /

Best Bets:

Madison Bumgarner ($11,200): Bumgarner is expensive, but he could give you good value for that price, believe it or not. The Diamondbacks are only hitting .229 against him in 227 at bats with only 14 runs scored. They have also struck out 59 times. The strikeout potential is enough to warrant this price tag, but he will likely give up some runs. Then again, he has a 2.51 ERA on the season, so bet against him at your own risk.

Carlos Martinez ($10,300): The Brewers are only hitting .225 against Martinez in 80 at bats with only four extra base hits (all doubles) and five runs. Now for the money maker: Martinez owns 37 strikeouts in just 80 at bats. Expect a big game from Martinez.

Julio Teheran ($10,700): The Mets are only hitting .182 against Teheran in 209 at bats. This is not a small sample size. He is tough on the Mets. The have scored 19 runs on Teheran, but have only struck out 42 times. He is on shaky ground in the elite tier, but he is a nice fade option.

Honorable Mention:

Jose Fernandez ($12,700): The price tag has Fernandez down here. So does his matchup with Clayton Kershaw. That said, the Dodgers are only hitting .179 against Fernandez in 56 at bats with only one homer and a whopping 21 strikeouts. The Dodgers have scored six runs off of him, but the strikeouts mitigate the damage.

Tyler Chatwood ($7,700): The Padres are only hitting .212 against Chatwood in 52 at bats with just three runs. Chatwood only has ten strikeouts, but he also gets a big boost pitching in Petco Park. The Padres struggle on offense, so Chatwood is a good option at Petco.

Blake Snell ($7,100): Snell has dominated the current Yankees lineup. They are just 5-31(.161) against him with no extra base hits, no runs, and 13 strikeouts. He has also walked only three batters. which has proved to be his downfall against other teams. Snell looks like a really good option tonight.

Dark Horses:

Marco Estrada ($6,800): The Red Sox are dangerous, but they are only hitting .194 in 155 at bats. The Sox also have only scored 13 runs. The strikeouts are a bit low at 29, but with the outs that Estrada records at the price, he should provide a good return. Especially when you consider Porcello’s history against the Jays.

Tim Adleman ($5,700): Adleman only gave up a solo homer in his first outing against the Pirates. He picked up five strikeouts in five innings, and should provide another solid outing for a low enough price.

Tyler Duffey ($4,700): Am I nuts? Maybe, but hear me out. Cleveland is only hitting .234 against Duffey in 111 at bats with three homers, nine runs, and an impressive 28 strikeouts. You are playing with fire if you use Duffey, but after what the Twins have done to Cleveland this year, it may not be such a bad idea.

Next: Who Are The Best Stacks?

Sep 6, 2016; St. Petersburg, FL, USA;Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Steven Souza Jr. (20) singles during the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Don’t forget to check out the DFS Lineup Optimizer over at FantasyPros. You can also pick your favorite players or favorite stack, and it will optimize the lineup around that! It really is an invaluable tool for you DFS players!

Paul Goldschmidt ($4,300) is worth using, even against Madison Bumgarner. Goldie is 13-44(.295) with eight walks, four doubles, two home runs, and six RBI off of the Giants’ ace. A.J. Pollock ($3,100) is 11-42(.262) with a walk, four doubles, a triple, a homer, and three RBI. I wouldn’t trust any other Arizona players, but you can roll the dice with Wellington Castillo ($3,800). Castillo is 5-22 with a walk, a double, two homers, and five RBI against MadBum.

Matt Carpenter ($4,900) is 6-13(.462) with two walks, a double, a homer, and five RBI against Jimmy Nelson. Greg Garcia ($3,300) has three hits in six at bats with a walk and a RBI. Kolten Wong ($3,500) is 5-18(.278) with a walk, a double, a triple, a homer, and four RBI against Nelson. Jhonny Peralta ($3,400) is 5-13(.385) with a double and three driven in.

The Angels have destroyed Yu Darvish. Kole Calhoun ($3,400) is 3-8 with two walks, two homers, and three RBI against Darvish. C.J. Cron ($4,400) has two hits in six at bats. One is a solo homer. Albert Pujols ($3,900) is 7-26(.269) with four walks, two homers, and four RBI. Mike Trout ($5,600) is 10-34(.294) with six walks, a double, four homers, and six RBI off of Darvish.

The Blue Jays have bombed Rick Porcello. Darwin Barney ($2,700) is 5-8 with a double and a triple, but he has no counting stats. Jose Bautista ($4,000) is 14-34(.412) with six walks, three homers, and nine RBI against Porcello. Josh Donaldson ($4,500) has eight hits in 28 at bats(.286) with a walk, a double, and a solo homer. Edwin Encarnacion ($3,900) is 13-34(.382) with five doubles, three homers, and ten RBI against Porcello. Justin Smoak ($3,200) is 7-21 with three walks, a double, three homers, and nine RBI.

You may want to stack some A’s against Hisashi Iwakuma. This will not be a widely used stack, so it could sink you or win for you since the anchor is Billy Butler ($2,800). Butler is 8-19(.421) with a walk, two doubles, and a solo homer against Iwakuma. Khris Davis ($3,700) is only 2-12(.167) against Iwakuma, but both hits are home runs. Danny Valencia ($3,400) is only 3-15, but he has a double, a homer, and two RBI.

Jose Abreu ($4,900) is only 3-13(.231) with a walk, a double, two homers, and three RBI against Yordano Ventura. Todd Frazier ($3,700) has three hits in 12 at bats with a solo homer. Tyler Saladino ($3,400) has a three run homer as his only hit in three at bats against Ventura. Avisail Garcia ($3,000) is only 3-18(.167), but he has a homer and three RBI.

The Rays have hit Michael Pineda hard. Corey Dickerson ($3,400) is 4-8 with a double, a homer, and three RBI against Michael Pineda. Kevin Kiermaier ($4,600) is only 3-13(.231), but he has three walks, a double, a triple, and three RBI. Evan Longoria ($3,700) has also struggled against Pineda (5-27), but he has three walks, a double, a homer, and four RBI. Brad Miller ($4,000) may not be in the lineup, but if he is, he is worth using. Miller is 5-13(.385) with two walks, two doubles, a triple, a homer, and two RBI against Pineda. Steven Souza ($2,700) has hammered Pineda. He is 8-17(.471) with three doubles, three homers, and six RBI off of Pineda.

Next: More Notes For 9-9

Aug 29, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) hits an RBI double in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Coors Field. The Rockies defeated the Dodgers 8-1. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

Scooter Gennett ($2,500) is the only Brewer that has had any kind of success against Carlos Martinez. Gennett is 6-20 wtih a walk, three doubles, and three RBI.

Ian Kinsler ($3,800) is 5-9 with two doubles and a solo homer against Kevin Gausman. Miguel Cabrera ($4,500) is only 2-8, but he has three RBI.

Jay Bruce ($3,900) is only 3-15 against Julio Teheran, but he has two homers and five RBI against him.

Brandon Crawford ($4,500) is 5-17(.294) with two homers and three RBI against Rubby De La Rosa. Buster Posey ($4,100) has four hits in eight at bats with two walks, a homer, and three RBI.

Manny Machado ($4,300) is 1-3 with a homer and two RBI against Michael Fulmer.

Mike Napoli ($4,100) only has two hits in seven at bats against Tyler Duffey, but one of them is a solo homer. Roberto Perez ($2,800) is 2-5 with a homer and two RBI. Tyler Naquin ($3,600) has four hits in eight at bats with a double, a homer, and two RBI against Duffey.

Jayson Werth ($4,200) is 1-3 with a solo homer against Jake Thompson.

Cody Asche ($2,700) is 6-13(.462) with a walk, two walks, a double, and two solo homers against Tanner Roark. Freddy Galvis ($3,700) is 3-10 with a solo homer. Ryan Howard ($3,000) could be worth using if he plays. Howard is 4-15(.267) with two walks, a double, a homer, and six RBI.

Gregory Polanco ($5,000) singled and hit a solo homer off of Tim Adleman in his two at bats. He is a strong play to get to him again.

Jackie Bradley Jr ($4,400) has three hits in nine at bats with a solo homer against Marco Estrada. David Ortiz ($5,100) is only 3-17(.176), but he has two homers and four RBI against Estrada.

Adrian Gonzalez ($3,500) only has one hit in ten at bats off of Jose Fernandez, but it is a three run homer.

Nolan Arenado ($4,800) is 3-5 with a walk, a double, two homers, and four RBI against Luis Perdomo. Carlos Gonzalez ($4,200) has the same average with a double, a homer, and three RBI.

Brian Dozier ($5,400) is 11-23(.478) with two walks, five doubles, two homers, and six RBI against Danny Salazar. Max Kepler ($3,900) has only faced Salazar twice. He homered off of him both times and drove in four. Kurt Suzuki ($2,300) is 5-15 with four walks, a double, and a solo homer off of Salazar.

Be sure to check out the FanDuel picks from out experts in that area! Brian Tulloch provides the picks and alternative plays if you don’t want to follow the herd. Don’t play FanDuel before checking it out!

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

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball and for the NFL’s opening week!