DraftKings MLB Picks September 21: deGrom is the clear ace

ARLINGTON, TX – JULY 05: The grounds crew finishes covering the field during a rain delay prior to the Texas Rangers taking on the Boston Red Sox at Globe Life Park in Arlington on July 5, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

DraftKings MLB Picks September 21: deGrom is the clear ace

There is a Windy City matinee today, but that still leaves 14 games for our main DraftKings slate. There are a lot of good pitching options, but which ones can perform the best? Let’s go check out some stats!

More from DFS

Rain could delay the start in Cleveland, but it should finish fine after that. That same rain may move in later to Pittsburgh, but if the game goes quickly, Pittsburgh should be fine. The big problem area is Arlington. I really doubt they get this game in. So much so, that I’m not even going to cover it. That gives us 13 games to choose from.

Wind is prevalent in some area. It is blowing out to left at 12 mph in Washington, Pittsburgh, and New York. If the roof is open in Toronto, there is a nasty 20 mph wind in from left. That 20 mph wind is turned around and blowing out to right in Detroit. If you thought last night’s game was high scoring, this could be even worse! That 20 mph wind is a cross breeze in Cleveland, which will work against power. The same goes for the 12 mph crosswind in St Louis.

We will provide you with several options to build your lineup here. Want to spend all your money on pitchers and play bargain bats? We will highlight who is worth the money. Want to punt arms and pay up for the big boppers? We can help you with that as well, and everything in between!

These tips are based mostly on past performance. This is a nice tool for building a lineup, but should not be the only pieces of information you use. We have plenty of writers on here who give you relevant information no matter which site you play on!

For you first time players, if you would like a free shot at a million dollars, use this link for the referral bonus with your first deposit of $5 or more! You will receive a free entry into the Fantasy Football Millionaire contest on opening weekend!

SEATTLE, WA – AUGUST 20: Gerrit Cole #45 of the Houston Astros pitches against the Seattle Mariners in the first inning during a game at Safeco Field on August 20, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Jacob deGrom ($12,400): deGrom has been somewhat less dominant against the Nationals than the rest of the league this year. Of course, that means that he still has a 2.70 ERA against them in two starts. deGrom has 51.6 DraftKings points in those two games. That’s a solid total for the price, but on a full slated day with enough other aces going, it’s an acceptable fade tonight. That being said, Jason Vargas came within one out of a quality start against the Nats last night. There is plenty of upside here.

Gerrit Cole ($12,000): Cole’s overall numbers against the Angels are just average, but he did rack up 24.8 DraftKings points at home against this same Angels squad 19 days ago. I see another strong game from Cole here, and he should be a decent pivot off of deGrom if you are worried about high ownership on the Mets ace.

German Marquez ($10,500): It’s hard to move off of Marquez even at this price, especially when you see how he dominated the Diamondbacks in Colorado 11 days ago. The Diamondbacks have been even offensively at home, so there is a ton of potential here. Marquez has a 2.34 ERA and is averaging 26.9 DraftKings points per game in his last ten starts. He put up over 35 on Arizona in Denver. Fade at your own risk.

Middle Tier:

Luis Castillo ($8,800): After a poor start to the season, Castillo has a 2.79 ERA and is averaging 20.6 DraftKings points per game in the second half. He has been considerably worse on the road, but Miami is still one of the best pitching parks around. I expect Castillo’s hot streak to continue here. Miami doesn’t have a lot to get after him with.

Ian Kennedy ($7,100): A trip to the DL seems to be just what Kennedy needed. He has racked up 38 DraftKings points in two starts since his return. Sure, they were both against the Twins, but the Tigers aren’t a lot better than the Twins. Kennedy pitched six shutout innings while striking out seven Tigers earlier this season. There is solid potential here for the price.

Bargain Pitchers:

John Gant ($6,900): Gant gets very few strikeouts, so there isn’t a lot of upside here. However, Gant picked up 14.7 DraftKings points on the Giants earlier this year, and the departed McCutchen is the only one that drove in runs off of him. The Giants offense is starting to wake up though, so there is some risk involved.

Wei-Yin Chen ($6,800): Here is your free space for the night. Chen could be twice this at home, and I would still consider him. Chen has a brilliant 1.78 ERA in 12 home starts. Chen has not allowed more than three earned runs in a home start this year. I don’t care who he’s playing in Miami, Chen is in my lineup, period. I wont play any Reds against him either because they are all priced like Chen isn’t a good pitcher. He is at home. It’s a hard pass on the Cincy offense.

Francisco Liriano ($6,000): There isn’t a lot to get excited about with Liriano anymore. All of his numbers vary from average to below average. However, Liriano has amassed 69.6 DraftKings points in four starts against the Royals this year. If Liriano can hit his average against KC, he is worth this price. I have no issues taking a flier on Liriano to save some cash, but he doesn’t have a lot of upside.

Daniel Mengden ($4,900): The A’s have used Hendriks as the opener for Mengden his past two turns, and Mengden has responded with a 0.66 ERA in those games. The Twins offense isn’t that great anyway. Add in the fact that they are in a massive ballpark without Eddie Rosario, and you can see Mengden dominating again.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 15: Justin Bour #33 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a two run single against the Miami Marlins during the second inning of a game at Citizens Bank Park on September 15, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

New York Yankees vs. Yefry Ramirez:

The former Yankee farmhand has been pounded by his former team so far, giving up 10 runs in 12 innings. Gardner and Andujar have the homers. Didi Gregorius is 4-5 against Yefry already. I like Judge and Stanton here as well if you are going all out. This is a great place to do it.

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Sean Reid-Foley:

I usually don’t know which way to go with a Rays stack, but I have a pretty good idea here. The whole outfield is worth playing. I also like Adames, Joey Wendle, and Choi against the struggling righty. Reid-Foley was much, much worse in his home start.

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Julio Teheran:

This takes a bit of a leap of faith since Teheran has been better at home, and nothing really jumps of the page here for overall stats. However, if you look closer, the wheels are starting to come off. Teheran has allowed ten walks over his last two starts. When he starts issuing hall passes like this, a blowup usually isn’t far off. Justin Bour is 7-18(.389) with a homer, five RBI, and ten walks, so start there. Odubel Herrera has smacked three homers off of Teheran already. Hoskins is 5-10 lifetime against Teheran despite not homering yet. Roman Quinn is perfect in three at bats. I’m finishing this off with Asdrubal Cabrera or J.P. Crawford. Both are hitting Teheran well.

Texas Rangers vs. Erasmo Ramirez:

Ramirez has been serviceable for Seattle against most teams. The Rangers are not one of them. Texas is hitting .303 with seven homers and 18 runs in just 89 at bats against Ramirez. Gallo has three homers in just five at bats! Odor has homered twice. Mazara and Choo have the other homers. Finish this off with Elvis batting leadoff, and you could have a lethal stack if this game plays. Unfortunately, I don’t think it will.

CINCINNATI, OH – AUGUST 29: Travis Shaw #21 of the Milwaukee Brewers hits a RBI double in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on August 29, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Andrew Heaney has pitched well against Houston this year, but he has struggled on the road, and overall, lately. Altuve has a homer off of Heaney. So does Marwin, and he also has four RBI. I also like a cheap J.D. Davis if he cracks the lineup, but am not opposed to paying for Tyler White or Springer either.

If you want to take a shot at Marquez, it should be only one guy getting it: Goldschmidt. Goldy is 10-23(.435) with four homers and eight RBI against Marquez in his career.

The Rockies have smashed Godley this year, and he has a 7.42 ERA over his last six starts. Stack bait, right? Nope. Still wont do it. I just can’t bring myself to stack Rockies away from Coors. However, I am plenty comfortable enough to throw both Arenado and Blackmon out there after Godley. Story may be worth a look too, depending on how invested you want to get here.

I don’t trust Eric Lauer against the Dodgers in L.A. but I don’t know that I trust a Dodgers stack either. Puig and Matt Kemp may be worth a look, but I don’t want a lot of exposure here. There are better places to attack.

More from FanSided

Middle Tier:

Chris Sale probably isn’t going deep into the game again, so I’m avoiding that side of the game. With the nasty wind blowing in, I’m inclined to avoid Cleveland all together. However, Josh Donaldson has four homers and nine RBI off of Sale if you want to chase something here.

MadBum has a 5.02 ERA on the road and a 6.75 ERA against the Cardinals this year. Now is the time to take advantage of the cheap Cards hitters. Jose Martinez, Marcell Ozuna, and DeJong are my favorite targets to take Bumgarner deep.

Chacin has been solid all year, but he is overpriced against the Pirates. Chacin has averaged 14 DraftKings points per start in five starts against the Pirates this year. He doesn’t give up a lot of runs, but the lack of strikeouts always keeps him in the teens. I would rather throw Dickerson and Cervelli at him and be done with it.

Travis Shaw has destroyed Ivan Nova. Shaw is 12-19(.632) with three homers and eight RBI. Shaw is a must play. I also like using Schoop and Yelich along with him for a potentially lucrative Brewers mini stack.

Berrios hasn’t pitched particularly well against the A’s or on the road, so I’m leaving this alone. However, Matt Olson or Matt Chapman may be worth a look if you want to go after Berrios a little.

Justin Upton has a homer and four RBI in his career against Gerrit Cole. The rest of the team has two RBI in 52 at bats.

Pivetta hasn’t actually been atrocious against the Braves, but Nick Markakis and Ender Inciarte have hit Pivetta well enough to go after Pivetta a little bit. A blowup is never far off for Pivetta. It could arrive in a park that caters to lefty power.

Bryce Harper has homered twice and against deGrom, but he is about the only National that I have interest in tonight.

Bargain Shoppers:

If wind weren’t such a detriment in Cleveland, I would stack against Bauer. The Red Sox have hit him well. If you aren’t chasing homers, there could be some value here with Devers and Mitch Moreland.

This is a place to take a shot with some cheap right handed power for the Royals. Bonifacio and Salvador Perez have both homered against Liriano. So has Merrifield, but he is just 2-14 overall and costs quite a bit more than the other two.

I can usually keep a pretty good guess of who the Rays are starting, but tonight I really have no idea other than Castillo is opening. It could be Faria, Beeks, or both judging by the usage over the last week. The one thing that stands out to me here is how cheap the Jays are. I like Aledmys Diaz, Gurriel, and McKinney at tonight’s prices no matter who pitches.

CC has been good at home, but he still has a 6.00 ERA against Baltimore this year. Adam Jones is 25-87(.287) with five homers and 15 RBI against CC, so the price is right here. I’m probably not going after him with anyone else though.

The Giants have a ton of cheap lefty bats if you want to take a run at Gant in GPP formats. Crawford, Belt, and Joe Panik are all $3,600 or less.

Victor Martinez has the only Tigers homer against Ian Kennedy, and he is just $2,900. You know V-Mart wants to go out with a bang. He might have a big week.

The Mets have hit Joe Ross hard, but I just can’t bring myself to stack this team. Both Todd Frazier and Jay Bruce have homered off of Ross though, and both come pretty cheap. If you are looking to spend a little more, Nimmo is 5-6, but has no counting stats.

Everything about Rich Hill screams average lately except that $9,500 price tag. I think I would rather avoid this entirely or put a couple of those cheap righty power bats from the Padres in there. Franmil Reyes and Renfroe look like the best choices.

Next. DraftKings NFL Week 3 Picks and Plays. dark

We promised some big news in June for Fantasy CPR, right? Well here it is! We are now looking for PAID writers to join our team to write about fantasy sports. Seasonal or DFS, any sport you want – get your voice heard and get paid for talking fantasy sports. Apply today HERE!