DraftKings Main MLB Picks September 26: Do you dare fade Marquez?

BOSTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 11: Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Fenway Park on September 11, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts.(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

DraftKings Main MLB Picks September 26: Do you dare fade Marquez?

As of now, we have 12 games for the main DraftKings tournament. That may change since DraftKings has a habit of pulling the second game of doubleheaders from tournaments. With Boston being rained out last night, they are playing a split doubleheader today. However, with game one starting a full six hours before the scheduled beginning of this one, it may stay on the slate. Watch for updates on this one. At any rate, Chris Sale has elite numbers against the Orioles, but has not pitched through the fourth inning since his return from the DL. There is no way Sale is left in there long enough to hit value.

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The rain chance moves back into Boston tonight, but it is mostly a chance of an in game delay rather than a postponement. There could be a delayed start in New York, but like last night, it will clear out.

If the Fenway game plays, there is a nice 14 mph wind blowing out to left. A 12 mph wind is blowing out to left in New York as well. The usual Bay Area breeze is out there as well.

This time of year we really have to be careful with player sitting. If you can’t check before game locks, it might be best to just avoid these. With the expanded rosters, players are sitting more frequently.

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 this weekend!

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 21: Jacob deGrom #48 of the New York Mets pitches against the Washington Nationals during the first inning at Nationals Park on September 21, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Jacob deGrom ($13,200): The Braves are only hitting .228 against deGrom with five homers and 12 runs in 202 at bats with 59 strikeouts. This year it’s even worse. deGrom has averaged 25.7 DraftKings points in five starts against Atlanta this year despite not earning one single win thanks to his putrid offense. deGrom has allowed just four runs in 33 innings with 40 strikeouts against the Braves this year. If the Mets use him, we should too.

German Marquez ($10,200): The DFS equivalent of a war of attrition is to see who blinks first and fades Marquez. Marquez has an oustanding 2.36 ERA over his last ten starts with a staggering 90 strikeouts in 68.2 innings pitched. Those are approaching deGrom or Scherzer numbers! Marquez still has worse splits at home, and he was bombarded by the Philiies earlier this year. That seems like eons ago. Worried about those splits? Don’t be. Here are the lines from Marquez’s last four home starts: 35.6 DraftKings points vs. Arizona, 27.6 DraftKings points vs. San Francisco, 31.4 DraftKings points vs. St Louis, and 20.3 DraftKings pionts vs. Pittsburgh. I see no good reason to blink/fade Marquez.

Middle Tier:

Zack Greinke ($9,400): Grienke’s numbers against his former team this year are subpar by his standards, but Greinke still has a 2.52 ERA in 16 home starts. And it’s not like Greinke has been bad against the Dodgers. He has still averaged 22 DraftKings points per game against them in three starts. Add that to his home dominance, and we have reason to believe that Greinke will perform as his price suggests tonight.

Shane Bieber ($8,900): Bieber dominated the White Sox earlier this year, racking up 28 DraftKings points in 6.2 scoreless innings while striking out eight. With Jose Abreu likely still out of the lineup, that takes away the most dangerous hitter as well. This looks like a great spot to deploy Bieber. The upside will never be higher.

Sean Newcomb ($8,100): Newcomb has racked up 48 DraftKings points in two starts against the Mets this year, allowing just two runs in 13 innings. In what will likely be the last start of his campaign, Newcomb is in a great position to turn in a start worthy of far more than this price tag. Just keep an eye on the weather here. If the field is sloppy, the Braves likely wont risk him, nor will the Mets risk deGrom.

Bargain Pitchers:

Jake Odorizzi ($7,900): Odorizzi racked up 23.3 DraftKings points against the Tigers last week. Detroit’s current healthy players are only hitting .153 off of Odorizzi in 72 at bats with no homers, four runs, and 19 strikeouts. Those are really good numbers for the price if you think he can hold off the Tigers again. Past stats say that Odorizzi is a solid value play.

Eric Lauer ($6,800): Last night marked another strong start for a middling lefties against the Giants at home. Lauer certainly fits that bill. Of course, it helps that the Giants are only hitting .237 against Lauer, but they do have two homers and four runs to go with ten strikeouts in 38 at bats. This is about as good of a place as you can ask for to use Lauer.

Yonny Chirinos ($5,100): The Rays pitching have held their own against the mighty Yankees in their home park. I expect that to continue tonight with Chirinos. Chirinos should be able to notch double digit DraftKings points and have a chance at the win. That’s pretty good output from this price point.

Casey Kelly ($4,200): Since MadBum drove in the winning run last night, it would seem that the Giants don’t plan on using him tonight. That leaves Kelly in a pretty good situation here. Kelly has a 2.89 ERA in 18.2 innings this year in both starts and relief. He has gone more than five innings twice, so this isn’t necessarily a situation where the Giants will pull Kelly after a couple of innings. If they leave him in there for five, there is very good potential at the price.

DENVER – MAY 6: Exterior general view before the Colorado Rockies game against the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field on May 6, 1995 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Jhoulys Chacin:

The Cardinals are hitting a robust .320 against Chacin in 122 at bats with four homers and 22 runs. Molina, Matt Adams, Jose Martinez, and Carpenter have the homers and 15 of the RBI. Marcell Ozuna has driven in four runs in 15 at bats despite not having a homer. Attacking the lefty Gonzalez last night worked pretty well. Going after Chacin here could provide similar results.

Boston Red Sox vs. Jimmy Yacabonis:

Yacabonis has been officially announced to be the pitching machine in game 2 of the doubleheader. If DraftKings leaves this game in, I want to attack this. Yacabonis has struggled in the majors this year. All Red Sox are in play, but paying up for Mookie and Martinez seems to be the right way to start. Fill it in with whatever else fits your budget.

Cleveland Indians vs. Jace Fry/Hector Santiago:

This opener thing is all the rage right now. Houston, Tampa, the White Sox, and Twins are all doing the new trend tonight. It has seemed to work well with young starters who struggle against the top of the order. What will it do to a struggling veteran trying to keep a job? My guess is that Cleveland is going to pound him anyway since they clobber lefties in general and Santiago in particular. Jose Ramirez and Edwin are the elite plays tonight. Lindor, Guyer, and Yan Gomes aren’t far behind.

Colorado Rockies vs. Nick Pivetta:

The pendulum swings back to the Rockies for the series finale. Colorado is hitting a ridiculous .536 with two homers and 12 runs in just 28 at bats against Pivetta. That is about as one sided of BvP stats as you will ever see! All Rockies are in play tonight. Pat Valaika and Ian Desmond have the homers. LeMahieu and Blackmon are the only regulars to have not driven in a run against Pivetta.

Los Angeles Angels vs. Yohander Mendez:

The issue here is all the right handed power that the Angels have to throw at Mendez. Trout, Upton, and Andrelton Simmons look like elite plays. Guys like Jabari Blash and Kaleb Cowart provide power potential and can help keep the stack cost down.

Texas Rangers vs. Andrew Heaney:

Texas usually doesn’t hit lefties all that hard. Heaney is an exception. The Rangers are hitting .385 with eight homers and 24 runs in just 104 at bats. Adrian Beltre has three of those homers. Andrus and Robinson Chirinos have two. Delino DeShields has the other. The best part? All of them are $4,000 or less. Joey Gallo and Rougned Odor hit lefties well enough to consider in this stack as well.

CLEVELAND, OH – APRIL 29: Kyle Seager #15 celebrates with Robinson Cano #22 of the Seattle Mariners after Cano hitt a two run home run during the second inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on April 29, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Top Tier:

Ross Stripling‘s numbers against Arizona aren’t good, but neither are the Snakes at home. Pollock has two solo homers against Stripling, so I like him here. Goldy and Ahmed have the other homers, and Peralta is 5-14 with four doubles.

I don’t trust in Edwin Jackson enough to use him, but I’m not really going to stack against him either. I am interested in Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager, but other than that, I will mostly ignore this.

The Yankees haven’t exactly hit well at the Trop, so I’m not sure how much exposure I want here, if any. Aaron Judge is the best one to play with Stanton a close second. After that, it’s a crapshoot.

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Middle Tier:

If you must take a shot at Grienke, Bellinger and Justin Turner each have two homers off of Greinke in their careers. So does Yasmani Grandal.

John Gant has not pitched well against the Brewers, but they still haven’t homered off of him, so a stack seems like too much risk on a nearly full slate. However, Thames and Moose at $4,300 look good with their five RBI in five combined at bats against Gant. I like Travis Shaw here as well, and Yelich is almost always worth it if you are willing to pay up.

The A’s have 11 career homers against King Felix, so there is value to be had here. Semien and Jed Lowrie each have slugged four homers against Felix. Canha, Matt Joyce, and Piscotty have the other three.

Freddie Freeman is 12-41(.293) with two homers and four RBI against deGrom in his career. Both Johan Camargo and Tyler Flowers are hitting better than .350 in double digit at bats with a homer off of deGrom if you are feeling really lucky.

Bargain Shoppers:

Tanaka has been solid against the Rays, but not all that great. I kind of want to go at him with a couple of the cheap lefties in Tampa, namely Brandon Lowe and Joey Wendle. Kiermaier is the only current Ray to homer against Tanaka.

Amed Rosario and Wilmer Flores are worth a look on the cheap, but I’m not really interested in any Mets bats tonight.

Ian Happ is only 4-17 against Ivan Nova, but three of those hits are home runs. Baez and Schwarber have taken Nova deep as well, but neither has really hit him well overall.

I don’t trust Quintana at Wrigley, and there are some cheap Pirates righties out there. Cervelli could be batting cleanup, and he already has a homer off of Quintana. Pablo Reyes , Josh Bell, and Josh Harrison look good on the cheap as well.

The Twins have managed to get to Matt Boyd a little. Robbie Grossman is 6-23(.261) with two homers and five RBI, and he is batting cleanup lately. Rosario and Tyler Austin are in play as well.

Next. MLB picks and pivots September 24. dark

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