This article outlines the best daily fantasy MLB plays of the day at every position. We take a comprehensive look to uncover these core recommendations, factoring respective salaries into the analysis.
Please note, these player picks were organized early in the day. For MLB contests, always check lineups and weather closer to game time. Rain, wind, or unexpected managerial decisions could open up additional sources of value. Be sure to keep an eye on the MLB Headlines and Injuries desk.
We will be looking at the six-game slate starting at 7:05 ET.
HITTING STACKS
St. Louis Cardinals - The RedBirds find themselves in an enviable spot while taking on inter-state rival Kansas City. They’ll look to jump on Royals’ RHP Carlos Hernandez, who allowed three runs (all solo HRs) across three innings in his first MLB start.
Atlanta Braves - The Braves and Cardinals are tied for the highest run-scoring projection of the night. Atlanta will settle into a comfortable home draw against Miami LHP Trevor Rogers, who has allowed nine earned runs and 12 hits across six innings over his last two appearances. The Marlins’ bullpen ranks bottom-five (in terms of ERA) as well.
PITCHER
Lance McCullers Jr. - Houston (at Seattle) - DK: $8,300 FD: $8,700 Yahoo: $33
McCullers has been up-and-down throughout this abbreviated season, but I’m thinking he’ll come through with a solid performance tonight. The Astros’ righty is fresh off a commanding outing vs. Texas, where he allowed just two hits across seven scoreless innings (8 K’s, 0 BB). That momentum could spill into this well-aligned draw at Seattle, given the Mariners rank bottom ten in wRC+ and wOBA at the moment. Seattle also has the ninth-highest strikeout rate at 24.5%, potentially bolstering McCullers’ upside.
Also Consider: Jacob deGrom, Adam Wainwright
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CATCHER
Yadier Molina - St. Louis (at Kansas City) - DK: $3,900 FD: $2,500 Yahoo: $8
I really like Travis d’Arnaud if you can squeeze him into your lineup. However, Molina is significantly cheaper on DraftKings and Yahoo (where you have to roster a catcher) with a pretty solid matchup of his own. As mentioned earlier, the Cardinals should score some runs on Royals RHP Carlos Hernandez, and Yadier has come through with three hits, one homer, four runs, and two RBI over his past three outings. He should see numerous RBI situations this evening.
Also Consider: Travis d’Arnaud, Willson Contreras
FIRST BASE
Anthony Rizzo - Chicago Cubs (at Pittsburgh) - DK: $4,100 FD: $3,400 Yahoo: $12
Rizzo has been in somewhat of a slump recently, which relaxes his salary on most DFS sites. He’ll retain a premium lineup spot for the Cubs while looking at a bounce-back matchup in Pittsburgh. Pirates’ RHP JT Brubaker has allowed 12 hits and eight earned runs across 10.2 innings over his last two starts, so there’s a chance the Cubbies could breakout offensively.
Also Consider: Paul Goldschmidt, Yuli Gurriel
SECOND BASE
Jose Altuve - Houston (at Seattle) - DK: $4,300 FD: $3,100 Yahoo: $12
Seattle LHP Marco Gonzales is no slouch, but he could run into trouble against Houston’s righty-heavy lineup. Even though he has been pretty mediocre this season, Altuve is a known lefty-masher to jump on this matchup. The Mariners’ southpaw just allowed five earned runs through six innings against Oakland, and those struggles could spill into tonight’s tilt with the Astros.
Also Consider: Kolten Wong
THIRD BASE
Austin Riley - Atlanta (vs. Miami) - DK: 3,800 FD: $2,800 Yahoo: $16
Riley is a capable right-handed bat with some pop and a cheap DFS salary. He makes for a nice piece within a confident Atlanta stack against Miami LHP Rogers, who has allowed nine earned runs and 12 hits over his last two starts (6 IP). The Marlins’ bullpen has been underperforming as well, setting up this red-hot Braves’ offense to keep the pace.
Also Consider: Alex Bregman, Tommy Edman
SHORTSTOP
Paul DeJong - St. Louis (at Kansas City) - DK: $4,300 FD: $3,100 Yahoo: $13
Stack your Cardinals and Braves tonight! DeJong makes for a sensible addition to the St. Louis hitters against Royals’ RHP Hernandez. Kansas City has a few good relievers that usually pitch in save situations. If they fall behind early, there’s a chance we’ll see their “less desirable” relievers attempt to eat some innings. The STL bats would make for excellent DFS commodities if things play out that way tonight.
Also Consider: Carlos Correa, Brandon Crawford
OUTFIELD
Ronald Acuna Jr. - Atlanta (vs. Miami) - DK: $5,900 FD: $4,500 Yahoo: $27
Acuna is the top overall play of this slate. His salary might be too steep on DraftKings, especially if you are paying up for pitching. However, I believe you can squeeze him in without much of a problem on FanDuel and Yahoo. Acuna will step into a righty/lefty matchup against the vulnerability of Miami LHP Rogers before taking on a subpar Marlins’ bullpen.
Tyler O’Neill - St. Louis (at Kansas City) - DK: $3,100 FD: $2,700 Yahoo: $9
O’Neill is a cheap bat to help you wash down the cumbersome salary of Acuna. The STL outfielder has some pop in his bat with seven of his 24 hits this season landing over the fence. He has racked up four RBI and a homer over his last four games, and this is a nice spot for the Cards to showcase their offense.
Also Consider: Marcell Ozuna, Kyle Schwarber, Ian Happ, Adam Duvall, Bryan Reynolds
BARGAINS
Yuli Gurriel (1B - HOU) is another cheap filler on all DFS sites to help you squeeze in the top-dollar picks of this slate. He has been pretty “blah” through the month of September, but Yuli will hold a premium lineup spot in a righty/lefty matchup tonight.
O’Neill is my preferred choice when looking at cheap outfielders from St. Louis, but don’t forget about his teammates Dylan Carlson (OF - STL) and Harrison Bader (OF - STL) in this strong matchup as well.
GPP PIVOTS
Most people will be looking towards the Atlanta hitters from this Braves-Marlins game, but don’t forget about Miami sluggers like Corey Dickerson (OF - MIA) or Jesus Aguilar (1B - MIA). The Marlins will see a park upgrade against the unproven likes of RHP Huascar Ynoa, who has been uneven over his last three appearances.
Jon Lester will be pitching for the Cubs tonight. He hasn’t had the best form recently, allowing five or more earned runs in four of his last seven starts. Sneaking a few Pittsburgh right-handed bats into your lineup could be a savvy tournament strategy. Ke’Bryan Hayes (3B - PIT) - great value through all formats on DK - and Bryan Reynolds (OF - PIT) catch my eye.