September baseball isn’t for the faint of heart. Last night showed how unpredictable it can be. Teams have an almost endless supply of arms in the bullpen now and aren’t afraid to do a committee of sorts with their pitching.
Exhibit A: Jaime Garcia. The Chalkiest pitcher of the night on DK, only lasted one inning after struggling to control the long ball in the first.
Exhibit B: Luis Severino. Knew if he hit Justin Smoak with a pitch, he’d be thrown out. Well, he still hit him with a pitch (that's what a 14-man bullpen can do).
Even though we provide cash game optimal lineups, I highly recommend September to be a primarily GPP month. Things are so unpredictable that it truly pays to be a little contrarian.
NOTE: Since the tables are posted a little earlier tonight, the statistics are current as of Sunday’s games.
| CATCHER | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Jonathan Lucroy | TEX | R | MIL | Jimmy Nelson | 473 | 139 | 23 | 66 | 78 | 46 | 5 | .294 | .858 | .207 | .326 | .363 | 24.9% | 35.5% | 88.4% | $3,600 | $4,600 | $4,700 |
| Yasmani Grandal | LAD | S | SD | Paul Clemens | 380 | 88 | 27 | 49 | 71 | 60 | 1 | .232 | .825 | .255 | .253 | .353 | 16.1% | 39.6% | 84.5% | $3,200 | $4,100 | $4,500 |
| Salvador Perez | KC | R | MIN | Jose Berrios | 503 | 125 | 22 | 57 | 63 | 20 | 0 | .249 | .730 | .195 | .281 | .310 | 18.6% | 34.3% | 90.3% | $3,100 | $3,700 | $4,250 |
| Evan Gattis | HOU | R | SEA | Felix Hernandez | 430 | 105 | 31 | 57 | 69 | 42 | 2 | .244 | .819 | .260 | .264 | .341 | 17.4% | 32.9% | 83.9% | $3,000 | $3,800 | $4,750 |
Jonathan Lucroy was a bit of a disappointment last night, but I believe he is in a similar situation tonight against his former team, and his former battery mate, Jimmy Nelson. Nelson is a guy who was at his best a few years back when he was a fresh face who no one had seen before. His numbers have gradually gotten worse. No one has seen as many of Jimmy Nelson’s pitches as Jonathan Lucroy over the years.
Yasmani Grandal will always be a guy I’m anxious to roster against weak right-handed pitching. Paul Clemens is giving up a 1.94 HR/9 and a 5.46 xFIP in 2016, and Grandal is the type of player who can feast on him.
Salvador Perez and the rest of the Royals face Jose Berrios who has a comical 8.88 ERA and 5.47 xFIP this season. Worst of all is his 2.22 HR/9, which basically means, if the Royals get ahold of a pitch, there’s a good chance it’s going over the fences.
Evan Gattis homered off of Felix Hernandez the last time he faced him. The price is reasonable, and he’s just always a threat to hit one out of the yard.
| FIRST BASE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| David Ortiz | BOS | L | NYY | Luis Cessa | 517 | 166 | 37 | 77 | 124 | 77 | 2 | .321 | 1.039 | .311 | .317 | .426 | 22.3% | 46.0% | 90.7% | $4,200 | $5,600 | $5,400 |
| Freddie Freeman | ATL | L | PHI | Jerad Eickhoff | 570 | 174 | 32 | 96 | 87 | 86 | 6 | .305 | .972 | .265 | .377 | .403 | 29.7% | 43.5% | 79.6% | $4,000 | $5,100 | $5,250 |
| Joey Votto | CIN | L | STL | Adam Wainwright | 525 | 168 | 26 | 95 | 89 | 107 | 8 | .320 | .967 | .213 | .365 | .407 | 27.2% | 39.0% | 85.6% | $3,800 | $5,200 | $5,100 |
| Chris Davis | BAL | L | TOR | Aaron Sanchez | 544 | 119 | 38 | 95 | 84 | 84 | 1 | .219 | .795 | .246 | .271 | .341 | 18.8% | 39.5% | 76.1% | $3,000 | $3,900 | $4,900 |
David Ortiz looks to be closing out his regular season career on a high note. He’s batting .370/.442/.699 in the month of September, and doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
Freddie Freeman just continues to amaze me with his consistency and production. He is 5-for-12 (.417 AVG) with a homer, double, and three runs scored this season against Jerad Eickhoff of the Phillies.
Joey Votto and the Reds unleashed on the Cardinals bullpen last night. Votto is about as hot as anyone right now, and has gone 3-for-6 with a couple doubles against Adam Wainwright this year.
Chris Davis is batting .429/.636/1.143 over 22 career plate appearances against Aaron Sanchez of the Orioles. At $3000 on FanDuel, he’s truly a bargain.
| SECOND BASE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Robinson Cano | SEA | L | HOU | Mike Fiers | 626 | 185 | 33 | 98 | 92 | 43 | 0 | .296 | .854 | .212 | .301 | .361 | 18.4% | 35.3% | 93.5% | $3,200 | $4,600 | $5,250 |
| DJ LeMahieu | COL | R | SF | Matt Moore | 546 | 191 | 11 | 103 | 66 | 66 | 11 | .350 | .917 | .148 | .388 | .394 | 26.5% | 35.4% | 95.1% | $3,200 | $4,300 | $4,950 |
| Brandon Phillips | CIN | R | STL | Adam Wainwright | 542 | 156 | 11 | 72 | 61 | 18 | 12 | .288 | .731 | .125 | .309 | .313 | 21.0% | 26.9% | 89.8% | $3,000 | $3,400 | $4,400 |
| Dee Gordon | MIA | L | NYM | Noah Syndergaard | 303 | 78 | 0 | 45 | 11 | 18 | 26 | .257 | .618 | .063 | .308 | .271 | 19.0% | 17.3% | 91.6% | $2,700 | $4,800 | $4,650 |
Robinson Cano went double dong last night and bailed his Mariners out of a tough 9th inning collapse. He has hit two home runs over six at-bats, lifetime, against Mike Fiers, so the pieces are in place for an unlikely repeat.
DJ LeMahieu is an outstanding .338/.424/.531 this season against left-handed pitching.
Brandon Phillips has finally put together a good streak of games. He is 23-for-60 (.383 AVG) with two homers, 10 RBIs, and five stolen bases over his last 15 games.
Dee Gordon’s home run last night was an amazing tribute to Jose Fernandez. Gordon played with so much heart the entire night, and it was great to watch. If Dee gets on against Thor tonight, expect to see some fireworks on the bases.
| THIRD BASE | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Kris Bryant | CHC | R | PIT | Ryan Vogelsong | 585 | 172 | 38 | 119 | 99 | 74 | 8 | .294 | .947 | .265 | .335 | .399 | 23.5% | 40.6% | 81.1% | $4,100 | $5,100 | $5,450 |
| Adrian Beltre | TEX | R | MIL | Jimmy Nelson | 566 | 170 | 32 | 86 | 101 | 47 | 1 | .300 | .881 | .223 | .292 | .372 | 17.8% | 35.3% | 89.5% | $3,800 | $4,400 | $5,250 |
| Todd Frazier | CHW | R | TB | Alex Cobb | 562 | 127 | 39 | 86 | 96 | 64 | 14 | .226 | .774 | .242 | .233 | .329 | 15.1% | 31.8% | 81.8% | $3,300 | $4,400 | $4,900 |
| Jose Reyes | NYM | S | MIA | Tom Koehler | 230 | 61 | 8 | 43 | 22 | 22 | 9 | .265 | .780 | .187 | .299 | .333 | 21.7% | 29.2% | 88.8% | $3,100 | $4,500 | $4,750 |
Kris Bryant hit is 39th home run of the season in last night’s contest against the Pirates. I truly believe #40 comes tonight with his matchup against Ryan Vogelsong, who he has homered against earlier this season.
Adrian Beltre is an outstanding hitter against the sinkerball, and that’s what he’s going to see a lot of tonight against Jimmy Nelson of the Brewers.
Todd Frazier extended his hitting streak to nine games last night. That’s a pretty good feat for someone who struggles to make contact with the ball at a high rate. Like Bryant, he’s one home run away from 40, and I also think he gets there tonight against Alex Cobb.
Jose Reyes is 4-for-4 this season against Tom Koehler of the Marlins. He is a pretty good value on FanDuel.
| SHORTSTOP | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Asdrubal Cabrera | NYM | S | MIA | Tom Koehler | 498 | 140 | 23 | 64 | 59 | 35 | 5 | .281 | .818 | .201 | .311 | .348 | 22.6% | 36.8% | 88.3% | $3,300 | $4,700 | $4,700 |
| Troy Tulowitzki | TOR | R | BAL | Kevin Gausman | 466 | 117 | 24 | 53 | 77 | 40 | 1 | .251 | .754 | .189 | .267 | .324 | 19.1% | 34.1% | 85.7% | $3,100 | $4,000 | $4,850 |
| Jhonny Peralta | STL | R | CIN | Robert Stephenson | 263 | 66 | 7 | 32 | 25 | 18 | 0 | .251 | .694 | .144 | .286 | .299 | 23.5% | 31.5% | 88.1% | $3,000 | $3,100 | $4,500 |
| Wilmer Difo | WSH | S | ARI | Matt Koch | 48 | 14 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 2 | .292 | .700 | .063 | .368 | .303 | 23.7% | 23.7% | 83.6% | $2,000 | $2,800 | $3,450 |
Asdrubal Cabrera is 5-for-10 (.500 AVG) with two homers, lifetime, against Tom Koehler of the Marlins.
Troy Tulowitzki’s price continues to drop, yet I think the upside is still there for $3100 on FanDuel. He actually homered off of Kevin Gausman earlier this year.
Jhonny Peralta could be a sneaky good play tonight. I like his matchup against Robert Stephenson, and like that he has reached base safely in six of his last seven games.
Wilmer Difo did not play last night. So I will take do a copy/paste from last night’s playbook. He is SUPER fast. A few weeks back, he reached base safely on a fairly hard hit ball to SECOND BASE, and beat out a throw from Jace Peterson of the Braves. It’s no coincidence that he has been able to reach base safely in each of his five starts. Hopefully we see more of what we saw Sunday, where he wasn’t removed from the lineup for a pitch hitter or double switch later in the game.
| OUTFIELD | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | Bats | Opp | Opp Pitch | AB | H | HR | R | RBI | BB | SB | AVG | OPS | ISO | BABIP | wOBA | LD% | Hard% | Z-Cont% | FD | DK | Aces |
| Mookie Betts | BOS | R | NYY | Luis Cessa | 652 | 209 | 31 | 119 | 109 | 49 | 26 | .321 | .906 | .219 | .325 | .383 | 19.1% | 33.7% | 95.0% | $4,200 | $5,600 | $5,500 |
| Jose Bautista | TOR | R | BAL | Kevin Gausman | 401 | 95 | 21 | 65 | 67 | 80 | 2 | .237 | .824 | .222 | .255 | .356 | 19.6% | 41.2% | 90.2% | $4,200 | $4,300 | $5,150 |
| Dexter Fowler | CHC | S | PIT | Ryan Vogelsong | 443 | 122 | 13 | 81 | 47 | 74 | 12 | .275 | .838 | .174 | .348 | .366 | 24.2% | 30.6% | 86.2% | $4,100 | $5,300 | $5,100 |
| Curtis Granderson | NYM | L | MIA | Tom Koehler | 525 | 118 | 30 | 81 | 56 | 68 | 4 | .225 | .778 | .232 | .236 | .330 | 20.9% | 37.2% | 89.6% | $3,600 | $4,900 | $5,100 |
| Carlos Gomez | TEX | R | MIL | Jimmy Nelson | 393 | 87 | 11 | 42 | 45 | 33 | 17 | .221 | .651 | .140 | .303 | .284 | 20.9% | 29.8% | 78.4% | $3,300 | $3,800 | $4,550 |
| J.D. Martinez | DET | R | CLE | Mike Clevinger | 437 | 136 | 21 | 67 | 66 | 48 | 1 | .311 | .922 | .231 | .377 | .389 | 21.8% | 40.2% | 84.8% | $3,200 | $4,200 | $5,100 |
| Cameron Maybin | DET | R | CLE | Mike Clevinger | 327 | 107 | 4 | 61 | 43 | 34 | 15 | .327 | .827 | .107 | .393 | .361 | 22.2% | 25.4% | 91.5% | $3,200 | $4,500 | $4,300 |
| Scott Schebler | CIN | L | STL | Adam Wainwright | 243 | 64 | 8 | 33 | 37 | 19 | 2 | .263 | .755 | .165 | .313 | .324 | 18.9% | 34.2% | 83.1% | $3,100 | $3,400 | $3,500 |
| Alex Gordon | KC | L | MIN | Jose Berrios | 426 | 95 | 17 | 61 | 38 | 52 | 8 | .223 | .708 | .167 | .287 | .309 | 23.2% | 37.0% | 83.0% | $3,000 | $4,000 | $4,450 |
| Hunter Pence | SF | R | COL | German Marquez | 370 | 107 | 12 | 54 | 54 | 41 | 1 | .289 | .810 | .162 | .348 | .349 | 16.5% | 30.9% | 81.5% | $3,000 | $3,400 | $4,700 |
| Jason Heyward | CHC | L | PIT | Ryan Vogelsong | 515 | 118 | 7 | 57 | 45 | 50 | 10 | .229 | .623 | .091 | .266 | .279 | 20.7% | 26.1% | 91.1% | $3,000 | $3,700 | $4,400 |
| Alex Dickerson | SD | L | LAD | Jose De Leon | 242 | 62 | 10 | 37 | 37 | 23 | 5 | .256 | .787 | .202 | .269 | .335 | 22.3% | 34.5% | 89.2% | $3,000 | $3,400 | $4,450 |
| Adam Duvall | CIN | R | STL | Adam Wainwright | 523 | 124 | 31 | 79 | 95 | 38 | 5 | .237 | .784 | .254 | .270 | .328 | 19.7% | 39.4% | 85.8% | $2,700 | $3,900 | $4,450 |
| Matt Joyce | PIT | L | CHC | John Lackey | 219 | 52 | 12 | 42 | 41 | 55 | 1 | .237 | .852 | .219 | .284 | .370 | 19.1% | 36.6% | 76.6% | $2,100 | $3,200 | $4,300 |
Mookie Betts has gone 12-for-24 (.500 AVG) with a homer and a .625 OBP over his last week of action.
Jose Bautista extended his hitting streak to six games last night, and has reached base safely at least two times in five of those six games.
Dexter Fowler, over his last six games, he has gone 9-for-23 (.391 AVG) with a homer, triple, double, four walks, seven runs, and three stolen bases.
Curtis Granderson has hits in seven of his last eight starts while homering four times and scoring nine runs.
Carlos Gomez had a jump in his step last night facing his former Brewers club. Over his last nine games, he has gone 14-for-37 (.378 AVG) with two homers, two doubles, six RBIs, and two stolen bases.
J.D. Martinez’s price tag has dropped down to $3200 on FanDuel. He has reached base safely two times or more in each of his last two games and hit a big home run last night off of Corey Kluber.
Cameron Maybin, J.D’s teammate, is also $3200 on FanDuel. Prior to last night’s game against Kluber’s Indians, he had gone 14-for-27 (.519 AVG) with a homer, two triples, a double, 12 runs, and five RBIs.
Scott Schebler has been getting some quality playing time in the #2 spot of the Reds lineup between Jose Peraza and Joey Votto. He’s a pretty good price throughout the industry, and has gone 6-for-13 (.462 AVG) with a couple doubles and four runs scored over his last three games.
Alex Gordon gets that great matchup against Jose Berrios, and has hits in seven of his last eight games, going 10-for-28 (.357 AVG) with two homers, a triple, two doubles, four walks, six runs, and five RBIs.
Hunter Pence gets a matchup against a 21-year-old German Marquez at home, where he has batted .316/.393/.430 throughout the season. Such a great value throughout the industry (under $3500).
Jason Heyward is starting to get into a groove at the plate. Maybe he’ll actually do something useful for the Cubs in the Playoffs. His plate discipline has really shined considering he has a decent .333 OBP over his last 15 and gets a good matchup against Ryan Vogelsong, who he has gone 6-for-16 against with a homer and .500 OBP.
Alex Dickerson has been batting .368/.478/.684 with a homer over the last week of action.
Adam Duvall has been a mixed bag lately, but that mixed bag obviously carries some power upside. He had a HUGE game on Monday, going 4-for-6 with two homers and five RBIs.
Matt Joyce is 10-for-28 (.357 AVG) with two homers, lifetime, against John Lackey of the Cubs.
Be sure to keep an eye on the Fantasy Alarm Daily Lineups page to confirm that your players are starting.
If you guys have any questions, you can always reach me on Twitter @kle18. Good luck!