MLB DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups & Stacks Today: Saturday Playbook
Published: Sep 07, 2024
Welcome to another day of MLB DFS here at Fantasy Alarm. We have a big 8-game main slate on DraftKings kicking off at 7:05 PM EST.
This slate has no Coors Field and no real weather concerns outside of the Chicago vs Boston game. Pitching is headlined by Dylan Cease who takes on the San Francisco Giants while the most expensive hitter is Shohei Ohtani, as he usually is.
Make sure you subscribe to the Fantasy Alarm YouTube channel so you never miss a show! Also, join the Fantasy Alarm Discord to get your DFS lineup questions answered by our MLB DFS team! Plus, as always, be sure to check in with our MLB DFS Tools, with the Daily MLB Projections, MLB DFS Rostership Projections, and our MLB DFS Lineup Generator when building those lineups today to help you decide which players you should be targeting!
MLB DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook
MLB Weather: Today, 9/7
Chicago White Sox vs Boston Red Sox
There is a possibility of rain in this game with a chance for delays. It’s not expected to be bad enough to delay the game but it is possible so keep an eye on the weather.
MLB DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts
My favorite pitcher on the board is Dylan Cease despite his recent outings. I find myself pairing him with a cheaper option like Tobias Myers to stack as many expensive bats as I can.
The Red Sox have the highest implied team total, but with Garrett Crochet tossing at least a couple innings and possible rain in the forecast, I’m not going too deep on this game. Most of my interest falls with the Rangers, Guardians, Dodgers, and Brewers.
Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers
Top Options for Strikeouts
- Dylan Cease (7.5 Ks -125) vs San Francisco Giants
- Tobias Myers (6.5 Ks +120) vs Colorado Rockies
- Logan Gilbert (5.5 Ks -130) vs St. Louis Cardinals
- Spencer Schwellenbach (5.5 Ks -105) vs Toronto Blue Jays
Best Odds for a Win
- Logan Gilbert vs St. Louis Cardinals
- Tobias Myers vs Colorado Rockies
- Bailey Ober vs Kansas City Royals
Core MLB DFS Pitchers
Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres
Dylan Cease has not looked great in recent starts, so I can understand having reservations, but this is a smash spot. Over the last 30 days, the Giants rank 28th in wOBA, AVG, and OPS against righties, while they rank 2nd with a 28% strikeout rate. Cease has only finished the sixth inning once in his last seven starts, but he does have a 30.3% strikeout rate on the season. We recently saw both Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly dice up the Giants and Cease should follow suit, projected at -125 to go over 7.5 strikeouts.
Logan Gilbert, Seattle Mariners
I’d like Logan Gilbert more if he were at home, but he’s been great all year with only a few bad starts. He’s had at least six strikeouts in six straight starts and is coming off 19 strikeouts over his last 12 innings. The Cardinals have had a 20% strikeout rate over the previous 30 days and are league-average in most categories. He’s holding batters to a .197 AVG on the season while striking out 26.5% of batters faced. The frustrating part with how good Gilbert has been is that he has only recorded two wins over his last 10 starts, but he does have the best odds on the slate to record a win.
Jose Berrios, Toronto Blue Jays
Jose Berrios started the season dominant, came back down to Earth, and has returned to being dominant. He’s had at least 24 DK points in six of his last seven starts and finished seven innings in five of them. Atlanta has ranked in the bottom half of the league against righties all season and we have not shied away from attacking them. Berrios only strikes out 19.3% of batters but his 43.5% groundball rate is the best mark of his career. His 1.48 HR/9 could become a problem but if he can limit the damage, he has great upside for his price tag.
Tobias Myers, Milwaukee Brewers
Tobias Myers looks like the best value option on the slate, drawing the matchup at home against the Rockies. Colorado ranks in the middle of the league in most offensive categories against righties over the last 30 days, but they also lead the league with a massive 30.4% strikeout rate. If you consider the road splits, this number jumps to 35.9%. Myers is striking out 21.6% of batters and recorded seven and nine strikeouts in two of his last five starts so he could very well have a ceiling strikeout game here.
Recommended MLB DFS Hitters
Highest Expected Run Totals
- Boston Red Sox (5.2)
- Los Angeles Dodgers (5.1)
- Milwaukee Brewers (5.1)
- Texas Rangers (4.9)
- Atlanta Braves (4.6)
Core MLB DFS Hitters
Note: Will Be Updated as Official Starting Lineups Are Released
Jose Ramirez, 3B, Cleveland Guardians
Jose Ramirez comes in as the third most expensive player on the slate in a great spot against southpaw Justin Wrobleski. Wrobleski has only made six starts but has allowed nine home runs, eight of which came against righties. On the season, Ramirez holds a .699 SLG, 1.083 OPS, and .346 ISO against this split. Of his 34 home runs, 13 have come off lefties and it would not be shocking if he cranks one off a pitcher allowing 3.13 HR/9 to righties.
Jackson Chourio, OF, Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers have one of the highest implied team totals today and Jackson Chourio is a great way to get exposure. The rookie is one home run shy of recording a 20/20 season and has been electric during the second half of the season. Over his last 10 games, he has a 1.228 OPS with four home runs, 12 RBIs, and two steals. He’s done more damage to righties but he’s had a .990 OPS during the second half of the season and should be in a great spot to produce.
Trevor Story, SS, Boston Red Sox
I can’t say what we can expect from Trevor Story making his return after being injured in April, but he’s very cheap and Boston has the highest implied team total on the board. Garrett Crochet is starting for the White Sox but has not thrown more than four innings since June. Story has only played in eight games this year and I would not say he should be in every lineup you make, but he has upside at this price tag if you need the money at other positions.
Wyatt Langford, OF, Texas Rangers
Over his last 10 games, Wyatt Langford has a .913 OPS and has recorded three home runs and 12 RBIs. He holds a .359 wOBA and .232 ISO against southpaws on the season and Tyler Anderson has been regressing. His 4.26 expected ERA is nearly a run higher than his 3.55 actual ERA and he’s allowed at least four runs in three of his last four starts. The Rangers have one of the highest team totals on the board and Langford comes at a great price tag.
Player Pool
Stacks
| Dodgers | Shohei Ohtani | Gavin Lux | Max Muncy |
 DraftKings | 7000 | 4000 | 4900 |
 Fanduel | 4900 | 2700 | 3400 |
| Rangers | Josh Jung | Marcus Semien | Wyatt Langford |
| DraftKings | 4200 | 5100 | 4100 |
| Fanduel | 2900 | 3200 | 3100 |
| Brewers | William Contreras | Rhys Hoskins | Jackson Chourio |
| DraftKings | 5000 | 3400 | 4500 |
| Fanduel | 3300 | 2900 | 3300 |
| Guardians | José RamÃrez | Lane Thomas | Jhonkensy Noel |
| DraftKings | 6400 | 3800 | 4100 |
| Fanduel | 4000 | 3000 | 3200 |
Player News
Julio Rodriguez homered twice in a 3-2 loss to the Angels on Friday in extra innings.
It’s impressive to have a two-homer game against anyone. Hitting two homers against someone like José Soriano — a pitcher that had allowed all of five homers in 120 innings this year coming into Friday evening — is another. The pair of homers bring his total to 17 on the season, and he’s now plated 54 runs. Second-half Julio appears to be here, and fantasy managers should be thrilled.
José Soriano allowed two runs over six innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Friday.
Bryan Woo struck out six over six-plus inning of two-run baseball in a no-decision versus the Angels on Friday.
Nick Kurtz had an unbelievable night at the dish in Friday’s 15-3 victory over the Astros, going 6-for-6 with four home runs, a double, six runs scored and eight RBI.
Kurtz blasted a two-run homer in the second inning, an RBI double in the fourth, a solo shot in the sixth, a solo shot in the eighth and to put an exclamation point on the night he clobbered a three-run homer off of Cooper Hummel in the ninth inning. In perhaps the greatest single game performance in MLB history, Kurtz etched his name in the record books. He became just the 20th player in history to have a four-homer game and the first rookie to accomplish that feat. He also tied the MLB record for total bases in a game with 19. The front-runner for the American League Rookie of the Year award is now slashing an absurd .305/.374/.686 with 23 homers and 59 RBI on the season.
Kyle Schwarber went 3-for-5 with two home runs, four RBI, three runs scored, and a walk in a 12-5 win over the Yankees on Friday.
While this game was mostly tight throughout, the Phillies blew it wide open late with 10 runs over the final three innings against the Yankees’ beleaguered bullpen. Schwarber was right in the middle of that onslaught with a two-run, eighth inning homer that was scorched at 115.2 mph. He also accounted for the only damage done against opposing starter Will Warren with another two-run, 113.8 mph shot in the fifth inning. He added a 108.9 mph lineout between those and is in the middle of a special power surge with 10 home runs in his last 15 games.
Taijuan Walker allowed six hits and three runs with three strikeouts and didn’t walk a batter over 5 2/3 innings in a no-decision on Friday against the Yankees.
The Yankees jumped all over Walker for two quick homers in the first two innings. They had another solo shot later, but could never string enough hits together otherwise to put together a real rally. That was surprising though, because Walker allowed 10 hard-hit balls in total and didn’t seem to fool many hitters either with a steady dose of cutters in the strike zone. His next start is scheduled to come on Wednesday against the White Sox.