MLB DFS Playbook September 13: Top Plays for DraftKings and FanDuel

Published: Sep 13, 2023

Welcome to another Wednesday edition of the MLB DFS Playbook! After two losses to the New York Yankees last night, I am finally fully accepting that the Boston Red Sox will not be making the postseason (alright, I have really known this for quite a while), but even if our team isn’t going go to be playing in October, we can still enjoy the end of the season and build some more winning DFS lineups. We have a good slate in store for us today with a 7-game main slate on DraftKings starting at 7:07 PM EST and a 10-game slate on FanDuel starting a little earlier at 6:35 PM EST as it drops the San Diego Padres vs Los Angeles Dodgers game, but picks up four of the earlier games. Whichever slate you are playing, there are plenty of different ways to build a winning lineup, whether you are playing cash games or gpp tournaments, so let’s dive into today’s playbook! 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 Playbook September 13

MLB Weather Updates

New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox: There are some scattered thunderstorms throughout the day. Hopefully, there are no issues, but keep an eye on it as the day progresses.

DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

On the DraftKings slate, Blake Snell is worth considering even against the Dodgers, and on FanDuel, Spencer Strider is obviously an option as well on the top end, but I still like my favorites down below, which can be played on either slate better. On the offensive side, some of my favorites to target today include the Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, New York Yankees, Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, and Miami Marlins. On FanDuel, I am also a fan of the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Washington Nationals.

Recommended DFS Starting Pitchers

Top Options for Strikeouts

Spencer Strider vs Philadelphia Phillies (FanDuel only)

Blake Snell vs Los Angeles Dodgers (DraftKings only)

Hunter Brown vs Oakland Athletics

Zac Gallen vs New York Mets

Yusei Kikuchi vs Texas Rangers

Best Odds for a Win

Hunter Brown vs Oakland Athletics

Spencer Strider vs Philadelphia Phillies (FanDuel only)

Kyle Gibson vs St. Louis Cardinals (FanDuel only)

Mike Clevinger vs Kansas City Royals

Zac Gallen vs New York Mets

Favorite Starters to Use for DFS Lineups

Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks

Zac Gallen is an ace. He had a bit of a hiccup two starts in a row, giving up 11 earned runs combined through 10.2 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles, but he managed to bounce back and through a complete game shutout in his last outing against the Chicago Cubs with 9 strikeouts and only allowing 4 baserunners. I expect him to continue to dominate today against the New York Mets.

Hunter Brown, Houston Astros

Over his last handful of games, Hunter Brown has given up too many runs, but it has been against good teams. When he had an easier matchup against the Detroit Tigers, he managed to strike out 9 while only giving up 2 earned runs. My biggest concern is he hasn’t made it 6 innings in his last 5 starts, but against the Oakland Athletics, I expect him to be able to hit that mark while picking up plenty of strikeouts.

Clarke Schmidt, New York Yankees

Boston Red Sox are always tough in Fenway, but they have been sputtering lately, and Clarke Schmidt has been fantastic. Through his last 20 starts, he has only given up more than 3 earned runs once, and that was against the Atlanta Braves. Over that stretch of 100.2 innings, he has a 3.84 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and 91 strikeouts. I expect a solid outing today, even in the tough environment.

Recommended DFS Hitters

Highest Expected Run Totals

Baltimore Orioles vs Drew Rom (FanDuel only)

Boston Red Sox vs Clarke Schmidt

Houston Astros vs Paul Blackburn

St. Louis Cardinals vs Kyle Gibson (FanDuel only)

Los Angeles Dodgers vs Blake Snell (DraftKings only)

Favorite Hitters to Use for DFS Lineups

Ketel Marte, 2B Arizona Diamondbacks

Ketel Marte is slashing .333/.395/.615 in his 10 games through September. Ketel Marte always has stretches where he is one of the best hitters in the league. his problem is he also always has rough cold stretches, but when he is hitting well, he is a great target, and he is hitting well right now, so I am happily using him as my second baseman all over the place.

Josh Donaldson, 3B Milwaukee Brewers

Josh Donaldson might have found some new life in Milwaukee. In his first 2 games, he had 3 hits, including a homer in yesterday’s game. While I am not expecting him to be a huge fantasy contributor ever again, I don’t mind jumping on a hot streak with a new team where he is trying to prove himself.

Corey Seager, SS Texas Rangers

What Corey Seager has done through 101 games this season has been nothing short of incredible. He still has a 1.059 OPS on the season, which is second in the league, only behind Shohei Ohtani. He is second in AVG, only behind Luis Arraez, and leads the league in Slugging. Corey Seager is amazing and worth paying for at shortstop on any given day.

Yordan Alvarez, OF Houston Astros

Yordan Alvarez has stacked up 10 hits over his last 7 games, including 3 homers. I expect the Houston Astros to pile up the runs against the Oakland Athletics today as the fight to hold the lead of the AL West, and Yordan Alvarez is always a decent bet for a long ball and to rack up a ton of fantasy value.

Player Pool

$ Tier	SP	1B	2B	3B	SS	OF
High	Zac Gallen $10,600	Matt Olson $4,000	Jose Altuve $4,200	Austin Riley $3,800	Corey Seager $4,300	Yordan Alvarez $4,100
	Spencer Strider $11,800					Ronald Acuña $5,000
	Eduardo Rodriguez $10,300					Corbin Carroll $3,900
Medium	Hunter Brown $9,900	Spencer Torkelson $3,400	Ketel Marte $3,500	Ke'Bryan Hayes $3,000	CJ Abrams $3,500	Lane Thomas $3,700
						Marcell Ozuna $3,400
						Lars Nootbaar $3,200
Low	Clarke Schmidt $8,500	José Abreu $2,900	Tommy Edman $2,900	Josh Donaldson $2,500	Jeremy Peña $2,700	Tommy Pham $3,000
						Lourdes Gurriel $3,000
						Jesús Sánchez $2,800