MLB DFS Playbook September 14: Top Plays for DraftKings and FanDuel
Published: Sep 14, 2023
Hello and welcome to the MLB DFS Playbook for September 14! We have a small 5-game slate on DK and an even smaller 4-gamer on FD on our hands today. We have a 7:07 pm ET start time, so plenty of time to get those lineups made! Make sure to check out all of our amazing MLB DFS tools as they are always worth going through before building your lineups as are the Vegas Odds. However, as I am sure you have figured out by now, the new playbook will be a one-stop shop that includes everything from easy-to-read player write-ups and suggestions to MLB Weather Reports to lineup construction tips to our best value plays for DraftKings and FanDuel. You will be given core plays around which to build your lineups, DFS stacks to consider for GPP tournaments and key statistics to help you in your DFS research. Let’s dive in!
MLB DFS Playbook September 14
MLB Weather Updates
San Francisco Giants vs. Colorado Rockies (rain, potential PPD)
Games that appear to have a decent wind blowing out:
None.
Games that appear to have a decent wind blowing in:
None.
Recommended DFS Starting Pitchers
Top Options for Strikeouts
Kevin Gausman, Toronto Blue Jays
Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants
Best Odds for a Win
Logan Webb (San Francisco Giants -245)
Kenta Maeda (Minnesota Twins -183)
Kevin Gausman (Toronto Blue Jays -164)
Favorite Starters to Use for DFS Lineups
This slate is UGLY for pitching. We only have a couple good pitchers and they all are in tough spots, so we either have to roll with them despite that, or go with bad pitchers.
Kevin Gausman, Toronto Blue Jays
I, of course, hate having a pitcher face the Rangers, but we don’t really have any alternatives. Gausman is elite and has FAR more upside than anyone else on this slate. He’s cruising to a top-5 finish in AL Cy Young voting with a 3.28 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 217 Ks across 167.1 innings of work. Even if he gives up three or four runs tonight, his K-rate will likely still make him a better play than our other options.
Maeda is probably the biggest chalk of the slate at SP on DK tonight. He is pretty cheap and he is a solid pitcher facing a bad offense. He has been pitching better of late with a 4.08 ERA ad 1.17 WHIP over his last 10 starts. He has also been good in the strikeout department this season with 96 Ks across 89 innings of work. He’s also been a totally different pitcher on the road with a 3.42 ERA, compared to a 6.05 ERA at home.
Recommended DFS Hitters
Highest Expected Run Totals
5.78 – San Francisco Giants
5.00 – Colorado Rockies
4.98 – Minnesota Twins
Favorite Hitters to Use for DFS Lineups
I avoided the Giants/Rockies game in my write-ups because it looks like a heavy PPD risk, which would turn this slate into a tiny 4-gamer / 3-gamer. Keep your eyes on that game if choosing to roster them.
Jorge Polanco, 2B/3B, Minnesota Twins
The Twins are the chalk of the slate with the Giants/Rockies game in serious jeopardy and Polanco leads the way for me. He is hitting .314 with a 1.003 OPS over his last 10 games and averaging 10.4 dk ppg in that span. He has hit for good power this season with 12 bombs in just 69 games of action and he has tacked on four steals. Jose Urena is not an MLB pitcher and has no business being in this league at this point (he has an 8.46 ERA and 2.10 WHIP this year).
Royce Lewis, 3B/SS, Minnesota Twins
Lewis is even hotter than Polanco is right now, hitting .316 and averaging 12.7 dk ppg over his last 10 games. He has three home runs and two steals in that timeframe, giving him 12 home runs and 5 steals in just 52 games this season. He has been better on the road this year, hitting .369 with a dk pgg of 106 away from Minnesota, compared to .250 and 8.4 at home, respectively.
Ceddanne Rafaela, SS/OF, Boston Red Sox
I have no clue how the Red Sox lineup will shake out with this being Game 2 of a double header, but I like both Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu as salary-saving options. Both players are playing in Game 1, but I do feel as though Rafaela has the better chance of playing in Game 2 as well. Rafaela is hitting .318 over his last 10 games with a steal and a home run. He hit leadoff in Game 1 and I would love to see him there again in Game 2. (DK only).
Heston Kjerstad, OF, Baltimore Orioles
Facing Civale isn’t the easiest of tasks in the world, but he also doesn’t scare me and considering Kjerstad is making his MLB debut and is just $2,000, it’s a gamble worth taking. He slashed .299/.370/.500 at AAA this season with 10 bombs, after slashing .310/.384/.576 at AA with 11 bombs to start the year. Being a lefty also suits Baltimore’s field better these days than being a righty does. (DK only).
Player Pool
| $ Tier | SP | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Kevin Gausman  $10,300 |  Wilmer Flores $3,700 | Davis Schneider $3,900 |  Royce Lewis $3,700 |  Gunnar Henderson $3,600 |  Nolan Jones $3,900 |
 Randy Arozarena $3,500 | ||||||
| Medium |  Nathan Eovaldi $9,200 | Adley Rutschman $3,300 | Jorge Polanco $3,200 |  J.D. Davis $3,200 | Carlos Correa $2,900 | Joc Pederson $3,100 |
 Max Kepler $2,900 | ||||||
| Low |  Kenta Maeda $7,600 |  Spencer Horwitz $2,600 | Edouard Julien $2,800 |  Curtis Mead $2,200 | Jordan Westburg $2,600 | Alex Kirilloff $2,600 |
| Evan Carter $2,500 |
Stacks
| Twins | Royce Lewis | Jorge Polanco | Carlos Correa | Max Kepler |
 DraftKings | 4900 | 4400 | 4300 | 4000 |
| Fanduel | 3700 | 3200 | 2900 | 2900 |
| Red Sox | Ceddanne Rafaela | Triston Casas | Wilyer Abreu | Rafael Devers |
| DraftKings | 3200 | 4400 | 3300 | 5600 |
| Fanduel | - | - | - | - |
| Orioles | Gunnar Henderson | Heston Kjerstad | Jordan Westburg | Adley Rutschman |
| DraftKings | 5500 | 2000 | 3400 | 5300 |
| Fanduel | 3600 | - | 2600 | 3300 |
Player News
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.