MLB DFS Playbook September 5: Top Plays for DraftKings and FanDuel
Published: Sep 05, 2023
Hello and welcome to the MLB DFS Playbook for September 5! We have a 10-game slate on both DK and FD on our hands today. We have a 7:05 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 5
MLB Weather Updates
None.
Games that appear to have a decent wind blowing out:
Chicago Cubs vs. San Francisco Giants (hot, heavy winds out to left field, could be a big Wrigley day)
Games that appear to have a decent wind blowing in:
None.
Recommended DFS Starting Pitchers
Top Options for Strikeouts
Dylan Cease, Chicago White Sox
Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels
Best Odds for a Win
Gerrit Cole (New York Yankees -246)
Brandon Pfaadt (Arizona Diamondbacks -205)
Chris Bassitt (Toronto Blue Jays -188)
Favorite Starters to Use for DFS Lineups
The AL Cy Young frontrunner gets a second straight start against the Tigers. He pitched well against them his last time out, firing six innings of two-run ball while striking out 7 and picking up his 12th win of the year. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he goes out and pitches even better this time around. He is also the biggest favorite on the slate, which doesn’t hurt. He is the top play of the slate in my eyes.
Chris Bassitt, Toronto Blue Jays
Bassitt took advantage of a great matchup his last time, firing eight shutout innings against the Nationals and now he gets an even better matchup against the lowly A’s. He’s been pitching well with three games of at least 23 dk points in August. His last start was actually his first time not striking out 5+ batters in 10 starts and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets back over that number in this one. I also don’t mind the Blue Jays being the 3rd biggest favorites on the slate.
Brandon Pfaadt, Arizona Diamondbacks
We round things out with the 2nd biggest favorite to win on the slate, as we are just rolling with all of the top three today. Pfaadt struggled in his last start against the Dodgers, but who doesn’t struggle against the Dodgers? That doesn’t mean much to me. He had scored 16.2, 23.4, and 19.6 dk points in his three outings prior and now he gets to face a bad Rockies offense away from Coors Field.
Recommended DFS Hitters
Highest Expected Run Totals
5.94 – Chicago Cubs
5.16 – San Francisco Giants
5.16 – Kansas City Royals
Favorite Hitters to Use for DFS Lineups
Pete Alonso, 1B, New York Mets
Alonso is coming off a game in which he smacked a pair of home runs and drove in four. He now has 41 home runs and 100 RBI on the year. He gets a nice matchup against Patrick Corbin, who has a 4.90 ERA and 1.50 WHIP this season and righties are slashing .303/.349/.844 against him this season with 24 of the 27 home runs that he has allowed. Alonso has also been slightly more productive against lefties this season with a .913 OPS, compared to .831 against righties.
Davis Schneider, 2B/OF, Toronto Blue Jays
I have been including Schneider a ton in my articles and lineups lately, but how do you not right now? This rookie has played just 18 games, but in those 18 games he has managed to hit .390 with SIX home runs, 17 RBI, a steal, and 16 runs scored. That’s insane production. Over his last 5 starts he has scored 21, 16, 13, 16, and 11 dk points. Lock and load against a crummy pitcher like Ken Waldichuk.
Ronny Mauricio, 2B/3B/SS, New York Mets
Yes, another Mets bat, as we look to take advantage of this matchup with Corbin. Mauricio was electric in his first big league series, going 5-11 with a double, two steals, and a run scored in three games against the Mariners. That was against much better pitchers than the one he is facing today. Mauricio is still cheap, so let’s keep riding the hot bat at these prices while we can.
Jasson Dominguez, OF, New York Yankees
Dominguez has come up and made an immediate impact for the Bronx Bombers, swatting a pair of home runs in his first MLB series. Now he gets a short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium and gets to face a bad pitcher in Alex Faedo, who has a 4.90 ERA through 57 innings this season and has already allowed 11 home runs.
Player Pool
| $ Tier | SP | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Gerrit Cole  $11,500 |  Matt Olson $4,100 |  Davis Schneider $3,900 |  Gunnar Henderson $3,300 |  Trea Turner $3,900 | Ronald Acuña $4,800 |
| Chris Bassitt $9,300 |  Pete Alonso $3,900 | Francisco Lindor $3,600 | Aaron Judge $4,100 | |||
| Medium |  Dylan Cease $8,200 |  Christian Walker $3,600 |  Ketel Marte $3,400 |  Nolan Gorman $2,900 | Anthony Volpe $2,600 | Lars Nootbaar $3,300 |
 Austin Hays $2,800 | ||||||
| Low | Brandon Pfaadt $7,300 |  Nolan Schanuel $2,900 | Ronny Mauricio $2,500 | Mark Vientos $2,300 | Jordan Westburg $2,400 |  Seiya Suzuki $2,800 |
| Jasson DomÃnguez $2,800 |
Stacks
| Mets | Ronny Mauricio | Mark Vientos | Francisco Lindor | Pete Alonso |
 DraftKings | 3000 | 2500 | 4900 | 5000 |
| Fanduel | 2500 | 2300 | 3600 | 3900 |
| Orioles | Austin Hays | Gunnar Henderson | Jordan Westburg | Adley Rutschman |
| DraftKings | 4000 | 5500 | 3500 | 5200 |
| Fanduel | 2800 | 3300 | 2400 | 3100 |
| Yankees | Gleyber Torres | Aaron Judge | Jasson DomÃnguez |
| DraftKings | 4500 | 6700 | 3000 |
| Fanduel | 3300 | 4100 | 2800 |
| Diamondbacks | Ketel Marte | Lourdes Gurriel | Christian Walker |
| DraftKings | 5000 | 3800 | 4500 |
| Fanduel | 3400 | 3000 | 3600 |
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.