MLB DFS Playbook September 6: Top Plays for DraftKings and FanDuel
Published: Sep 06, 2023
Welcome to Wednesday and another MLB DFS Playbook! We’ve got a ton of early games today, leaving us with a smaller 6-game main slate this evening on both DraftKings and FanDuel, getting underway at 7:05 PM EST. Even with a small slate, we still have some exciting games here today, highlighted by the Atlanta Braves taking on the St. Louis Cardinals and an AL West matchup of the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers, both fighting to win the division. We have plenty of stars to choose from today on both the hitting and pitching side, so 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 6
MLB Weather Updates
Everything is looking clear for this evening’s slate.
DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts
The pitching gets rough fast after the top guys, and while I don’t especially love Max Scherzer or Justin Verlander in these matchups for the price they are going for, they are still worth considering with the options that come after them, so it may be worth considering paying up for top pitching and trying to find value for your offense. On the offensive side, some of my favorites to target today include the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, Washington Nationals, and the Kansas City Royals.
Recommended DFS Starting Pitchers
Top Options for Strikeouts
Spencer Strider vs St. Louis Cardinals
Max Scherzer vs Houston Astros
Justin Verlander vs Texas Rangers
Touki Toussaint vs Kansas City Royals
Clarke Schmidt vs Detroit Tigers
Best Odds for a Win
Spencer Strider vs St. Louis Cardinals
Clarke Schmidt vs Detroit Tigers
Kyle Gibson vs Los Angeles Angels
Jose Butto vs Washington Nationals
Favorite Starters to Use for DFS Lineups
Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves
Spencer Strider is by far the best pitcher on this slate today. With both Verlander and Scherzer having tough matchups facing each other today, I am willing to pay up for Strider. He always has a great chance at double-digit strikeouts, and getting at least 8 or 9 seems almost guaranteed. You may have to cut back in other parts of your lineup, but it is just so rare for Strider to be disappointed and not be worth his price.
Clarke Schmidt, New York Yankees
After Strider, my go-to for today is going to be Clarke Schmidt, who is getting to face the Detroit Tigers. Besides his blowup against the Atlanta Braves, where he gave up 8 earned runs, he has given up 3 or fewer runs in 17 of his last 18 starts. Over that time, he has a 3.82 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 95 strikeouts in 94.1 innings. He also has at least 7 strikeouts in 3 of his last four starts, and I expect some quality value out of him again today against the Detroit Tigers.
Recommended DFS Hitters
Highest Expected Run Totals
Kansas City Royals vs Touki Toussaint
Atlanta Braves vs Dakota Hudson
Washington Nationals vs Jose Butto
Favorite Hitters to Use for DFS Lineups
Gleyber Torres, 2B New York Yankees
Gleyber Torres has hit 5 homers over his last 10 games, including 4 over his last 6. Over those last 10 games, he has slashed .359/.432/.846 and has also had 6 multi-hit games. The Yankees season may be pretty well over, but I still think their offense, with some more young guys getting shots, could provide some great value today against Matt Manning and the Detroit Tigers.
Alex Bregman, 3B Houston Astros
The Houston Astros have been clicking on all cylinders lately, having just taken 1st place in the AL West for the first time all season. Alex Bregman has been a huge part of their offensive surge. He has been hitting great for a while now. Over the last month (since August 8th), he has slashed .376/.473/.596. He has been stacking up the runs and RBIs in this strong offense and should continue to provide great value today.
Orlando Arcia, SS Atlanta Braves
It is hard not to want to stack the Atlanta Braves every single day, especially on a day like today when they get a good matchup getting to face Dakota Hudson and the St. Louis Cardinals. Orlando Arcia remains one of the cheaper options for getting a piece of this Braves lineup, and over his last 10 games, he has slashed .353/.361/.676, along with 3 homers.
Jasson Dominguez, OF New York Yankees
Jasson Dominguez is finally here. The 20-year-old looks like he could easily become a staple in the Yankees lineup and their starting centerfielder for the foreseeable future, and all Yankees fans should be excited about getting to see him in the majors despite them being out of the playoff picture. He has a hit in each of his first 4 games, with 2 homers and a double. The sky is the limit for the switch-hitting centerfielder, and I am willing to jump in while his price is still low.
Player Pool
| $ Tier | SP | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Spencer Strider  $12,300 | Matt Olson $4,100 |  Jose Altuve $3,900 |  Alex Bregman $3,600 |  Corey Seager $4,400 |  Aaron Judge $4,200 |
| Ronald Acuña $5,000 | ||||||
| Marcell Ozuna $3,800 | ||||||
| Medium | Clarke Schmidt $8,800 |  Joey Meneses $2,700 |  Gleyber Torres $3,300 |  Maikel Garcia $2,900 | Orlando Arcia $2,800 | Jasson DomÃnguez $3,500 |
| Parker Meadows $3,300 | ||||||
 Brandon Nimmo $3,100 | ||||||
| Low |  Daniel Vogelbach $2,300 | Mauricio Dubón $2,500 |  Jordan Westburg $2,400 | Anthony Volpe $2,600 | Giancarlo Stanton $2,900 | |
| Michael Harris $2,900 | ||||||
| Eddie Rosario $2,900 |
Stacks
| Mets | Francisco Alvarez | Francisco Lindor | Brandon Nimmo | Pete Alonso | Daniel Vogelbach |
 DraftKings | 3500 | 4800 | 4200 | 4700 | 2600 |
| Fanduel | 2700 | 3700 | 3100 | 4000 | 2300 |
| Yankees | Anthony Volpe | Gleyber Torres | Aaron Judge | Giancarlo Stanton | Jasson DomÃnguez |
| DraftKings | 3800 | 4500 | 6500 | 4400 | 3100 |
| Fanduel | 2600 | 3300 | 4200 | 2900 | 3500 |
| Braves | Orlando Arcia | Sean Murphy | Eddie Rosario | Marcell Ozuna | Michael Harris |
| DraftKings | 4200 | 4800 | 4000 | 4900 | 4500 |
| Fanduel | 2800 | 3500 | 2900 | 3800 | 2900 |
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.