MLB DFS Playbook September 9: Top Plays for DraftKings and FanDuel
Published: Sep 09, 2023
Hello and welcome to the MLB DFS Playbook for September 9! We have a 5-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 9
MLB Weather Updates
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Atlanta Braves (possible rain, looks like it will play though)
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
Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants
Best Odds for a Win
Nathan Eovaldi (Texas Rangers -345)
Logan Webb (San Francisco Giants -238)
Dylan Dodd (Atlanta Braves -230)
Favorite Starters to Use for DFS Lineups
Eovaldi was awful in his first start back off IL, but he will have a decent chance of a bounce back in this game against the A’s. Pitch count could factor here though and if we are wanting to play it safe, Webb is probably the better spend-up, but Eovaldi has had himself a nice season with a 2.95 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. The Rangers are also the biggest favorites to win on the slate.
Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants
Webb is having a really strong year with a 3.51 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across a 187 innings pitched (he will lead the league after tonight as long as he goes at least 1 inning). His home and road splits are crazy too, as he has a 2.51 ERA at home and averages 22 dk ppg, compared to a 4.58 ERA on the road with a 15.2 dk ppg. The Rockies are not a good offense, so expect a strong showing from Webb.
Let’s get weird with our last option and go with a super cheap Dodd. He has been pummeled this year in limited action, but he obviously isn’t as bad as he’s shown. The Braves are heavy favorites, so we could get a cheap win if he is able to go 5 innings, and the Pirates are a pretty lousy offense, so there are some ingredients for a semi-successful outing from Dodd.
Recommended DFS Hitters
Highest Expected Run Totals
5.27 – Atlanta Braves
5.08 – Texas Rangers
Favorite Hitters to Use for DFS Lineups
Matt Olson, 1B, Atlanta Braves
Olson is having a monster year, hitting .274 with 47 bombs, 116 RBI, and 111 runs scored. He is hot right now too, hitting .300 with FOUR home runs over his last 10 games. With his power upside, he has so much scoring potential on a daily basis and today the Braves have a nice matchup against Johan Oviedo, who has a 4.27 ERA and 1.31 WHIP this season.
Marcus Semien, 2B, Texas Rangers
Semien has had a nice year, hitting .278 with 22 home runs, 14 steals, 85 RBI, and 106 runs scored. He is also hot right now, hitting .286 over his last 10 games with two bombs and a stolen base, good for an average of 9.7 dk ppg in that span. Kyle Muller has been absolutely rocked this year with a 7.62 ERA and 1.93 WHIP, so Semien and the Rangers will likely have their way with him.
Michael Brantley, OF, Houston Astros
Brantley has come back and been fantastic for the Astros, hitting .316 with two home runs and 10 total R/RBI across his first six games of action. I don’t overly love this matchup against Seth Lugo, who has been good this year, but I do like the price tag on Brantley for what we have seen thus far and I am willing to take my chances on him.
Player Pool
| $ Tier | SP | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Nathan Eovaldi  $10,000 |  Matt Olson $4,200 | Marcus Semien $3,700 |  José RamÃrez $3,700 | Corey Seager $4,300 | Ronald Acuña $4,900 |
 Logan Webb $9,800 |  Fernando Tatis $4,000 | |||||
| Medium |  Cristian Javier $8,800 |  Ryan Noda $3,100 |  Ha-Seong Kim $3,100 |  Ke'Bryan Hayes $3,100 | Orlando Arcia $2,800 | Michael Harris $3,100 |
 Michael Brantley $3,000 | ||||||
| Low | Wilmer Flores $2,800 |  Andrés Giménez $2,900 | Matthew Batten $2,200 | Gabriel Arias $2,100 | Mike Yastrzemski $2,700 | |
| Joc Pederson $2,600 |
Stacks
| Rangers | Mitch Garver | Marcus Semien | Corey Seager |
 DraftKings | 4200 | 5800 | 6500 |
| Fanduel | 3500 | 3700 | 4300 |
| Braves | Matt Olson | Ronald Acuña | Michael Harris |
| DraftKings | 6400 | 6900 | 4600 |
| Fanduel | 4200 | 4900 | 3100 |
| Giants | Mike Yastrzemski | Joc Pederson | Wilmer Flores |
| DraftKings | 3300 | 4100 | 4000 |
| Fanduel | 2700 | 2600 | 2800 |
Player News
AJ Smith-Shawver made an early exit from Tuesday’s start against the Rockies after being struck on the arm by a line-drive.
Smith-Shawver was struck by a 105-mph line-drive from Rockies slugger Ryan McMahon, which led to his early exit from the contest in the sixth inning. The 22-year-old righty was charged with two runs over 5 1/3 frames in his return to the big leagues. He struck out five and issued two walks. He’ll presumably head for additional evaluation and testing to determine the severity of the issue. There should be an update on his status shortly.
Pete Alonso went 2-for-3 and crushed his seventh home run of the season on Tuesday night, helping to power the Mets to an 8-3 victory over the Diamondbacks.
Alonso worked Eduardo Rodriguez for a walk to start the third inning then rode home on Starling Marte’s two-run blast. He then victimized the veteran left-hander himself for a 416-foot (107.8 mph EV) solo shot that extended the Mets’ lead to 8-0. The 30-year-old slugger has been one of the hottest hitters in the league to open the 2025 season, slashing a robust .346/.462/.664 with seven long balls and a whopping 28 RBI.
Starling Marte went 1-for-3 and clubbed a two-run homer on Tuesday as the Mets triumphed over the Diamondbacks in New York.
The 36-year-old outfielder jumped on a 2-1 cutter from Eduardo Rodriguez in the third inning and swatted a 386-foot (107.0 mph EV) two-run homer that extended the Mets’ lead to 6-0. He also drew a walk in the contest. Marte is off to a brutal start offensively to open the 2025 campaign, slashing a woeful .184/.305/.347 with a pair of homers, 10 RBI and two stolen bases.
Francisco Lindor went 1-for-4 and swatted a two-run homer on Tuesday evening as the Mets bested the Diamondbacks.
Lindor capped off a four-run rally in the second inning with a 366-foot (102.7 mph EV) two-run blast off of Eduardo Rodriguez that made it a 4-0 ballgame. That would be his only hit in the ballgame, but that was all of the offense the Mets would require. The dynamic 31-year-old shortstop is off to another strong start at the plate this season, slashing .302/.364/.491 with six homers, 16 RBI and a pair of stolen bases.
David Peterson picked up his second victory of the season on Tuesday evening, limiting the Diamondbacks to just one run on five hits over his five innings.
Peterson struck out two batters on the night and didn’t allow a base on balls. The only run that the Diamondbacks were able to muster against him came on an RBI double by Jorge Barrosa in his fifth and final inning of work. The 29-year-old southpaw generated nine swings and misses on 85 pitches in the contest, registering a CSW of 28 percent. Now 2-1 on the season, he’ll tote a 3.06 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and a 30/9 K/BB ratio (32 1/3 innings) into a rematch against the Diamondbacks in Arizona on Monday.
Jorge Barrosa went 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI on Tuesday night in a lopsided loss to the Mets.
The 24-year-old drew a start in center field and batted ninth against Mets’ left-hander David Peterson on Tuesday evening. He got the Diamondbacks on the board with a run-scoring double off of Peterson in the fifth inning, then drove in the team’s final run with a ground out in the ninth. He’s just 2-for-12 (.167) with three RBI in his limited action with the Diamondbacks.