MLB DFS Value Plays September 1: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Picks
Happy Friday everyone! We head into the Labor Day weekend with a massive 14 game slate Friday on both DraftKings and FanDuel, headlined by some elite pitchers in great spots. We have both Max Scherzer taking on the Minnesota Twins and Justin Verlander squaring off with the New York Yankees, as well as few other top pitchers worthy of rostering. With that being said, let's get into some of the best value plays on the slate we can use to help afford these elite arms. Be sure to check out all of our tools including the MLB Lineups page, MLB DFS Projections – powered by FanJections – MLB DFS Ownership, and all of our tools HERE! Let’s dive into our favorite daily fantasy baseball value plays of the day.
MLB DFS Value Pitchers
James Paxton, Boston Red Sox (DraftKings - $7,500, FanDuel - $8,800)
James Paxton may have allowed 12 runs and four home runs over his last three starts, but two of those starts were the Dodgers and Astros, so let's just move past those. Friday he gets the Royals who have lost five straight games and been absolutely abysmal over the past two weeks. They are bottom 6 in almost every offensive category while holding a 22.9% K-rate against lefties. Paxton scored 24.4 DKP as recently as 8/10 against the Royals, throwing 5.1 scoreless innings with six strikeouts. The Red Sox open as -200 favorites and as long as he can avoid Bobby Witt Jr, he should be in line for a repeat performance.
Patrick Sandoval, Los Angeles Angels (DraftKings - $7,200, FanDuel - $9,200)
Patrick Sandoval has been up and down all year, but as has been the case all season, drawing the start against Oakland makes him an instant favorite as an SP2. The A's did heat up a little bit earlier this month, but all year have remained a bottom 10 team in every offensive category. Over the last two weeks, the A's hold the second highest K-rate at 27.2% and with the built in win equity, Sandoval makes a great value option. He has two 23+ DKP games in his last four and should be in line to have another solid performance.
MLB DFS Value Hitters
Cavan Biggio, Toronto Blue Jays (DraftKings - $3,100, FanDuel - $2,800)
At a glance, Cavan Biggio has been struggling lately, only hitting .192 over his last 10 games, but he does have hits in back to back games. He's heading into Coors to take on Chris Flexen and his 6.94 ERA, and his price tag is enticing to gain cheap Coors exposure. Flexen has been much worse against righties, but his numbers are terrible against both splits, allowing a .474 SLG, .358 wOBA, and 1.34 HR/9 to left handed bats.
Ryan O'Hearn, Baltimore Orioles (DraftKings - $3,500, FanDuel - $2,600)
Ryan O'Hearn has started to heat up a little, with hits in four of his last five games, including a home run and five RBI's. Zach Davies takes the mound holding a 6.93 ERA on the season and has allowed five home runs in his last four starts. He really struggles to get lefties out, only striking them out at a 15.4% clip while allowing a .356 wOBA and .445 SLG. Davies is going to be in for a rough night with the five strong lefties Baltimore will send out, and I like O'Hearn as a cheap option with multiple RBI upside.
Jose Abreu, Houston Astros (DraftKings - $3,000, FanDuel - $2,700)
Jose Abreu may be a shell of his former self, but he's found himself a nice little stretch of success at the plate. He's got hits in five of his last six games, including two multi-hit games, a home run, and 6 RBI's. Carlos Rodon may have all the strikeout potential in the world, but this Houston team is top 5 in every offensive category against LHP over the last two weeks and did hang five runs on him in 2.2 innings earlier this month. Rodon may find himself in some real trouble early in this game and if Abreu can put the ball in play, he has a lot of upside for his price tag.
Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox (DraftKings - $3,000, FanDuel - $2,000)
Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox (DraftKings - $2,800, FanDuel - $2,700)
Boston presents two great value spots with Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu, recently called up prospects who have both produced since hitting the bigs. Rafaela has hits in both games he's played and Abreu has collected six hits, including a home run and five RBI's across his five games. Jordan Lyles takes the mound for Kansas City, and let's just put it this way, he's terrible. He's allowed four or more runs in six of his last seven games, and a total of 12 home runs. It's not yet clear if either Abreu or Rafaela will make the lineup, but I would play any player in a Red Sox jersey, and having cheap upside against 6.51 ERA Jordan Lyles is plug and play.
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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.