MLB DFS Value Plays September 26: Top DraftKings and FanDuel Picks
Happy Tuesday! Following Monday's small slate, today we have a loaded 11-game main slate on DraftKings and 10 on FanDuel, kicking off at 7:07 PM EST. The top pitchers on this slate include Kevin Gausman and Zach Eflin. Ronald Acuna Jr. and Mookie Betts are the most expensive hitters at our disposal. Henry Wilson is on the playbook so be sure to give that a read and also 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 Pitcher
Seth Lugo, San Diego Padres (DraftKings - $8,400, FanDuel - $8,800)
Seth Lugo has been rolling this year. He has posted quality starts in six of his last seven games and has been consistently solid throughout the season. He's in a great spot here against a struggling Giants team who have been bad against both splits all year. The Giants rank in the bottom 10 in most offensive categories while holding a 24.3% K-rate. Lugo already faced the Giants this month and went six scoreless innings. He has been bitten a little by the home run ball, allowing four over his last three starts, but I'm very comfortable using him here as an SP2.
MLB DFS Value Hitters
Lourdes Gurriel Jr., OF, Arizona Diamondbacks (DraftKings - $3,600, FanDuel - $3,000)
Lourdes is in a fantastic spot here against Jose Urena. Gurriel holds a .324 wOBA and .230 ISO against right-handed arms on the season and has hit 20 of his 24 bombs off them. Urena has only made eight starts this year, but he is allowing a towering .714 SLG and 4.30 HR/9 to righties. Lourdes may not have collected a hit in his last three games, but I expect that to change in this game.
Garrett Cooper, 1B, San Diego Padres (DraftKings - $3,100, FanDuel - $2,600)
Garrett Cooper may be slumping a bit in terms of fantasy production, but he draws a great matchup against southpaw Kyle Harrison. Harrison has allowed home runs in four straight games, including a four to the Padres earlier this month. He's allowing a .435 SLG and 1.96 HR/9 to righties and we know Cooper, who has 16 bombs on the year, can put one in the seats.
Jarred Kelenic, OF, Seattle Mariners (DraftKings - $3,800, FanDuel - $2,900)
Kelenic isn't lighting it up, but he does have double-digit DK points in three of his last five games. He's in an interesting matchup against Christian Javier who has a 5.29 ERA over his last 10 games. Javier has been worse against lefties, allowing a .356 wOBA and .486 SLG on the year. Kelenic has been walked eight times in his last 10 games and with 13 steals in 99 games, he has fantasy upside even without hitting.
Player News
Xander Bogaerts went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs scored in the Padres’ 7-4 win over the Giants on Tuesday.
Bogaerts put the Padres on the board early with a base hit in the first to score Manny Machado from second base before coming around to score on a hit by Jose Iglesias. Bogaerts later extended the lead with a two-run blast off Randy Rodríguez in the seventh for his first home run of the season. The 32-year-old shortstop is hitting .253/.342/.364 with 13 runs scored, eight RBI, and four steals over 114 plate appearances.
Willy Adames went 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored against the Padres on Tuesday.
Adames led off the fourth inning with a solo homer off Nick Pivetta to put the Giants on the board. He later led off the sixth with a double and scored on a base hit by Jung Hoo Lee. It was one of Adames’ better days at the plate as he had just five total extra-base hits on the season before adding two on Tuesday. The 29-year-old shortstop is slashing .212/.286/.305 with two homers, 16 runs scored, and 15 RBI across 133 plate appearances.
Robert Suarez pitched a clean ninth inning to earn the save against the Giants on Tuesday.
Suarez was summoned with a three-run lead in the ninth to close it out against the Giants. He needed just six pitches to shut the door for his 11th save of the season. The 34-year-old right-hander has posted a 0.69 ERA, 0.54 WHIP, and a 14/2 K/BB ratio across 13 innings.
Nick Pivetta allowed three runs with nine strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings in a win over the Giants on Tuesday.
Pivetta tossed three quiet innings before Willy Adames took him deep for a solo homer in the fourth inning. He gave up two hits to start the sixth that would bring in a run. Pivetta would be relieved with one out and one runner on. The inherited runner would eventually come in to score. He struck out nine. The 32-year-old right-hander will take an excellent 1.78 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and a 39/8 K/BB ratio across 35 1/3 innings into a start against the Pirates in Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Logan Webb allowed five runs with six strikeouts over five innings in a loss against the Padres on Tuesday.
Webb was a victim of some bad in this one. After two quick outs to start the game, the Padres brought three runs in to score on four hits and a walk in the first inning. Three more hits would plate two more runs in the fourth. Only two of the nine hits had an exit velocity over 88 mph, so Webb wasn’t giving up much hard contact. He’d end his day after five innings with six strikeouts. The 28-year-old right-hander will take a strong 2.83 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and a 50/11 K/BB ratio across 41 1/3 innings into a start against the Rockies in San Francisco on Sunday.
Jorge Polanco went 2-for-3 with two home runs and five RBI to lead the Mariners to a 5-3 win over the Angels on Tuesday.
Polanco is on an incredible tear at the plate. He took Jack Kockanowicz deep for a three-run homer in the second inning. He was then robbed of a home run at the wall in the fifth before going deep for a second time with a two-run blast in the seventh. It was the second two-homer game for Polanco in the last four days. The 31-year-old is hitting .389/.423/.819 with nine homers and 25 RBI across 79 plate appearances.