FanDuel MLB DFS Picks: Monday 9/9/24

Our daily fantasy helper is available every day to analyze FanDuel's main slate and give you a starting point when you're building lineups.

Be sure to incorporate our MLB DFS projections -- which are powered by numberFire -- into your research process. numberFire also has the latest starting lineups and weather as well as heat maps to help you find the best matchups.

Let's check out the top options on today's main slate.

Note: All MLB odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook. All stats come from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless noted otherwise.

MLB DFS Picks

Pitcher Breakdown

With Paul Skenes left off the main slate, we've got a lot of middling arms to choose from.

Carlos Rodon ($9,700) is the top-dollar pitcher, and the juice might be worth the squeeze here. Rodon is known to give up the long ball, but his 3.78 SIERA and 26.7% strikeout rate are stellar. He averages the most FanDuel points per game (32.14) on the slate and is projected for a slate-high 32.4 FanDuel points tonight. His ability to pitch into and finish the sixth inning on a consistent basis offers a high strikeout ceiling. Plus, the opposing Kansas City Royals have become famous for their offensive road struggles. The team sports a .299 wOBA (22nd) on the road, quite a departure from their home numbers.

However, Kansas City is a fairly strikeout-resistant squad, posting a mere 18.4% strikeout rate (second-lowest in MLB) this season. It's fair for this to scare you off Rodon at such a cost, so might I offer you David Festa ($8,500). Festa has started only nine games for the Minnesota Twins this season, but the rookie has shined with a 29.1% strikeout rate, 3.28 xFIP, and 3.32 SIERA. He's yet to exceed 90 pitches but has thrown at least 88 pitches in his last two starts, a potential sign for a longer leash tonight.

Festa will take on the Los Angeles Angels, a team that comes in with a .293 wOBA (fourth-worst in MLB) and a 23.8% strikeout rate (10th-highest in MLB) versus right-handed pitchers. This is an awesome matchup at home for Festa, and while his ceiling isn't massive, we could see just how high his ceiling is this evening. Our projections forecast him for 32.0 FanDuel points, good for the second-most behind Rodon. This also hands Festa the best points-per-dollar projection.

Neither Brady Singer ($8,400) nor Brayan Bello ($8,300) are catching my eye at their salaries. Both have tough matchups against AL East powerhouse teams in the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles. If I'm spending this type of money at pitcher, I either want to invest in Festa's matchup or Rodon's ceiling.

If you're looking to get frugal at pitcher given Monday's underwhelming inventory, Joey Cantillo ($6,900) could be a viable option. Cantillo has made just four starts for the Cleveland Guardians this season and his ceiling thus far has been capped off with a forgettable 15 FanDuel points. With that said, he'll draw a matchup against the Chicago White Sox, whose offense enters with league-worst marks in SLG, wOBA, and wRC+ against lefties while also striking out at a 24.4% rate (eighth-highest) versus this handedness. In turn, Cantillo is projected for the second-most points-per-dollar tonight.

Stacks to Target

• Los Angeles Dodgers (5.37 implied total)
  • As of this writing, Shohei Ohtani ($5,000) has +172 odds to hit a home run tonight. While he's almost always a top target in DFS, I would consider him a priority play tonight. Kyle Hendricks allows 2.29 home runs per nine innings to lefties, the most in MLB. The left-handed Max Muncy ($3,400) is one stacking option while Gavin Lux ($2,700) also holds the platoon advantage and can be obtained at a cheaper cost.
• Boston Red Sox (4.87)
  • The Red Sox have the third-highest implied team total on tonight's slate. Tyler O'Neill ($3,800) comes in with a .379 ISO (second-best in MLB), .690 SLG (third), .458 wOBA (second), 198 wRC+ (third), and a 50.0% fly-ball rate versus lefties, making him an awesome candidate to rake versus Cade Povich. In my mind, O'Neill is the best-valued hitter on Monday's slate, though getting to him and Ohtani would likely require you to nab Cantillo at pitcher, a choice that could very well be worth making. Past O'Neill, Jarren Duran ($3,900), Rafael Devers ($3,600), and Robert Refsnyder ($2,800) are your best stacking options. Refsnyder is batting third in this one, making him an intriguing value play.
• Chicago Cubs (4.13)
  • I have Ian Happ ($3,200) down as one of today's best home run bets due to his matchup against a struggling Walker Buehler. Getting Happ at $3.2K is exciting, and he's the most expensive Cub we have today. Seiya Suzuki ($3,100), Cody Bellinger ($3,100), and Michael Busch ($2,700) are other options to consider in this salary-saving stack.

New to FanDuel Sportsbook? You’ll receive $200 in Bonus Bets guaranteed after your first bet of $5+ is placed! See here for full terms and conditions. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Looking to build some MLB DFS lineups? Check out FanDuel’s daily fantasy baseball lobby to see all the offerings for today’s slates.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.