FanDuel MLB DFS Picks: Saturday 9/14/24

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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

Even though it's Chris Sale Day, we can do better than paying $11,000 to target the Los Angeles Dodgers. This slate is not short on quality arms.

That starts with Jack Flaherty ($10,600) on the other side of him with a significantly easier task. The MASH unit Atlanta Braves have stumbled to a .677 team OPS in the past 30 days against righties. The only problem is they're not striking out much in those parameters (21.7%), but Flaherty's personal 30.3% K rate can help make up the difference.

Logan Gilbert ($10,300) is definitely a preferred option, though. The Seattle Mariners' excellent righty carries his 3.14 expected ERA (xERA) and 26.9% K rate into MLB's best park for pitching against the Texas Rangers. Texas' 2.96 implied team total is the lowest on the slate.

Though I wish they were a bit lower in salary, Max Scherzer ($9,700) benefits from the same environment as Gilbert against a Seattle team that's whiffed all season against righties, and Joe Musgrove ($9,400) draws a San Francisco Giants club that's been equal parts impotent (92 wRC+) and prone to punchouts (28.7% K rate) against righties over the past 30 days. The only issue? S.F. lit up Musgrove for six earned across 4.1 innings in his last start.

Either is a quality pivot to an ace, but Oakland Athletics rookie J.T. Ginn ($7,400) is worth a shout in the bargain bin. Early returns on Ginn are just okay behind a 4.63 xERA and 24.6% K rate, yet it's as if he's transporting back to Triple-A in this matchup with the Chicago White Sox on Saturday. Ginn has the only opposing team total below 4.00 (3.74) of any pitcher under $9,000.

Stacks to Target

• Chicago Cubs (5.91 implied team total)
  • Most will likely start with the Cubs on Saturday against Kyle Freeland, but Freeland has trapped DFS players all season with a superior ERA (3.74), FIP (3.77), and HR/9 allowed (0.83) at Coors Field this season. The Colorado Rockies' bullpen has also been much better over the past month (4.11 xFIP). The Baby Bears will be popular, but I prefer their opponent.
• Colorado Rockies (5.09)
  • It pays to research. In the opposite situation as Freeland, Jameson Taillon's ERA (4.72), FIP (4.41), and HR/9 allowed (1.44) are all significantly worse on the road, and he'll now enter baseball's best park for hitters. I prefer the Rockies in tonight's Coors battle with four of their current top six hitters posting a .720 OPS or better against righties in the past month of play.
• Oakland Athletics (4.75)
  • As mentioned in today's MLB home run best bets, even the A's are live for a dinger or two with Chris Flexen on the opposing bump. Flexen's 1.38 HR/9 allowed is no fluke with an extreme flyball (45.5%) rate with an average hard-hit rate allowed (37.5%) behind it. Brent Rooker ($3,900) has found his swing again in these same-handed matchups and is our daily MLB projections' top pick to homer today.
• Houston Astros (4.61)
  • Tyler Anderson is a tough matchup to pin down, but I'm inclined to back the full-health 'Stros to get the better of him. Anderson's 4.15 xERA and .242 expected batting average against (xBA) are closer to the league average, and the Los Angeles Angels' bullpen (4.29 xFIP in the past 30 days) hasn't been much better recently. They could be a sharp pivot off Coors.

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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.