FanDuel MLB DFS Picks: Wednesday 9/25/24

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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

The New York Mets-Atlanta Braves game is sure to be postponed tonight as Atlanta prepares for Hurricane Helen to hit. This means that Chris Sale ($11,300) -- and David Peterson ($8,500) -- aren't viable pitching options on today's main slate.

But we still have a lot of heavy hitters for Wednesday. Jack Flaherty ($10,600) and Dylan Cease ($10,400) will square off for a pitching battle at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers come in with a 21.5% strikeout rate while the Padres strike out at a league-low 17.5% rate. Considering the matchups, I definitely prefer Cease over Flaherty. Cease has combined for an earth-shattering 108 FanDuel points across his last two starts and our projections expect him to log a slate-high 35.5 FanDuel points, if we remove Sale from consideration.

Zac Gallen ($9,800) hasn't pitched past the fifth inning in six of his last eight starts, which has hindered his fantasy ceiling. He has a pretty soft matchup tonight against the San Francisco Giants. San Fran strikes out at a 23.9% rate (11th-highest in MLB) and own a lackluster .306 wOBA (18th). Gallen posted 52 FanDuel points against this team earlier this month but mustered only 18 FanDuel points in a meeting with the Giants earlier this season. The matchup is intriguing, but I'd probably prefer to roster Cease given the small discrepancy in salary and Gallen's recent limitations. Cease has a higher ceiling and baseline.

If you want to grab someone with a modest salary who is also likely to draw a low roster rate, Jose Suarez ($5,900) is your guy. He has started just two games this season but is coming off 30 and 27 FanDuel point outings. Most importantly, he'll take on the Chicago White Sox, the worst team and offense in baseball. The White Sox strike out at a 24.5% rate (eighth-highest) versus lefties. Suarez is a viable option, but considering the flexibility we have in building offensive stacks, it won't be difficult to get to Cease today.

Stacks to Target

• St. Louis Cardinals (5.19 implied total)
  • Austin Gomber has been marked with a 5.21 xERA, 4.63 SIERA, and 16.8% strikeout rate this season. He also surrenders a .242 ISO, .523 SLG, 42.5% fly-ball rate, and 2.03 home runs per nine frames at Coors Field. The Cards need to be on our radar tonight, particularly Paul Goldschmidt ($3,400) and Masyn Winn ($3,400). Since this offense could go off tonight, I'd consider anyone in St. Louis' lineup if it helps you fill a positional void or save some salary.
• Arizona Diamondbacks (4.98)
  • Past the Cardinals, the D-backs have this slate's highest implied team total. They'll take on first-year starter Mason Black, who has been lit up for 22 earned runs and seven home runs through 33 2/3 innings pitched. Black has allowed 1.87 home runs per nine and a massive 47.3% fly-ball rate, showing no dominance against batters from either side of the plate. Ketel Marte ($4,200) and Corbin Carroll ($3,900) are both projected to exceed 14 FanDuel points in this one.
• Oakland Athletics (3.78)
  • The A's don't have a high implied team total, but our projections have Brent Rooker ($3,800) and Lawrence Butler ($3,100) each finishing in the top 10 among all batters, as both are projected for more than 14 FanDuel points. Cody Bradford relents a 46.7% fly-ball rate and 1.53 home runs per nine innings to righties, so you could round out this stack by adding the right-handed Zack Gelof ($2,800) to your lineup.

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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.