FanDuel MLB DFS Picks: Wednesday 9/4/24

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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

George Kirby ($11,000) and Nathan Eovaldi ($10,600) are the top-dollar pitchers on Wednesday's main slate, but I'll take a pass on both of them. We've got cheaper throwers available who offer a similar upside as Kirby, and I'm not interested in backing Eovaldi against Aaron Judge and company. Judge has +210 odds to hit a home run while Giancarlo Stanton owns +285 odds to go long.

Instead, let's look toward some slightly cheaper yet equally intriguing options. You'll never have to convince me to back Sonny Gray ($10,500). His 30.0% strikeout rate is lethal, and he nets the most FanDuel points per game (36.04) on this slate. He'll take on a Milwaukee Brewers team that strikes out at the 12th-highest rate against righties.

But there are other solid options past Gray. Shota Imanaga ($9,900), Zac Gallen ($9,300), and Charlie Morton ($9,100) are worthy targets. All three of these guys will draw matchups against offenses that rank in the bottom 12 of wOBA and the top 12 of strikeout percentage.

Morton offers the best value at his salary. He is projected for a slate-high 34.7 FanDuel points against a fantasy-friendly Colorado Rockies offense. Morton's ceiling is abated by his tendency to stop short of the seventh inning, though a home date against the team that strikes out at the second-highest rate in the league offers a high floor.

I'm not interested in any salary-saving options past Morton. The pitchers on Wednesday's slate are top-heavy and many will draw awesome matchups. You can splurge a bit more on either Gray or Imanaga, but I'd probably prefer to save a bit more salary for my offensive stacks and ride with Gallen or Morton in their soft matchups.

Stacks to Target

• Los Angeles Dodgers (5.72 implied total)
  • It's not feasible to get in on both Shohei Ohtani ($5,000) and Mookie Betts ($4,000) while also dropping a minimum of $9.1K on your arm, but we want to get in on this offense somehow. Griffin Canning comes in with a 5.19 ERA, 4.88 xERA, and allows 1.56 HR/9. Freddie Freeman ($3,400) and Max Muncy ($3,400) both have the platoon advantage in this matchup. Pairing them with Betts or Ohtani could put the rest of your lineup in jeopardy, but Gavin Lux ($2,700) is a decent third option who has -140 odds to score a run in this one.
• Atlanta Braves (5.16 implied total)
  • Bradley Blalock has surrendered 26 hits, 12 earned runs, and 8 walks through 20 2/3 frames with Colorado. Atlanta's offense hasn't been too exciting this season, but a 5.16 implied total (second-highest on slate) offers us a great stacking opportunity, especially considering that all Braves past Marcell Ozuna ($3,700) can be rostered for $3.2K or less.
• Los Angeles Angels (4.28 implied total)
  • Is LAA's implied total particularly boisterous? No. But their 1, 2, and 5 batters all have salaries of $3.0K or less and are in for an awesome matchup today. Bobby Miller has been treacherous as of late. He comes in with a 7.25 ERA, 6.54 xERA, and 4.77 SIERA through 44 2/3 IP. He’s allowed righties to go for a .562 SLG and 2.38 home runs per nine innings. Further, he has given up at least one home run in all nine starts since his season debut and has coughed up five long balls across his last three starts. Here’s where Taylor Ward ($3,000), Zach Neto ($3,000), and Logan O'Hoppe ($2,800) come in. These three righties have combined for 58 home runs this season. Getting in on this stack would allow you to realistically pair Betts, Muncy, and Freeman while also obtaining one of the star pitchers on Wednesday’s slate.

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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.