This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
It's time to kick off another month of MLB action! Sunday is the start of September, and we have 10 games on the DFS slate. The first couple of pitches will be delivered at 1:35 p.m. EDT. Onto my lineup recommendations!
Pitching
Dylan Cease, SD at TAM ($10,300): In his first season with the Padres, Cease has kept the ball in the park per usual, but his groundball rate is up over 40 percent and he's struck out 11.15 batters per nine innings. The Rays have been poor offensively all year, yet things have been bleak down the stretch as they could fall behind the Marlins for runs scored.
Sean Manaea, NYM at CWS ($10,000): Manaea has tallied double-digit strikeouts three times in his last six starts. He also has a 3.18 ERA on the road in his first campaign as a Met. Every time I see the White Sox's offensive numbers, I still have a hard time believing how bad they are as there's a decent chance they finish 100 runs behind any other club.
Ryan Pepiot, TAM vs. SD ($8,800): Once a top pitching prospect with the Dodgers, Pepiot has finally gotten a regular role in an MLB rotation. He's also possibly emerging as the kind of pitcher he was projected to be based on a 2.16 ERA across his last eight outings and a 0.81 from his last four at home. The Padres aren't slouches on offense, but Pepiot is an interesting roll of the dice at this salary.
Top Targets
Royce Lewis ($3,400) has been cold of late, yet list an 1.032 home OPS on the season. And since 2022, he's recorded a .904 OPS versus his fellow righties. Yariel Rodriguez started his rookie campaign poorly, then actually pitched well for a bit, but the bloom is back off the rose with a 9.42 ERA in his last three starts and a 5.80 ERA on the road this year.
While Giancarlo Stanton ($3,100) doesn't make a lot of contact, he's slugged .484 and hit 23 homers in 93 games. He's also slugged .528 against righties and .568 at home. Miles Mikolas is something of an ideal matchup for Stanton as he allows plenty of contact. He doesn't walk many and doesn't accumulate many strikeouts to go with a 5.23 ERA and opposing hitters batting .278 against.
Bargain Bats
It's been a bit of a disappointing rookie season for Wyatt Langford ($2,900), but he's all of 22 and was just drafted last summer. He's also managed eight homers, four triples, and 12 stolen bases even as he's shown issues with plate discipline (a 27.6-percent chase rate is…not good). Langford's fellow freshman Mitch Spence has endured a worse campaign with a 5.23 ERA and 1.7 HR/9 rate on the road while his fellow righties have gone .272 against.
The Astros have been doing some mixing and matching on the margins of the lineup. But with a righty in line to start, Jon Singleton ($2,500) should be playing based on his .751 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. The Royals thought they were done with Alec Marsh and that he would be down in Triple-A where his stuff plays, yet he's back due to injuries. He's posted a career 5.09 ERA while lefties have hit .254 against.
Stacks to Consider
Orioles at Rockies (Cal Quantrill): Gunnar Henderson ($4,600), Anthony Santander ($4,200), Ryan O'Hearn ($3,400)
The Orioles will want to take advantage of this last chance to hit at Coors Field on Sunday, and you should too. In a way, it's impressive Quantrill has only allowed 1.30 homers per nine innings in his first season with Colorado due to a career 1.10 rate. And for the second straight season, he'll finish with a K/BB rate below 2.00 and gets hit all over the park with a 5.03 FIP. And as previously stated, this matchup is at Coors.
Henderson has fallen off the MVP track due to a few other AL hitters enjoying remarkable years, though nobody can quibble with 33 homers, 15 steals, and a .361 OBP. His .828 OPS versus his fellow lefties is quite good, but his .917 OPS against righties is what matters with Quantrill on the mound. Santander has racked up 39 homers while slugging over .500 against both righties and lefties. But it's his .542 on the road that matters on Sunday. O'Hearn is around to hit against righties, against whom the southpaw has an .801 OPS. He's also posted an .866 in away games.
Guardians vs. Pirates (Mitch Keller): Jose Ramirez ($4,100), Josh Naylor ($3,500), Andres Gimenez ($2,900)
Keller has been up-and-down this season, including a recent stretch. At home, Keller has a 2.81 ERA. On the road, that number skyrockets to 4.81. This game? Not in Pittsburgh. And since 2022, lefties have hit .260 against Keller with 13 of the 17 homers he's conceded coming from southpaws (in only 10 more at-bats). So that's why I've selected three lefties below.
Like Henderson, Ramirez is someone with MVP-level numbers not being talked about in the MVP race. He's still notched over 30 homers, doubles, and stolen bases while batting .274 . The switch-hitter has been way better this year versus lefties at a 1.062 OPS, but has an .859 versus righties the last couple campaigns. With 28 home runs and 98 RBI, Naylor should have 30-plus and 100-plus of each for the first time in his career. He's also produced an .839 OPS versus right-handers and an .851 at home. Gimenez won't be bringing the power with only six homers, yet he's also provided 25 steals. The 25-year-old did manage 47 extra-base hits last season, so he's at least displayed some power potential.
