This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Wednesday is September 11, and thus by traditional a somber day in America. As such, I'll just get down to business. There are eight games on the MLB DFS docket, with the first pitch at 7:05 p.m. EDT. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Hunter Brown, HOU vs. OAK ($9,400): Brown has been on an absolute tear. Over his last 10 starts he has an 1.78 ERA. He had a bad start on July 6, but in the five starts before that he had an 0.29 ERA. The Mariners and Athletics are vying to avoid being in the bottom five in runs scored, but climbing out of the bottom seven is basically impossible now.
Bryan Woo, SEA vs. SD ($8,700): The Padres are a top-10 offense, but Woo's pitching has been stellar. He has an 8.56 K/BB rate! Woo is even better at home where he has an 1.50 ERA. With how good the Mariners righty has been, I'll roll with him at home against San Diego.
Top Targets
He's hit 40 homers for the first time, and he's likely going to have 100 RBI for the first time, making this a career campaign for Anthony Santander ($3,900). On the road he's slugged .563 for good measure. Nick Pivetta has allowed 1.75 homers per nine innings, but the switch-hitting Santander may want to step up to the plate as a righty. While Pivetta is right handed, his fellow righties have hit .279 against him.
Well, Jose Altuve ($3,600) has a good chance of hitting .300 again, and he's one homer away from a 20/20 season. He's been solid against righties, but has a .935 OPS versus left-handed pitcher. JP Sears is such a pitcher, and he has a career 4.52 FIP as well.
Bargain Bats
Though he's flailed against lefties in his career, Wilyer Abreu ($3,000) has an .893 OPS in MLB. Additionally, like many southpaws he enjoys hitting at Fenway Park, where he has an .877 OPS. Dean Kremer is coming off six shutout innings, but that was against the Rays. He has a 4.36 FIP, so a tougher opponent than Tampa is likely to get to him.
It's been a poor season on the whole for Mickey Moniak ($2,700), but over the last three weeks he has a .915 OPS. I think he can keep that going Wednesday, because Zebby Matthews has not proven capable at the MLB level. He has a 7.36 ERA through five starts, and lefties have hit a whopping .373 against him.
Stacks to Consider
Cubs at Dodgers (Bobby Miller): Cody Bellinger ($3,100), Dansby Swanson ($2,900), Michael Busch ($2,700)
At this point, the Dodgers have assuredly given up on Miller being part of the postseason rotation, and just want him to not screw up too bad down the stretch as the team gets healthy at the pitching position. His sophomore season has been a disaster, as he has a 7.79 ERA in 11 starts. Miller has allowed at least one home run in every start other than his first, and in his last outing he allowed three. Thus, stacking Cubs is the way to go.
Bellinger has landed somewhere between his struggles at the end of his time with the Dodgers and his bounce-back campaign in 2023. He's hit .265 with 16 homers and 23 doubles in 115 games, and he has a .770 OPS versus righties and a .783 OPS on the road. Swanson has struggled for much of the season, but has still racked up 14 homers and 16 swiped bags. The shortstop has been hot recently, though, with a .937 OPS over the last three weeks. Though Miller is right handed, his fellow righties have hit .297 against him. A former Dodger, Busch has 17 homers and 26 doubles in his first season with the Cubs. He hasn't taken to Wrigley Field with gusto, but he has an .825 OPS on the road.
Reds at Cardinals (Lance Lynn): Elly De La Cruz ($4,000), TJ Friedl ($3,200), Jake Fraley ($2,900)
Lynn has been better than last season, but for context, "better than last season" means he doesn't have a 5.73 ERA or 2.16 HR/9 rate. Back with the Cards, Lynn has a 4.06 ERA, but a 4.45 FIP. He gets hit hard by lefties, who have batted .272 against him since 2022. Thus, three guys who can hit left handed.
De La Cruz has petered out a bit, but he still has 64 stolen bases, not to mention 23 homers. He has an .892 OPS versus righties, and also an .854 OPS on the road. Steal a couple bases, Elly! Get to 70! Friedl has only played in 70 games, but he has 11 home runs and nine swiped bags. It's easier to steal on righties, and last season the centerfielder had a .785 OPS against right handers. Fraley's power has dipped a bit, but he has batted .276, stole 20 bases, and picked up two triples. Since joining the Reds, he has a .796 OPS against right-handed pitchers.
