Covering The Bases: MLB DFS Picks Today for Saturday 9/19

by Justin Van Zuiden (stlcardinals84)

Created Sep 18, 2026

Last Updated 2026-09-19 13:54:56 Premium Content Part of the product MLB DFS

Long-time grinder Justin Van Zuiden (aka stlcardinals84) is here to cover the bases for the upcoming MLB DFS slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Whether you are looking for the top pitchers or the best stacks, Justin has you covered with an extensive deep dive into his favorite MLB DFS picks today on September 19, 2026.

Happy Saturday, Grinders! Welcome to the weekend! We are now down to under 10 days to go in the MLB regular season, and I only have 2 more Saturdays to hang out with you loyal weekend readers. We’ll do our best to make them count!

This Saturday gives us 9 evening games on the docket, and this looks to be a day that is all clear on the MLB Weather front with the exception of Chicago for the DET/CHW game. I am going to write this article assuming that game is a go, but the forecast looks dicey with rain expected throughout the day. Be sure to keep a close eye on that forecast if you plan to use players from that game.

In between the time I started writing this (late Friday night) and finishing writing this (early Saturday morning), the White Sox have decided to move their game up to the afternoon to avoid the worst of the weather. That removes that game from the night slate and takes care of any weather concerns. I have removed any discussion of this game from the analysis below

Motivation tends to matter at this point in the season, and there are quite a few teams that have fallen out of the playoff race over the past week. For the teams playing tonight, I would put Washington, St. Louis, Seattle, Colorado, Miami, San Francisco, Minnesota, and the LA Angels as teams with nothing left to play for. That accounts for half of the 16 teams on the evening slate. Pitchers become very risky to roster from those teams over the course of the season’s final 10 days, as teams start to pull starters earlier and cap innings. I’ll note these scenarios as appropriate throughout my analysis.

With that in mind, let’s dig in and see what this Saturday evening has in store for MLB DFS picks!

Saturday Pitching: MLB DFS Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel

TWO ACES AT THE TOP

• Cam Schlittler at Diamondbacks
• Tarik Skubal vs. Giants

We have a pair of elite arms to kick things off tonight, and I’ll begin with the usual look at the 2026 data:

Schlittler – 1.95 ERA, 2.83 xFIP, 31.6% K, 6.1% BB
Skubal – 2.70 ERA, 2.65 xFIP, 30.2% K, 4.4% BB

It’s a bit weird to look at the slate and see that Cam Schlittler is priced $700 above Tarik Skubal on DK and $400 above Skubal on FD. I suppose it’s not out of line, though, as Skubal hasn’t been quite as sharp since joining his new team. However, Skubal did throw his first gem as a Dodger his last time out, pitching 7 scoreless innings in Cincinnati with 9 strikeouts. All in all, both of these pitchers have similar upside. Both of them have xFIP marks around 2.75 and 30%+ strikeout rates with solid control. This is going to come down to more than skill set.

First, let’s take a look at motivation. The Yankees have clinched either the 1st or 2nd Wild Card in the American League, but they in theory haven’t been eliminated from the division race yet, and they will still need to make sure they stay ahead of Boston to have home field in a potential Wild Card series. I do expect the Yankees to continue to go all out to win games, though it is not a guarantee. Meanwhile, the Dodgers are just a couple games behind the Brewers for the potential #1 seed in the National League, and they are still fighting to stay ahead of Atlanta for a bye as well. The motivation is an ever so slight edge to the Dodgers.

The matchup factor is where this decision gets made for sure. Schlittler has a tough matchup against a low-strikeout Diamondbacks team that is still very much in the NL Wild Card race, while Skubal gets a home date against the fading Giants, who currently have just ONE hitter from their Opening Day lineup active right now. Jung Hoo Lee is a solid player, but he doesn’t even play all the time against lefties. This is basically a minor league lineup right now. Throw in the fact that Skubal is cheaper than Schlittler on DK, and this is an easy choice.

In short: With all the other factors and statistical metrics being about even, the favorable matchup (at home vs. SFG) makes Tarik Skubal the clear SP1 choice ahead of Cam Schlittler (at ARI) tonight.

SECONDARY ARMS

Want to read more? Sign up for MLB Premium!

-

-

-