Covering The Bases: MLB DFS Picks Today for Saturday 9/6

by Justin Van Zuiden (stlcardinals84) Last Updated 2025-09-06 13:11:47 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, Cards has you covered with an extensive deep dive into his favorite MLB DFS picks.

Welcome to the first full weekend of September, Grinders! I know all the hype is for football this weekend with both college and NFL action on tap, but we still love MLB! Today brings us a back-loaded slate with 9 evening games, and the early games are spread out all over the place. I will focus the article solely on the main slate featured this evening.

As things cool down for the start of autumn, it will be important to monitor temperatures and wind more often with our MLB Weather page that Kevin Roth will update throughout the day. The cool weather and the presence of a lot of strong pitching options makes this a very pitcher-friendly slate.

Today also happens to be my 17th wedding anniversary (time flies!), so I am getting this posted earlier than normal in order to spend less time in front of my screens today. Let’s dig in and see what this Saturday has in store for DFS!

Editor’s Note: Looking for more places to play? Check out our Underdog Fantasy promo code and PrizePicks promo code, two of the best DFS apps available today.

Saturday Night Pitching: MLB DFS Picks on FanDuel & DraftKings

ACES ABOUND

Jacob deGrom vs. Astros
Hunter Brown vs. Rangers
Trevor Rogers vs. Dodgers
Hurston Waldrep vs. Mariners
Joe Ryan vs. Royals
Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Orioles

I have intentionally listed these pitchers in the same order as they are priced on DraftKings. The reason I did that is to show how strange this list looks when you take a high-level view at it. Would we have expected Jacob deGrom, Hunter Brown, Joe Ryan, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in this tier at the beginning of the year? Sure.

Then you need to do a double take to see Trevor Rogers and Hurston Waldrep listed in here. What? That pair is priced ahead of Ryan and Yamamoto on DK right now, and it doesn’t even seem all that crazy. They have earned it.

As usual, I will start with a peek at the 2025 numbers:

deGrom – 2.69 ERA, 3.27 xFIP, 27.7% K, 5.7% BB
Brown – 2.34 ERA, 3.15 xFIP, 28.8% K, 7.7% BB
Rogers – 1.39 ERA, 3.49 xFIP, 23.8% K, 5.6% BB
Waldrep – 1.01 ERA, 3.55 xFIP, 23.9% K, 8.0% BB (36 innings)
Ryan – 3.08 ERA, 3.58 xFIP, 28.3% K, 4.9% BB
Yamamoto – 2.82 ERA, 3.09 xFIP, 28.4% K, 8.2% BB

It’s all pretty, pretty good. You can make a legitimate case for any of these 6 pitchers, and you can afford to be picky with whom you like.

I am going to discuss these pitchers in pairs, as it makes logical sense to break it down that way. The tier starts with a head-to-head matchup between Jacob deGrom and Hunter Brown with the Rangers and Astros playing each other. Both have very strong overall numbers for the year, but there are at least some question marks with both of them. Jacob deGrom was pulled after 5 scoreless innings in his last start at just 79 pitches, and he hasn’t thrown more than 5 innings in any of his last 3 starts. I like the matchup for him as a RHP against the RH-heavy Astros, but I don’t love paying a premium for his seemingly capped ceiling. Brown also hasn’t logged more than 7 strikeouts in any of his last 8 starts. I also like his matchup against a currently depleted Rangers lineup, but I question the upside for Brown as well. Both are safe for cash game usage, but neither will be my SP1 in GPP builds.

Next we have the strange combination of Trevor Rogers and Hurston Waldrep. Both have spectacular surface numbers, but the advanced metrics aren’t quite as rosy. Both have xFIP marks in the mid-3 range to go along with strikeout rates that are easily the lowest of the 6 pitchers I have listed in this top tier. Rogers somehow continues to pitch to a BABIP sitting around .220, which certainly cannot last… but I have been saying that for a month now. Waldrep still has something of a small sample size. I’m not super interested in either of these pitchers since we can afford to be picky, and the strikeout upside just isn’t quite there with them. Both have somewhat difficult matchups as well, which further cements my conclusion that they fall to the bottom of this tier. That is especially true with Rogers on FD, where he is the most expensive pitcher on the entire board.

Perhaps the most intriguing pitchers in this tier are the ones that are the most affordable on DraftKings and in the middle of the mix on FanDuel. Joe Ryan doesn’t seem to get the national recognition that he deserves because he pitches in Minnesota, but he is as consistent as they come and has a 21/3 K/BB ratio over his last 3 starts. Yoshinobu Yamamoto has also come on strong of late, and he looks as healthy as he has all year. He pitched 7 dominant innings with 10 strikeouts and no walks in his last start. These pitchers also have strong matchups, with Ryan facing a Royals team that ranks 24th in team wOBA against RHP this year and Yamamoto facing an Orioles team that remains banged up and has been below average themselves. When you factor in salaries, these are my top arms tonight. I’ll give Yamamoto the slight edge, but it’s close.

It may also be worth noting here that Bobby Witt Jr. left last night’s game early with back spasms. If he sits out today, that would be an upgrade for Ryan.

SECONDARY PITCHING OPTIONS

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