MLB DFS Slate Preview: Friday, June 9
Erik Wardenburg previews the Friday, June 9th slate, breaking down his favorite MLB DFS picks, the top stacks, and some optimizer values at DraftKings & FanDuel. Sign up for MLB Premium to build DFS lineups like a pro!
Huge 13 game slate to end the week that will see the Padres start a series in Coors Field, AJ Smith-Shawver make his first career start for Atlanta and the return of Adam Duvall to the Red Sox lineup.
Shohei Ohtani vs. Luis Castillo is the pitching matchup I’m most excited about, while Eury Perez vs. Dylan Cease is another fun one to watch. The Red Sox – Yankees rivalry will see the battle of the Garrett/Gerrits at SP, and what to do with Yu Darvish in Coors coming off one of his best starts of the year will be an interesting decision for all.
Plenty of news and notes to get to along with some MLB DFS picks, so let’s start building some lineups!
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel & DraftKings
This daily article highlights some of RG’s most helpful MLB DFS tools, including our industry-leading MLB DFS projections and MLB DFS optimizer, with some picks and analysis along the way. I will focus on the main slate of the day, but you can still find plenty of other tools, content, and analysis on RG for other slates.
MLB DFS Weather Check
Before we look at the projected lineups and MLB DFS picks for the day, it’s crucial to understand how the weather will impact the slate. Then we can better understand if we want to target certain games with ideal hitting conditions, for example, and possibly avoid games at risk of delay or postponement. Two tools to use are the MLB Weather Report and MLB WeatherEdge, which are both managed by RG’s Chief Meteorologist, Kevin Roth. You should also be following Roth on Twitter for his important weather news and updates.
- KC/BAL, LAD/PHI, and BOS/NYY could see some showers around first pitch, but it looks like they should all play fine, possibly after a delayed start or two. Baltimore is a game to watch for air quality issues as it will be fairly smoky all day, and there’s a chance for an early PPD.
- CIN/STL and WSH/ATL are today’s warmest games with temps in the high 70s. CHC/SFG is the coldest game with temps in the 50s.
- SD/COL and SEA/LAA will be in the 60s with 5-10mph wind blowing out. NYM/PIT, HOU/CLE, and MIA/CHW will be in the low 70s to high 60s.
- Dome games today include MIN/TOR and OAK/MIL.
MLB Projected Lineups – Analysis & Top Stacks
There are ways to get edges in MLB DFS, such as stacking a lineup or targeting guys higher in the order (since they are more likely to see an extra at-bat). We should always look for value bats that arise each slate. They allow us to fit those extra one or two players into our lineup who are likelier to hit home runs and get us those ceiling games we need to win tournaments.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at MLB Starting Lineups to see what the likely batting orders are for this slate, which teams I’m looking to stack, and any other interesting notes. Going forward, the projected lineups will usually be pretty consistent daily, with the main changes being based on the opposing pitcher being a righty or lefty. Also, certain players are more likely than others to get a day off if playing a day game after a night game.
- Pete Alonso is heading to the IL and could miss multiple weeks. Vientos, Canha, and Vogelbach can all play 1B in his absence, and bench guys will get more starts now.
- Adam Duvall will come off the IL for Boston and Valdez has been optioned. Arroyo should get most of the 2B starts now with Valdez gone, while Casas and Duran will likely alternate starts against righties as it’s getting crowded at 1B/OF/DH with Duvall back.
- DJ LeMahieu will hit leadoff for the Yankees today as Willie Calhoun is getting a day off. Donaldson is up to second as Torres is also getting a game off, while Bauers will stay in the 5-hole and McKinney will get another start in LF.
- Jorge Polanco left early yesterday with hamstring tightness, so he will miss some time. Solano, Lewis, Farmer, and Castro can all play 2B, and against a lefty today, all four will be in the lineup at various positions. Garlick will also be in there and is a decent extreme salary saver today with two career HR’s off Kikuchi in just 5 ABs.
- Kevin Kiermaier was hit by a pitch in his wrist yesterday and left early, so he’ll need at least a game or two off. Springer is getting a day off, so Bichette will move to leadoff, Espinal will join the lineup at 2B, and Biggio will play RF.
- Yordan Alvarez will go on the IL after leaving early with an oblique injury yesterday. Kyle Tucker will move up to cleanup, and against the lefty today Dubon is getting the start at leadoff while Pena will move down to seventh.
- Eloy Jimenez left early yesterday in game 2 of his doubleheader with a lower leg injury, so he’ll be out at least for today. This will move Vaughn and Moncada up a spot in the order, while Burger should get most of the starts at DH until Jimenez returns.
- Dylan Carlson is off the IL for STL and will be in the lineup hitting ninth today. Burleson will be the odd man out in the OF with Edman and Walker taking the other spots.
- Ryan Mountcastle is getting a day off for Baltimore, so Hicks will hit cleanup, Santander will play 1B, and McKenna will join the lineup. Hays is at leadoff against a lefty.
- Bogaerts is back in the lineup for SD hitting fifth, so Kim will move back to 2B and hit seventh.
- The Padres are the clear top stack today in Coors Field against the low strikeout lefty Gomber, who has given up 7 HRs over his last five starts. The Braves are my next favorite stack at home against Josiah Gray in great hitting conditions. The Brewers have the second-highest projected run total currently at home against the combo of Moll/Medina from Oakland, so they are a stack I will definitely have a lot of exposure to. LAD and PHI round out my stop stacks, and some lower-owned stacks I like today include BAL, NYY, CIN, STL, and HOU. The Rockies do have a team total of just under 5 currently, but against Darvish, I will likely have limited stack exposure to them and only in GPPs.
Make sure to follow the RG MLB Twitter feed for confirmed lineups, as well as our DFS Alerts page for important news and analysis.
MLB DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Optimizer Picks
With a good feel for the projected lineups, weather, and strong stacks to consider, let’s check out the RotoGrinders MLB DFS optimizer, LineupHQ. With this tool, you can create up to 300 MLB DFS lineups in seconds, all of which will adhere to the custom settings you input. For insight into how one of the best MLB DFS players uses LineupHQ, read this article and watch the embedded videos from the GOAT himself, CheeseIsGood.
If we click on the “P/$” column header in the LineupHQ grid, it will rank all of the available players from highest to lowest based on their expected fantasy points per dollar of salary on the specific DFS site you have selected — this is one of the best starting points for finding value on every slate. Let’s do that now and see what stands out on FanDuel and DraftKings.
- There are 11 SPs priced above $9k today, but for cash games, I think Shohei Ohtani ($10,000) is the clear best option and he’s only the fifth most expensive. The Mariners currently have one of the lowest run totals of the slate and Ohtani dominated them once already this year, so compared to the other pricey options, he is my pick for SP1. If I were to go with a cheaper SP in cash games, then Yusei Kikuchi ($8,400) would be my pick in the $8k price range, and for extreme value, I’d go with AJ Smith-Shawver ($7,200) who has big upside against Washington.
- Kyle Schwarber ($3,000) is the first bat I’m locking into cash games, as he should be at least $3,500, especially in today’s matchup. Michael Grove has allowed a .315 average to lefties in his MLB career; this season, that number is up to .385. **. The Phillies have an above-average projected run total at home today, and at leadoff, Schwarber will be the catalyst if they put up some runs. Trea Turner ($3,000) is also still too cheap, while Bryce Harper ($3,500) dropped to one of his lowest prices of the season, making for a great value stack. I like taking **higher than 1.5 total bases for Schwarber on Underdog today, and if you’re a new user, make sure to use RG’s Underdog Fantasy bonus code.
(See RotoGrinders projections directly on the Fantasy Pick’em sites with our browser extensions, available to premium users.)
- I’m going to the Padres next and their massive 6.5 projected run total in Coors. Manny Machado ($3,300) is way too cheap and will likely be the highest-owned 3B of the slate but for a good reason, and Gary Sanchez ($3,200) is a fantastic option at the 1B/C spot as he’ll likely hit fifth and is as likely to hit an HR today as anyone. Ha-seong Kim ($3,300) is another great option, especially if he hits leadoff. If you have the salary, then Tatis ($4,500) and Soto ($4,100) are fantastic options at the OF spots.
- The Brewers are full of value bats today, and if you don’t end up with many in cash games, I’d make sure to have a variety of stack combos in GPPs. Willy Adames ($3,000) is my top p/$ play from them, followed by Contreras ($2,900), Wiemer ($2,900), and Miller ($2,800). Christian Yelich ($3,500) is still at a solid price to complete the full stack. Their opponents, the Oakland A’s, actually have some pretty appealing bats today, too. This offense is starting to get going with 20 runs scored over their last two games. Jace Peterson ($2,500) has been on fire averaging around 25 FPPG over his last four starts, while Ruiz ($3,100), Noda ($2,700), and Brown ($2,500) are all in play for value either as a GPP stack or one-offs in cash games.
- Ozzie Albies ($3,000) is my top p/$ 2B play of the entire slate, as I want ATL exposure in cash games, and he’s been on fire at the plate with three HRs over his last four games. This could be the last chance we can use him for this low of a salary as he’s sure to see a price spike soon, and if you want more cheap ATL exposure, I’d look to Riley ($3,100) and/or Rosario ($2,700).
- Baltimore is a team I will be stacking in GPPs as their entire projected lineup is $3,200 or cheaper, and I think they put up some runs at home against Lynch. Austin Hays ($2,900) will be in consideration for cash games, and Ramon Urias ($2,600) is my next favorite p/$ option from them if you want more BAL exposure in your main build.
- The Reds have one of the lowest run totals of the slate, but I still think Elly De La Cruz ($3,400) is a bit too cheap for someone with his HR and SB upside hitting in some of the warmest weather of the slate. My initial cash game lineup will likely include him, and I think using him in GPP stacks or going overweight on him with other top offenses is a great strategy today.
- Ohtani ($10,400) remains my top cash game SP, and AJ Smith-Shawver ($6,500) is at such a low price for someone with his upside that I’m strongly considering him for SP2 in my main build. If I do decide to go with someone a bit more proven for just a little more salary, then Tyler Wells ($8,300) is my next choice for SP2, as he gets a strikeout-prone KC lineup, and he’s had 7+ strikeouts in each of his last five starts. Darvish ($8,000) and Kikuchi ($7,100) are two of my favorite GPP SPs on DK today.
- It feels weird starting with an A’s bat, but Ryan Noda ($2,700) is really standing out as a top value option today, especially at a 1B position that doesn’t have a whole lot of expensive options I like. Noda is 8 for his last 18 with three straight games of 14+ FP, and his opponent Adrian Houser has allowed a .291 average to lefties over his career, so right now, Noda is my cash game 1B and will allow you to fit more high-priced bats at other spots. Seth Brown ($2,800), Jace Peterson ($2,200), and Esteury Ruiz ($3,400) are a fantastic GPP value stack, and right now, I’m considering Peterson for cash games as he is just way too cheap for how hot his bat is right now.
- Gary Sanchez ($3,900) is the slam dunk cash game catcher today, as he should be at least $4,500. Manny Machado ($5,200) is at a price point that should still make him the highest-owned 3B. Kim ($4,200) is a strong play for the price still, and fitting in Tatis ($6,400) could be a challenge, but he probably has the highest ceiling of the slate for any hitter.
- Elly De La Cruz ($3,700) has gone from $2k to $2.7k to $2.9k, and his $800 price bump today is still not enough. This is a guy who is going to have games with 2+ HRs and 2+ SBs multiple times in his career and likely this season, so until he gets closer to $4,500+ he will be my cash game SS in pretty much any matchup.
- I want ATL and BAL exposure in some capacity today, so for a cheap cash game one-off, I’m looking at Eddie Rosario ($3,100) and Austin Hays ($2,900), as both have the platoon advantage at home at fantastic salaries. Other cheap one-offs I love today include Francisco Alvarez ($3,500), Tommy Pham ($2,900), Chris Taylor ($3,000), Joey Wiemer ($2,400), Jake Bauers ($2,300), Kevin Newman ($3,000), Ramon Urias ($2,900), and Brendan Donovan ($3,000).
MLB Premium subscribers will have access to all of this data in LineupHQ, so be sure to keep checking there as we start getting the confirmed lineups and projections update. The very best P/$ plays tend to be pretty consistent throughout the day for MLB. That being said, projections can always change if someone is hitting higher in the order than initially projected or if a player with a low salary gets a spot start for an injured/resting player.
MLB DFS – RotoGrinders Premium Tools Pre-Lock
If you have any tough last-minute decisions or need some quick MLB DFS picks, our MLB Premium package also contains Consensus Value Rankings, an Expert Survey, and daily LineupHQ Premium tags from our MLB DFS experts.
And for up-to-the-minute news and analysis leading right up to lock, make sure to watch MLB Crunch Time later in the day.
Good luck today!