DFS MLB Hitting Coach: September 12

Catcher

Cash Play:  Buster Posey has a great price on DK, and has recorded two hits in three of his last four games.  Clemons has been a nice pitcher to pick on as well.  While Posey is in play still on FD and Aces, there are some nice value play options that are cash playable. 

GPP plays:  Jonathan Lucroy is in play for a Ranger’s stack, but I like both Yasmani Grandal and Nick Hundley as well.  Grandal is only 5-25 over his last seven games, but four of those hits went for homers.  Hundley is 4-9 with a HR off Miller, and on a nice six game hit streak.  If he is out of the lineup, Wolters is in just a good of a spot. 

Value Plays: Evan Gattis may be a popular play at his price on FD.  He’s 7-14 off Perez, and coming off a HR last night.  At roughly the same price across the board is J.T. Realmuto, who is 2-3 off Foltynewicz, and has gone deep four times during his current 10 game hit streak.  Travis d’Arnaud is a pure punt play on FD and Dk.  He’s taken Latos deep before, and works well in Met’s stack.

First Base

Cash Plays:  Anthony Rizzo has been frustrating where you want to roster him just about every game.  Tonight, he faces Leake who Rizzo is 12-35 with 2 HR’s off of.  The problem is you can take Freddie Freeman for $900 less on FD.  He’s 3-6 with a HR off Cashner, and on a 17 game hit streak.  If had to choose, I even like him more than Rizzo on DK and Aces.  Matt Latos is an easy pitcher to pick on, and if punting first base in DK, James Loney is worth a look.  He’s 8-24 with 2 HR’s off Latos, and coming off a homer last game. 

GPP Plays:  All of the players listed above are in play for me in tourneys, and you also can possible snag a low owned Joey Votto tonight.  He’s 10-28 with a HR off Peralta, and was 7 for his last 9 before an O’fer last game. 

Value Play:  Loney is a great value play, and will add Josh Bell and a high risk high reward Justin Bour.  Bell recorded at least one hit in every game in the past series vs Cincy, and works best in a Pirate’s stack.  Bour only has one hit in six at bats since coming off the DL, but is 1-2 off Foltynewicz with a homer.  His price was hovering around $3.8K on FD before getting injured so something to think about. 

Second Base  

Cash plays:   Second base is extremely loaded tonight in my opinion, and everyone below is in play for cash as well as tournaments.  For me, I think who I play will come down to how much salary I have.  All are pretty similar with a few outliers on specific sites.

Jose Altuve is always in play vs a lefty, and he is 10-24 off the lefty Perez.  He went deep last night as well.  Dustin Pedroia is your leadoff guy on the highest team run total tonight.  He’s the cheapest of the players listed here on FD, and has at least 2 hits in eight of his last ten games.  Rougned Odor is 5-14 with 2 HR’s off Fister, but like him slightly more for gpp’s.  Robinson Cano is another player probably best suited for gpp’s  He’s 4-9 with a HR off Nolasco, but been slightly cold from the plate lately. 

Daniel Murphy’s price is best on FD, and he is riding a nine game hit streak.  Still looking for his first HR in September though, and solid chance it comes tonight.  DJ LeMahieu may go overlooked tonight, but he is 7-16 with a HR off Miller, and coming off back to back two hit games. 

Value Plays:  May need to wait if punting second to see if there are any value plays that get moved up in the order.  Currently, the lowest priced player I’m looking at is Scooter Gennett, who is 4-8 off Sampson, and makes for nice mini-stack with Braun.

Third Base

Cash Plays:   I think you can get away with not paying for the top priced players at third tonight.  Adrian Beltre, Kyle Seager, and Jose Reyes are three players I’ll be choosing between tonight.  Beltre is 10-34 off Fister, and is 9-17 with 3 HR’s over his last four games.  Seager is 3-8 off Nolasco, and if you like silly stats, Seager has homered in every other game over his last six.  Last game was a non-homer which means expect one today.  Reyes is the cheapest priced of the bunch with a match up against Latos.  He recorded 2 hits in three of his last five games, and has shown some power lately. 

GPP plays: Both Nolan Arenado and Josh Donaldson are not listed, but are always in play for gpp’s.  Kris Bryant is the player I like most if paying up at third tonight.  He’s 6-14 off Leake, but can’t fade him if going with Cub’s stack.  Justin Turner had the day off yesterday, but before that went deep in his last start.    

Value Plays:  Keep an eye on the Red Sox lineup, where Aaron Hill will make a nice value play on a possible high scoring Red Sox team tonight.  On DK, Yulieski Gurriel has been a nice salary relief play at his cheap price tag.  He’s now on an 8 game hit streak with homers in three of them.  Can even make the case to use him on DK and Aces for cash games.

Shortstop

Cash Plays:  Xander Bogaerts will be and should be the popular play on FD tonight.  His price is very affordable, and if Vegas is correct, the Red Sox are in for a big night.  On Aces, it’s another week without a raise in Trea Turner’s price.  He has two or more hits in five of his last seven games with 3 HR’s and SB’s.  Also like him as OF on FD for gpp’s.   Jose Pereza is a slightly cheaper option on DK for cash, and a great punt play on Aces.  He had a rough series vs Pitt, but was playing very well vs the Mets and Cardinals previously.   

GPP Plays:  Corey Seager is right there with Bogaerts on DK as who to play if paying up.  He has at least two hits in four of his games during the current six game hit streak.  Brandon Crawford works great in a Giant’s stack as well as a late night hammer option. 

Value Play:   Dansby Swanson’s price is starting to increase to a point where I don’t like him in the 8^th spot.  If moved up though definitely consider him.  The same goes for Jordy Mercer who may be the leadoff man for the Pirates tonight.  He’s hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games.

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Outfield

Cash/GPP Hybrid Plays:  Plenty of ways to go with OF tonight.  Hunter Pence made some history this weekend with back to back games of recording four runs.  He finished the series 8-11, and has a slightly cheaper price than some of the top guys on FD.  Rajai Davis is always a threat when leading off, and hopefully in that spot tonight.  He is 6-14 with 3 HR’s off Gonzalez.  Will only use him if leadoff off though. 

The big five tonight I feel consist of Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Carlos Gonzalez, Nelson Cruz, and Bryce Harper.  Will be extremely tough to get three of them on your team, but if can only choose one, I’m leaning towards Trout.

Trout took Miranda deep in his only AB vs him, and is the most consistent option of the group.  Betts makes the list as a pro Red Sox pick that should have plenty of opportunities tonight to produce.  Cruz has to be on your roster if going with a Seattle stack as he is 4-12 with 3 HR’s off Nolasco.  Pair him with Seth Smith, Cano, and Seager.  Cruz would be the cheapest of your options on DK.  Cargo, like all Rockies OF’s, are in play tonight.  He is 5-15 with a HR off Miller.  Harper finally paid off if you have continued to play him every night with a HR on Saturday, but came away with a two walk day yesterday.  He’s 1-2 with a HR off Montero, and figure people will continue to roll with him with the expectation that he will go deep.  Ryan Braun is a sneaky play that may go under owned with the amount of options at OF tonight.   His only hit vs Sampson in five AB’s went deep, and Braun went deep last game.

Value plays:  As usual, once lineups come out, the value plays are usually there for OF punt options.  If in the lineup, you can save some salary taking chances with the always cheap Mike Mahtook.  The Rays have been a high risk high reward target when facing above average lefties, and they get Liriano tonight.  If he gets the call, I like Chris Coghlan.  He probably won’t play the entire game, but he seems to have Leake figured out, with his 11-19 with 2 HR’s career numbers off him.