FanDuel MLB DFS Picks: Thursday 9/19/24

Our daily fantasy helper is available every day to analyze FanDuel's main slate and give you a starting point when you're building lineups.

Be sure to incorporate our MLB DFS projections -- which are powered by numberFire -- into your research process. numberFire also has the latest starting lineups and weather as well as heat maps to help you find the best matchups.

Let's check out the top options on today's main slate.

Note: All MLB odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook. All stats come from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless noted otherwise.

MLB DFS Picks

Pitcher Breakdown

We've got a six-game main slate tonight, and it starts at 6:50 p.m. ET.

There's one clear-cut top arm: Yusei Kikuchi ($10,800).

Kikuchi has topped 30 FanDuel points in seven of his last eight starts, and he's been awesome since getting traded to the Houston Astros, pitching to a 3.00 SIERA over 48 innings. The matchup is great tonight, too, as he faces the Los Angeles Angels, a team that is next to last in wOBA over the past 30 days (.278). Our MLB DFS projections, which are powered by numberFire, have Kikuchi scoring 39.7 FanDuel points -- tops on the slate by 11.6 FanDuel points.

After Kikuchi, I'm torn between Brandon Pfaadt ($8,500), Erick Fedde ($8,300) and Brayan Bello ($8,300). I think you can craft a case for all three.

Pfaadt has a 3.82 SIERA that looks a lot better than his 4.81 ERA, and he's facing a Milwaukee Brewers team that just clinched the NL Central last night and might field a weakened lineup today. Bello has a sweet matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays, and his 11.5% swinging-strike rate gives him upside. Fedde has been decent this year (4.28 SIERA) but is in play mostly due to a date with the Pittsburgh Pirates (3.54 implied total).

Ultimately, I think I settle on Bello, but in my non-Kikuchi lineups, I'll have exposure to all three.

Stacks to Target

• Houston Astros (5.24 implied total)
  • With Kikuchi likely to be chalk -- and chalk I'm OK with using -- I'm going to get a little weird with my bats. To do that, I'll go light on the Astros versus Jose Suarez, who has pretty good numbers this year, including a 23.4% K rate. With that said, Houston's offense boasts the slate's top implied total and offers big-time upside now that they're fully healthy.
• Chicago Cubs (4.75)
  • For me, the Cubs are the night's top stack. They're at Wrigley versus Patrick Corbin (5.45 expected ERA). Corbin really struggles against right-handed hitters, giving up 1.44 homers per nine and a .373 wOBA in the split. That pushes me toward Seiya Suzuki ($3,400), Dansby Swanson ($3,100), Ian Happ ($3,500), Nico Hoerner ($2,800) and Isaac Paredes ($3,000). If Patrick Wisdom ($2,600) starts, he's a fun dart throw at a homer.
• Arizona Diamondbacks (4.06)
  • Tobias Myers surrenders a lot of fly-balls (40.5% fly-ball rate), and that has me interested in the Snakes. Unfortunately, Arizona's recent offensive eruptions at Coors have pushed up their salaries, making them hard to stack alongside Kikuchi. Christian Walker ($3,600) is a priority for me tonight and is one of my favorite home run picks. Joc Pederson ($3,100) brings top-notch power to the table at a modest salary.

New to FanDuel Sportsbook? You’ll receive $200 in Bonus Bets guaranteed after your first bet of $5+ is placed! See here for full terms and conditions. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Looking to build some MLB DFS lineups? Check out FanDuel’s daily fantasy baseball lobby to see all the offerings for today’s slates.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.