Major League Baseball

DraftKings Main MLB Picks For September 17

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 12, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; A general view of the DraftKings sign board during the match with FC Dallas playing against New York City FC at Toyota Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

DraftKings Main MLB Picks For September 17

We have ten games for the main DraftKings tournament tonight. Despite that, we only have one “ace” taking the mound. There are five more above $8,000, but that leaves a whole lot of lower tier options on DraftKings. Can any of them help us win? Let’s check out the past stats for some insight.

NOTE: these picks are based solely on statistics. Some players have never faced their opponents, or have very little experience against them. I am not saying that none of those are good picks. The highest scorer of the day could be someone with no experience against his opponent. This is based on statistical analysis only. If you have a gut feeling, then by all means, follow that. This is not an exact science. The best lineups usually have a mix of proven stats and hot players. Check out this post from Matt McGarvey for great tips about whether to use a hot player in DFS or not.

For you first time players, if you would like $20 worth of free entry tickets, use this link for the referral bonus! Then continue reading for tips on how to turn that $20 into more!

Sep 12, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson (58) throws a pitch during the sixth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Pirates, 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Best Bet:

Jeremy Hellickson ($8,100): Hellickson has plenty of experience against the Marlins from his days with the Rays in interleague play. The Fish are only hitting .226 off of him in 195 at bats with four homers and 13 RBI. They have only struck out 31 times, but Hellickson isn’t known as a strikeout pitcher anyway. He could be a sneaky pick for solid points, especially on a slate that isn’t crowded with overpowering pitchers.

Honorable Mention:

Yu Darvish ($12,200): So why isn’t Darvish a best bet? Because the A’s are hitting .272 off of him in 92 at bats. The 22 strikeouts makes Darvish the only elite strikeout prospect of the night slate, but with that many guys on base, it presents a pretty big risk. Darvish has only given up eight runs, but the 25 hits and 13 walks will take a huge chunk out of what the strikeouts provide. Darvish will be good, I’m just not convinced that he will be $2,600 better than the next option.

Dark Horse:

Seth Lugo ($5,900): Seth Lugo has never faced the Twins. In his five major league starts, Lugo has only given up eight runs over 31.2 innings pitched with 21 strikeouts. He has been a huge boon for the Mets, and could have a great night against a Twins offense that has gone dormant once again.

Sep 16, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets center fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) hits an RBI single against the Minnesota Twins during the seventh inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Don’t forget to check out the DFS Lineup Optimizer over at FantasyPros. You can also pick your favorite players or favorite stack, and it will optimize the lineup around that! It really is an invaluable tool for you DFS players!

The Rockies have only homered once against Edwin Jackson in 111 at bats. That will likely change at Coors Field. Charlie Blackmon ($5,700) is 4-9 with a walk, a double, a homer, and two RBI against Jackson. Carlos Gonzalez ($5,600) has seven hits in 14 at bats with two walks, two doubles, a triple, and six RBI. Gerardo Parra ($3,700) is 6-20 with two walks and two RBI. Ryan Raburn ($3,200) is 4-12 with four walks and three RBI against Jackson.

The current Mets have blistered Ervin Santana. Yoenis Cespedes ($4,500) is 4-14(.286) with a walk, three homers and seven RBI. Asdrubal Cabrera ($3,500) only has nine hits in 41 at bats(.220), but he has four walks, two doubles, two triples, a homer, and ten RBI against Santana. Travis d’Arnaud ($2,500) only has two hits in nine at bats, but one of them is a home run. Curtis Granderson ($4,500) is 13-51(.255) with six walks, two doubles, five homers, and nine RBI off Santana. James Loney ($2,700) is 7-18(.389) with a walk, three doubles, and five RBI.

The Giants have had no issues hitting Mike Leake. Brandon Belt ($3,600) is 4-13 with a walk, a double, and a solo homer. Gregor Blanco ($2,800) is 4-15(.267) with a solo homer. Brandon Crawford ($3,600) has seven hits in 20 at bats with two doubles, two homers, and nine RBI off Leake. Hunter Pence ($4,400) is 13-31(.419) with a walk, three doubles, a triple, a homer, and three RBI. Buster Posey ($3,800) is 6-16(.375) with a walk, a double, a homer, and three RBI against Leake.

Evan Longoria ($4,000) is 17-60(.283) with five walks, four doubles, seven home runs, and 10 RBI off of Chris Tillman. He has only allowed two more home runs to the rest of the current Rays in 159 at bats. Steven Souza ($4,400) is 6-18,with three walks, a double, a homer, and four RBI against Tillman. Alexei Ramirez ($3,000) is 5-11 with two walks, a homer, and two RBI against Tillman.

Edwin Encarnacion ($4,000) is 5-15 with a walk, a double, a homer, and three RBI against Ricky Nolasco. Russell Martin ($3,500) has three hits in six at bats with a walk, a triple, and a RBI. Dioner Navarro ($2,300) is 8-24 with three doubles, a homer, and four RBI. Troy Tulowitzki ($3,800) is 6-19(.316) with a walk, a double, a homer, and four RBI against Nolasco.

Sep 7, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano (22) hits a single against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Tommy Joseph ($3,900) is perfect against Jose Urena, picking up a walk, a single, a double, a homer, and three RBI in four at bats. Tyler Goeddel ($2,900) has a solo homer in three tries against Urena.

Wil Myers ($4,900) is 5-12 with a walk, two doubles, a homer, and five RBI against Jon Gray. Jon Jay ($3,600) has four hits in 12 at bats with two RBI. Yangervis Solarte ($4,200) is 4-10 with two doubles and three RBI against Jon Gray.

Khris Davis ($4,000) is 2-5 with a walk, a double, and a solo homer against Yu Darvish. Stephen Vogt ($3,300) is 5-13(.385) with two RBI. Jake Smolinski ($2,500) has a solo homer off of Darvish, his only hit in five tries.

Jarrod Dyson ($4,000) is an impressive 8-11 off of Miguel Gonzalez, but all of the hits are singles and he has no counting stats. Eric Hosmer ($4,100) only has three hits in 17 at bats, but he has a homer and five RBI. Salvador Perez ($3,100) is 6-17(.353) with a homer and two RBI off of Gonzalez.

Kole Calhoun ($3,700) has a walk and a two run homer in his game against Francisco Liriano. Mike Trout ($4,900) has four hits in ten at bats with two walks and three RBI.

George Springer ($4,300) is 2-6 with a solo homer against James Paxton. Carlos Correa ($3,700) has two hits in three at bats with a double and two driven in. Jake Marisnick ($2,200) is 3-5 with a double and a RBI.

Chris Davis ($5,000) is 3-7 with two homers and four RBI against Matt Andriese. Adam Jones ($4,800) has four hits in eight at bats with a pair of RBI.

Robinson Cano ($4,900) is 2-3 with a walk, two homers, and four RBI against Mike Fiers. Kyle Seager ($4,800) has three hits in five at bats with a double, a homer, and two RBI. Dae-Ho Lee ($3,700) is 1-2 with a solo homer off Fiers.

Andre Ethier ($3,900) is 2-6 with a homer and three RBI against Shelby Miller. Adrian Gonzalez ($4,500) has five hits in ten at bats with a double, a homer, and four RBI off Miller. Josh Reddick ($4,200) is a perfect 3-3 with a double and two RBI. Carlos Ruiz ($3,400) is only 4-18, but he has two walks, two doubles, and four RBI.

Welington Castillo ($3,900) is 5-12 wtih a walk, a double, and a RBI off of Bud Norris. Rickie Weeks ($4,400) is 5-16(.313) with three walks, three doubles, a homer, and four RBI off of Norris.

Alex Avila ($3,400) is 5-16(.313) with two walks, a double, two homers, and four RBI against Jason Vargas. Melky Cabrera ($4,500) is 5-17(.294) with a double, a triple, a homer, and four RBI. Justin Morneau ($3,300) only has four hits in 18 at bats against Vargas, but he has a homer and four RBI.

Marcell Ozuna ($3,300) is 5-17(.294) with two walks, three doubles, a homer, and three RBI against Jeremy Hellickson. Chris Johnson ($2,400) has four hits in seven at bats with a double and a solo homer. Giancarlo Stanton ($4,500) only has one hit against Hellickson in 15 at bats, but it is a home run.

Matt Adams ($3,100) is 5-10 with two doubles and a solo homer against Jeff Samardzija. Yadier Molina ($3,100) is 10-22(.455) with a walk, a double, and three RBI. Brandon Moss ($3,400) is 4-10 with a walk, a double, and a solo homer off Shark. Stephen Piscotty ($3,600) has a solo homer in three at bats.

Be sure to check out the FanDuel picks from out experts in that area! Brian Tulloch provides the picks and alternative plays if you don’t want to follow the herd. Don’t play FanDuel before checking it out!

Good luck out there, and check out our picks for FanDuel baseball and for Week 2 in the NFL!