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FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for Monday September 5

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

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Aug 31, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; A giant American flag begins to cover the green monster before a game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports FanDuel MLB

FanDuel MLB: Picks and Pivots for September 5

Welcome to the Monday edition of Picks & Pivots, a daily fantasy baseball column focused on providing analysis and insights into the top FanDuel MLB lineups. The purpose of this column is to first identify key building blocks that can be used for any roster construction and then identify pivot points to help differentiate your lineup in hopes of a big payday!

Follow us on Twitter @FantasyCPR and on Facebook!

Monday’s MLB action on Labor Day is split into two slates with a six game early slate at 1:05PM EST and a seven game main slate at 4:05PM EST.

I will continue to track winning Tournament lineups and compare trends over 5 day periods to help us understand what it takes to remain profitable. I HIGHLY recommend each of you do this each morning to look back on the previous night and understand how the winning lineups are constructed in the games you participate in.

The view below tracks GPP entries over various time periods, breaking out key metrics to understand the trends and compositions of GPP winning rosters:

Now on to the picks…For more DFS Strategy insights, check out my latest article to help take your game to the next level! I highly recommend gamers track their game performance across the various types of games they play – GPP’s, Cash, Multipliers etc – as this simple exercise will help teach you more about profitable roster construction than you can imagine.

Aug 24, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks (28) pitches during the third inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

On the early slate there is really only one pitcher I am looking to target and that is Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks ($9,800) as he takes on the Brewers in Miller Park!

Hendricks comes into this game as a massive favorite (-200), by far the largest favorite on the slate, and also gets a match-up against the team that strikes out at the highest percentage in baseball (25.7%).

Hendricks has been in exceptional form over the last month, averaging 42.2 points per start and has now lowered his ERA to 2.04 on the season.

Hendricks has a 22.4% strikeout rate on the season which is actually second among the early game options and with the strikeout upside the Brewers present, this is a great spot to target Hendricks in all formats while still building a high upside offensive lineup.

Sep 3, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets third baseman Jose Reyes (7) and right fielder Curtis Granderson (3) celebrate after the last out during the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field. The Mets won 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The early slate may not have the big name pitchers or the game in Coors Field, however there are two spots with highly favorable projections we can look to target when building our lineups.

The Chicago Cubs hitters get a favorable park shift in Miller Park and two hitters in particular have hit Brewers Zach Davies well in the past. Anthony Rizzo ($4,000) & Kris Bryant ($4,200) are a combined 7 for 17 with 1 HR off Davies and on a short slate I will always look to lock in the top projected scoring hitters and Rizzo and Bryant are expected to be two of the top hitters per the projections at FantasyPros.

The highest team total on the board on the early slate goes to the red-hot New York Mets who head to a great hitting environment in Cincinnati. The Mets get a match up with Rookie Robert Stephenson who in a small sample has the highest SIERA of any pitcher on the slate and a minuscule 8% K rate.

This should be a great spot for the Mets hitters and the revenge narrative for Jay Bruce ($3,600) is strong as he has finally started to hit, going 7 for his last 15 with two home runs. Keep an eye on the lineup, as this would be a great spot for Terry Collins to give Yoenis Cespedes a break and plug-in Michael Conforto ($2,500) who since being recalled looks like the up and coming star we saw earlier in the season.

Sep 2, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo (44) and center fielder Dexter Fowler (24) celebrate their win against the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field. The Cubs won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Below you will find my initial lineup for Monday’s Early FanDuel MLB slate including notes/comments on my roster construction.Want your voice heard? Join the Fantasy CPR team!

Best of luck tonight gamer’s! Make sure to review the lineups as they are announced before locking in your lineups! 

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