This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Labor Day weekend and baseball go hand-in-hand, although we're usually in the home stretch at this point. That's also true this year, but with teams only playing around 40 games due to, you know, everything. There are 17 games Saturday, but that includes two doubleheaders which are being removed these days for DFS purposes. That means you're out of luck if you wanted any Cubs, Cardinals, Astros, or Angels. Given the hitters on those teams, you probably would. Don't worry, as there are still plenty of options available.
PITCHING
I think the Rays-Marlins game will be a low-scoring affair largely due to the pitching. However, I'm interested in Blake Snell ($52). He's earned a Cy Young to his name and has posted a 3.14 ERA. And his home ERA since 2018 has been 1.90 ERA. Even though Miami has caught up to a degree in terms of games played, they still rank in the bottom-three in runs scored.
Justus Sheffield's ($37) hot run of play ended in his last start, but he still has produced a 2.93 FIP. And it's not exactly hard to deal against the Rangers, as they are also near the basement in runs scored but don't have the excuse of having several postponed games to make up. The Rangers are also one of two teams left with a sub-.300 OBP on the year.
Aaron Civale ($42) made 10 starts last season and has made seven so far in 2020. While his ERA has risen from 2.34 to 3.72, his FIP has actually dropped from 3.39 to 3.06. Milwaukee's offense has surprisingly struggled, as it sits in the bottom-five in runs scored and has struggled with a sub-.400 slugging percentage.
TOP PICKS
Luis Robert ($19) isn't just the favorite for AL Rookie of the Year, but he's also in the MVP race. That's in part due to his defense, but he's getting it done with his bat as well with a .277 batting average along with 11 homers and four steals. Robert will be facing fellow rookie Kris Bubic, who's managed a 5.46 ERA through six starts.
You might say, "Nelson Cruz ($25) can't keep up his .654 slugging percentage at 40!", to which I will inform you that last year he produced a .639 slugging percentage with 41 homers. The man's bat is aging like fine wine. Cruz has also excelled with a 1.117 OPS versus lefties since 2018. He will be facing a rookie southpaw in Tarik Skubal on Saturday. Skubal is considered a good prospect, but only has a 6.75 ERA to show so far.
VALUE PLAYS
Jesse Winker ($22) is enjoying the designated hitter coming to the National League this season by slashing .306/.412/.631 with 10 homers over 38 games. On Saturday, he will be squaring off with Pittsburgh's Trevor Williams. Williams has posted a 5.50 ERA through seven starts, which comes after a 5.36 ERA in a more robust 26 starts last year.
Kyle Seager ($19) has hit over 20 homers in every season of his career, save for his 53-game rookie campaign. This year, he's produced a .355 OBP with five homers and four stolen bases. Seattle doesn't receive a lot of attention, but Seager has potential value in his bat. That's especially true in this matchup with Kyle Gibson. Gibson's move to Texas has not gone well, as he's slumped to a 6.16 ERA and has allowed 2.13 home runs per nine innings.
STACKS
Yankees vs. Keegan Akin: DJ LeMahieu ($22), Clint Frazier ($19), Gary Sanchez ($11)
Akin has a 3.52 ERA, but in only 7.1 innings. That's the entirety of his major-league career, and this will be his second start. Some big names for the Yankees are missing due to injuries, but I still found three right-handed batters I like to face the lefty Akin. LeMahieu missed time with injury himself, but has registered a hit in every game since returning and comes in with a .380 batting average. Frazier is finally walking this year and has managed a .392 OBP to go with his .532 slugging percentage. I would have rounded things out with Gio Urshela, but he just went on the DL, so I'm throwing in Sanchez. He's cheap, and he's a catcher. And even though Sanchez is hitting below the Mendoza Line, we know he only needs one good swing to make his mark as he slugged 34 homers in 106 games last year while batting .232.
Braves vs. Erick Fedde: Ronald Acuna ($24), Freddie Freeman ($22), Dansby Swanson ($17)
Fedde has been in and out of the starting rotation for the Nationals the last couple years. Given his career 5.27 ERA, that's not a surprise. Fedde has also allowed a .303 batting average to lefties since 2018. I've only included one southpaw here, but if you want to consider Nick Markakis to save some salary, I'm not against it. Acuna has been dealing with a hamstring injury, but it's never a bad idea to select him after his 41 homers and 37 stolen bases from 2019. Freeman is the lefty I went with, and he's posted a .954 OPS versus righties since 2018. Swanson had quietly produced double-digit homers and stolen bases in each of his last two seasons, and this year he's got six home runs and four swipes while batting .294.
Blue Jays vs. Mike Kickham: Teoscar Hernandez ($23), Randal Grichuk ($22), Vladimir Guerrero ($19)
The starter for the Red Sox on Saturday hasn't been locked in yet after the doubleheader on Friday. Right now, the projected starter is Kickham, who has pitched all of three innings in the majors and notched a 4.27 ERA in Triple-A last season. Frankly, there is no pitcher Boston can trot out that I fear. In case it is Kickham is on the mound, I've gone with three righties. Worst-case scenario, righties tend to have less issues with same-sided pitchers. In past seasons, Hernandez has been an all-or-nothing hitter with low OBPs but plenty of power. This year, he's batting .298 with a .617 slugging percentage along with 13 homers and five stolen bases. Grichuk is coming off his first 30-homer season, and this year he's got nine with an acceptable batting average of .277. Then there's the biggest name of the bunch. Vladdie Jr. has not panned out yet, to be fair. That being said, the power potential is clear. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been seen as one of the top prospects in baseball.
