MLB

MLB Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 9/16/13

A.J. Burnett will try to keep the Pirates on top of the NL Central tonight against the Padres.

We know that people play all sorts of fantasy platforms, not just from from our friends at StarStreet but on other platforms such as FanDuel, Draft Kings, and Fantasy Feud as well. So once again, we have four optimized rosters, all for you, the numberFire reader. One is for free here; the others can be found in our Premium section.

As always, the full tables for today's action are available at our Daily Fantasy Projections page. Make sure to check it out to see where the best values are for your team.

Our baseball projections are updated throughout the day, so make sure to come back to double-check your optimized rosters for any last-minute lineup changes. Since most action happens later in the day, we will be ignoring the early games (if there are any) and focusing solely on the late contests. That way, you can use and tinker with our optimized rosters throughout the day.

StarStreet Optimized Roster

PlayerPositionProjected FPCostValue
A.J. BurnettSP25.67295000.87
Rick PorcelloSP19.36$23,9000.81
Shin-Soo ChooCF15.22$6,8002.24
Troy TulowitzkiSS15.21$6,1002.49
Yadier MolinaC13.78$5,6002.46
Will VenableRF12.83$4,8002.67
Matt Carpenter2B13.06$6,2002.11
Adam Dunn1B12.38$5,9002.10
Evan Longoria3B11.29$5,8001.95
Daniel Descalso2B10.64$2,9003.67
Jordan DanksCF11.36$2,5004.54

Fantasy Feud, Draft Kings, and FanThrowdown Optimized Rosters

For the optimal rosters for the other main players, be sure to check out our brand new Daily Fantasy Optimized Rosters for our Premium members. We know that you're killing it with our picks; maybe now you'll help us continue to help you win each night, every night.

Access to the optimal rosters is immediate, and you'll have it constantly updated for the latest injury news and updates from around the league. The best news of all? For new subscribers, you can use the promo code WELCOME and get it 50% off what was already the reduced price. Think of the savings!

Learn More About Premium

The Top Three Pitchers

A.J. Burnett – The streaky Burnett will take the mound for the Pirates tonight against San Diego, sporting an 8-10 record with a 3.45 ERA. At home, however, Burnett is much better, boasting a 2.32 ERA in 12 starts. The Pirates need him to come through tonight, and we think he will.

Rick Porcello – Porcello's been better in the second half of the season, but still holds a moderate 4.56 ERA on the season. He'll be facing the Mariners at home tonight though, a team that's posted two or less runs in four of their last five games. The lineup struggles should help Porcello out tonight.

Johnny Cueto – Cueto gets a nice matchup for his first game back in two and a half months, and we don't mind him as a risky daily play today. We all know that when he's on, no team can hit against him, let alone the lowly Astros.

Top High-Priced Hitters

Joey Votto – Cueto's teammate, Joey Votto, has a multi-hit game in six of his last nine games, including a nice three RBI performance over the weekend. Expect that to continue tonight against Erik Bedard and the Houston Astros.

Matt Holliday – The Cards outfielder is heading back to Colorado after yesterday's three-hit, two-RBI performance against the Mariners. He'll face Collin McHugh, who, in his only start of the season, gave up six earned runs in five innings. Holliday should have another nice day at the plate tonight.

Cost-Effective, Mid-Range Hitters

Will Venable – Venable's had a heck of a second half, batting .337 since the break with 11 homers. Though we like Burnett tonight against the Padres, we also think Venable can continue to perform well at the plate against him, where he's got a homer and two RBI in seven at bats.