MLB

MLB Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 9/13/13

Luckily for you, Jon Niese is at home tonight.

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
Robinson Cano2B13.8366002.1
Troy TulowitzkiSS13.4261002.2
Nate McLouthLF13.7252002.64
Corey DickersonOF12.65$3,8003.33
Justin VerlanderSP22.28$28,1000.79
Brad HandRP16.8$15,0001.12
Paul Goldschmidt1B14.59$7,4001.97
Yasiel PuigRF14.3973001.97
David OrtizDH14.7469002.14
Alex Rodriguez3B12.92$6,8001.90
Josmil PintoC13.7564002.15

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!

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The Top Three Pitchers

Clayton Kershaw – It's hard to go wrong with Kershaw, as he's got a sub-2.00 ERA and a sub-1.00 WHIP in his 30 starts this season. He's had four starts against the Giants this year and is 3-0 with a 1.13 ERA. The second half of the season has been good to Kershaw, and it should continue tonight.

Jonathon Niese – Like Strasburg, Niese has been much better at home than on the road, posting a 2.54 versus 5.66 ERA. He'll face Miami's Brand Hand in his first big league start, so the run support should be there. Niese is a cost-effective pitcher tonight for daily leagues.

Top High-Priced Hitters

Robinson Cano – Cano's seen a significant boost in batting average over the second half of the season, and is hitting .314 so far in September. Moreover, against John Lackey - the Sox probable starter tonight - Cano has a .304 average and four RBI on 23 at bats. Start him with confidence.

Troy Tulowitzki – The Rockies' shortstop has struggled since the All Star Break, but still supports the 19th-best nERD score according to our metrics. He's only had five hits in September, but our numbers like him to have a nice night against a Diamondbacks team that just ended a three-game losing streak on Wednesday.

Cost-Effective, Mid-Range Hitters

Manny Machado – Machado has struggled this month, posting just 11 hits out of 52 at bats. Even so, we know what he's capable of doing and like his matchup tonight. He's one of the best value plays for Friday.

James Loney – The Rays first baseman has picked it up this month, getting a hit in all but two of the Rays' 11 games in September. He's got a pair of doubles and a homer in his last four games, too. Given his daily fantasy cost, we love him tonight against Kevin Correia and the Twins.