MLB

3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Players to Avoid on 9/17/19

Sonny Gray faces a tough Cubs' lineup tonight, does that mean we need to avoid him? What other players should we stay away from?

While we have plenty of pieces geared towards guys you should target in your DFS contests, it's also important to narrow down your shortlist of plays and avoid the suboptimal ones who are overpriced and/or in tough spots.

Let's check out three guys to consider fading on tonight's FanDuel main slate.

Sonny Gray, P, Cincinnati Reds

FanDuel Price: $10,100

After his disastrous stint with the New York Yankees, Sonny Gray has had an excellent first season with the Cincinnati Reds. Gray has accumulated 4.1 WAR and a 3.43 FIP. Despite his solid numbers, Gray has a tough matchup with the Chicago Cubs who are desperate to hand onto the last wild card spot in the National League. The Cubs have the 7th best wRC+ against righties this season and have had no trouble scoring runs despite recent injuries.

Additionally, with Yu Darvish on the hill, Gray will have a tough time picking up a win. Avoid Gray in favor of Patrick Corbin ($9,700).

Jose Altuve, 2B, Houston Astros

FanDuel Price: $4,300

You can't really go wrong with Jose Altuve but he does come at a high price and has a difficult matchup tonight against Lance Lynn. Lynn has limited opposing righties to a .274 wOBA while striking them out at a 35.3% rate. Altuve has been solid but unspectacular against righties, hitting for a 123 wRC+ and a .351 wOBA.

In a full slate of games, spending up on Altuve is not a winning strategy given the matchup. Robinson Cano ($3,600) has high upside considering he is playing at Coors Field.

Tommy Pham, OF, Tampa Bay Rays

FanDuel Price: $4,100

As the Tampa Bay Rays continue to fight for a playoff spot, Tommy Pham will need to remain productive as one of their offensive stars. However, tonight, Pham will be going up against Ross Stripling, who presents a tough matchup for righties. Stripling has limited righties to a .298 wOBA and only five home runs in nearly 40 innings.

Additionally, Pham obtains a lot of his value from stealing bases which may prove difficult against the Los Angeles Dodgers who lead the league in Defensive Runs Saved. Ronald Acuna ($4,000) has a much better matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies.


Gabriel Billig is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Gabriel Billig also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username gpbbsb. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.