MLB DFS Picks: DraftKings 7-Game Main Slate for September 16
Shota Imanaga leads our seven-game DraftKings pitching pool. Compare Padres ceiling, Astros value and Marlins tournament stacks, plus dedicated one-off hitters and five value plays.
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Our MLB DFS picks for Wednesday, September 16, 2026 start with Shota Imanaga on the mound, Houston for a balanced stack and San Diego when we are paying for the biggest offensive ceiling. The DraftKings seven-game main slate begins at 7:10 p.m. ET. Cristian Javier supplies the pitching discount, while Kyle Stowers is our favorite tournament hitter outside Coors Field.
- September 16 MLB main slate: games and probable pitchers
- Best DraftKings pitchers: Imanaga, Javier and Gore
- Shota Imanaga: our starting point at $8,800
- Cristian Javier: $6,000 buys room for the bats
- MacKenzie Gore: pay $7,800 for another strikeout path
- Top MLB DFS stacks for the seven-game slate
- Houston Astros: our preferred salary-adjusted build
- San Diego Padres: the premium ceiling stack
- Miami Marlins: our favorite alternative tournament stack
- One-off hitters we like
- Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres: $7,200
- Pete Alonso, Orioles: $5,300
- Kyle Stowers, Marlins: $4,300
- Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks: $4,900
- DraftKings value hitters: five ways to make the lineup work
- Lars Nootbaar, Diamondbacks: $2,700
- Cam Smith, Astros: $3,000
- Dustin Harris, Padres: $3,400
- Justin Foscue, Rangers: $3,400
- Joe Mack, Marlins: $2,600
- Lineup construction: spend the savings on something specific
- Chalk, leverage and the final CTS shortlist
- September 16 MLB DFS questions
The decision is not simply whether the Padres can score. It is whether the extra San Diego salary buys more than a stronger second pitcher or a better group of complementary hitters. Our preferred approach is to keep one useful stack together, then spend deliberately on the individual bats that can separate it.
Batting orders are projected, not confirmed. Every hitter recommendation assumes a starting role. The prices and recommendations below apply to the seven-game main slate, not the afternoon or separate late-night contests.
September 16 MLB main slate: games and probable pitchers
| Matchup | Start | Probable pitchers |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore at New York Mets | 7:10 p.m. | Chris Bassitt (R) vs. Robert Stock (R) |
| Atlanta at Chicago Cubs | 7:40 p.m. | JR Ritchie (R) vs. Shota Imanaga (L) |
| Boston at Texas | 8:05 p.m. | Jake Bennett (L) vs. MacKenzie Gore (L) |
| Kansas City at Houston | 8:10 p.m. | Daniel Lynch IV (L) vs. Cristian Javier (R) |
| San Diego at Colorado | 8:40 p.m. | Robbie Ray (L) vs. Mason Adams (R) |
| Seattle at Los Angeles Angels | 9:38 p.m. | George Kirby (R) vs. Yusei Kikuchi (L) |
| Miami at Arizona | 9:40 p.m. | Ryan Gusto (R) vs. Merrill Kelly (R) |
The official MLB probable-pitcher board provides the matchup reference. We are concentrating on three pitching choices rather than trying to make a case for every starter.
Best DraftKings pitchers: Imanaga, Javier and Gore
| Pitcher | Matchup | DK salary | CTS role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shota Imanaga | vs. ATL | $8,800 | Preferred SP1 |
| Cristian Javier | vs. KC | $6,000 | Volatile salary-saving SP2 |
| MacKenzie Gore | vs. BOS | $7,800 | Tournament alternative to Javier |
Shota Imanaga: our starting point at $8,800
Imanaga has a 3.88 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 156 strikeouts in 162⅓ innings. Official Imanaga statistics.
That is a useful blend of workload, strikeouts and traffic control without a five-figure salary. I am not treating Atlanta as an automatic matchup win, and I am not buying him solely because of his reputation. His price lets us build around a credible starter while preserving a real offense.
How we use him: Imanaga is the first pitcher into our balanced builds. Pairing him with Javier costs $14,800 and leaves $35,200 for eight hitters. Pairing him with Gore costs $16,600 and leaves $33,400. The choice at SP2 should follow the actual bats that $1,800 difference purchases.
Cristian Javier: $6,000 buys room for the bats
Javier’s last two starts produced 11 innings, 13 strikeouts and two earned runs. His season ERA remains 5.50. Official Javier results.
The recent starts show a useful ceiling at this price, not proof that all his problems have disappeared. We need innings and strikeouts, not merely a pitcher who stays on the field long enough to avoid a disaster. Kansas City can make him work for outs, and an early exit would leave the expensive hitters with a lot to repair.
How we use him: A tournament SP2 when the savings secure Tatis, complete a stack or materially improve two hitting spots. Do not accept the pitching risk just to leave the extra money unused or fill the lineup with more cheap bats.
MacKenzie Gore: pay $7,800 for another strikeout path
Gore has 172 strikeouts in 161⅔ innings, alongside a 4.62 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. Official Gore statistics.
The appeal is the strikeout production, not an assumption that Boston cannot hit a left-hander. This is still a volatile starter. His case becomes more attractive when a Houston or Miami stack already leaves enough salary to avoid the cheapest pitching route.
How we use him: Imanaga-Gore is our alternative when Javier becomes an uncomfortable part of the build. We would rather fund that change by adjusting one peripheral hitter than stripping the power out of the entire stack.
Top MLB DFS stacks for the seven-game slate
Houston Astros: our preferred salary-adjusted build
Houston offers a group of right-handed bats against left-hander Daniel Lynch IV without forcing a bargain-basement pitching combination. Lynch is not someone we need to portray as helpless. The attraction is the price of a correlated group, with enough money left for an expensive one-off or the Imanaga-Gore pairing.
| Hitter | DK salary | Role in the stack |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Peña | $4,400 | Preferred starting point |
| Jose Altuve | $4,000 | Core right-handed bat |
| Isaac Paredes | $3,700 | Affordable power component |
| Yainer Diaz | $3,200 | Catcher savings within the stack |
| Cam Smith | $3,000 | Lower-cost power and correlation |
Those five cost $18,300. Peña, Altuve and Paredes are the pieces I would prioritize; Diaz and Smith make the full group easier to fit. A lower batting-order position can reduce their plate appearances, so the discount matters. We are not pretending all five carry the same individual projection.
Best use: A four- or five-hitter primary stack with one premium outfielder from elsewhere. This is our preferred way to retain expensive upside without letting Coors dictate every roster decision.
San Diego Padres: the premium ceiling stack
San Diego faces right-hander Mason Adams at Coors Field. Tatis gives us the expensive centerpiece, while Merrill, Cronenworth and Harris supply left-handed options around him. The issue is affordability, not whether the stack has a credible route to a big game.
| Hitter | DK salary | Role in the stack |
|---|---|---|
| Fernando Tatis Jr. | $7,200 | Premium ceiling centerpiece |
| Manny Machado | $6,200 | Additional power investment |
| Jackson Merrill | $5,700 | Preferred left-handed core bat |
| Jake Cronenworth | $4,100 | Less expensive left-handed connection |
| Dustin Harris | $3,400 | Budget route into the offense |
The five-hitter pool costs $26,600. Add Imanaga and Javier and only $8,600 remains for three hitters. That is the reason not every lineup should force the complete stack.
Best use: Tatis-Merrill-Harris as a three-bat group costs $16,300. It keeps meaningful San Diego exposure without automatically paying for both Tatis and Machado. A full five-man stack is viable only when the remaining starters and positions work, not because five Coors names look impressive together.
Miami Marlins: our favorite alternative tournament stack
Kelly’s 4.97 ERA, 15.5% strikeout rate and 6.61 expected ERA give us a specific reason to attack this matchup. The expected number describes his underlying performance, not a forecast that Miami will score six runs. Kelly’s Statcast profile.
| Hitter | DK salary | Role in the stack |
|---|---|---|
| Kyle Stowers | $4,300 | Preferred power centerpiece |
| Griffin Conine | $3,800 | Second left-handed bat |
| Xavier Edwards | $3,800 | Connects the scoring sequence |
| Graham Pauley | $2,800 | Inexpensive left-handed extension |
| Joe Mack | $2,600 | Cheap catcher within the same offense |
These five cost $17,300. That leaves a very different lineup from a full Padres stack. Stowers is the player I most want; the remaining slots should create shared scoring opportunities rather than simply maximize the number of cheap Marlins.
Best use: A primary tournament stack or a Stowers-Conine-Edwards secondary group. Miami is not interesting simply because it is different. The matchup and salaries provide a legitimate ceiling path outside the obvious Coors construction.
One-off hitters we like
These are standalone choices for the spots left after the primary stack. They do not require buying the rest of their offense.
Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres: $7,200
Tatis has a 54.1% hard-hit rate and 12.7% barrel rate. That is a stronger reason to pay up than simply pointing to the ballpark. Tatis’ Statcast profile.
I prefer buying him next to an affordable Houston core rather than surrounding him with whatever minimum-cost hitters happen to remain. The risk is the opportunity cost: at this salary, an ordinary productive night may still lose to a cheaper outfielder plus a better second pitcher.
Pete Alonso, Orioles: $5,300
Alonso is Baltimore’s first-base power option against Robert Stock. His official batting profile already shows a season beyond 30 home runs. We do not need a full Orioles stack for one extra-base hit to matter.
He costs $1,900 less than Tatis and gives a different position a high-impact hitter. I like that trade when it protects pitching or prevents two weak outfield punts. The case is power against the opposing staff, not a revenge-game story about playing the Mets.
Kyle Stowers, Marlins: $4,300
Stowers combines a 56.9% hard-hit rate and 12.4% barrel rate with a 32.3% strikeout rate. Stowers’ Statcast profile.
That is the useful kind of volatility: clear damage potential with a clear failure path. Kelly’s lower strikeout rate makes this an appealing place to take that risk. Stowers is our favorite non-Coors tournament hitter, whether he starts a Miami stack or fills one remaining outfield slot.
Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks: $4,900
Carroll has 21 home runs and 21 stolen bases, giving us more than one route to a useful DFS score. Carroll’s official batting statistics.
He gets the left-on-right matchup with Ryan Gusto without a Coors-level salary. I like him as a pivot from an expensive secondary bat, especially alongside Nootbaar in a small Arizona group. A modest contact night can still disappoint, so this is not a floor play simply because stolen bases are available.
DraftKings value hitters: five ways to make the lineup work
Lars Nootbaar, Diamondbacks: $2,700
Favorite pure salary release. Nootbaar is a left-handed Arizona option against Gusto. A leadoff assignment would make this especially attractive; a lower spot reduces that advantage. At $2,700, he can preserve a pitcher or replace a compromised outfield punt without requiring a full Arizona stack.
Cam Smith, Astros: $3,000
Smith has 20 home runs but a .214 average. Official Smith statistics. The power is real enough to matter at this salary, and the contact risk is real enough that we should not call him a free square. I prefer him inside Houston stacks, where a scoring inning can reward several roster spots together.
Dustin Harris, Padres: $3,400
Harris is the affordable left-handed connection to the Padres against Adams. His role is to keep the stack intact, not to impersonate Tatis at half the price. A spot near the top of the lineup would improve the case, but do not build as though that batting-order promotion has already happened.
Justin Foscue, Rangers: $3,400
Foscue gives us a right-handed hitter against left-hander Jake Bennett at an approachable salary. I like him when the available eligibility fits a remaining infield need. He is a standalone savings option rather than a reason to force a Texas stack. A starting role and useful lineup position matter more than merely seeing a platoon advantage.
Joe Mack, Marlins: $2,600
Mack is our cheapest named catcher route, particularly with a Miami stack. The lower-order plate-appearance risk is the tradeoff. I would use the $600 savings from Diaz when it buys something tangible elsewhere; otherwise, a Houston build has a good reason to keep Diaz and the correlation.
Lineup construction: spend the savings on something specific
| Construction | Cost | Remaining salary |
|---|---|---|
| Imanaga + Javier | $14,800 | $35,200 for eight hitters |
| Imanaga + Gore | $16,600 | $33,400 for eight hitters |
| Imanaga + Javier + Houston five | $33,100 | $16,900 for three hitters |
| Imanaga + Gore + Miami five | $33,900 | $16,100 for three hitters |
| Imanaga + Javier + San Diego five | $41,400 | $8,600 for three hitters |
Our preferred balanced route: Start with Imanaga and Houston. Decide whether Javier’s discount creates a genuine Tatis upgrade or whether Gore leaves the offense strong enough already. We prefer that decision to choosing two pitchers first and improvising eight unrelated hitters afterward.
Our tournament alternative: Use Miami with Imanaga-Gore, then spend on the remaining positions. This does not need the entire Coors game to fail. It needs Miami to produce a strong shared scoring night and the extra pitching investment to matter.
Our Coors rule: A good stack can become a bad construction when it forces too many poor final pieces. Tatis with two Padres is different from Tatis, Machado and every other expensive name. The smaller group is a deliberate choice, not an incomplete five-man stack.
Keep backup choices from games that have not started. A late scratch should lead to a usable starter with a compatible position and salary, not an unavailable player from an earlier game. Significant weather risk also changes the plan: replace an affected stack coherently instead of scattering the same salary across unrelated bats.
Chalk, leverage and the final CTS shortlist
I expect San Diego to draw attention. Tatis can still be good chalk when the surrounding lineup works. The bad version is forcing the full premium stack and accepting weak starters just to say we have Coors exposure.
Houston is our salary-adjusted construction, and Miami is our favorite alternative stack. Neither gets a free pass because it might be less popular. The ceiling case still has to come from the hitters, matchup and way the lineup fits.
| Decision | CTS choice |
|---|---|
| Pitcher to build around | Shota Imanaga, $8,800 |
| Pitcher for salary relief | Cristian Javier, $6,000 |
| Alternative SP2 | MacKenzie Gore, $7,800 |
| Preferred balanced stack | Houston |
| Premium ceiling stack | San Diego |
| Alternative tournament stack | Miami |
| Favorite non-Coors GPP bat | Kyle Stowers, $4,300 |
| Favorite pure salary release | Lars Nootbaar, $2,700, with a starting role |
September 16 MLB DFS questions
What time does the seven-game DraftKings main slate start?
The September 16, 2026 seven-game main slate begins at 7:10 p.m. ET with Baltimore at the Mets. This guide is not for the earlier afternoon slate or a separate late-night contest.
Do we need a five-player Padres stack?
No. The Tatis-Merrill-Harris group costs $16,300, compared with $26,600 for our five-player Padres pool. The smaller group can leave a much stronger second pitcher or primary stack around it.
Who are the best cheap hitters in this guide?
Nootbaar at $2,700 and Mack at $2,600 provide the deepest savings. Smith at $3,000 works especially well with Houston; Harris and Foscue are both $3,400. Their starting roles and lineup positions determine how aggressively we use them.
For more slate coverage, visit our MLB analysis. Our DFS strategy guides cover the broader decisions behind stacks, value and tournament construction.