Draftkings MLB Showdown Picks: Athletics vs. Astros 9/11/24

Major League Baseball presents a matchup between the Oakland Athletics and the Houston Astros. Let’s take a look at this MLB Game from a Draftkings perspective.

Prior to discussing the Oakland Athletics vs. Houston Astros game let’s review the rules for the Draftkings single game showdown contest.

Draftkings Single Game Showdown Contest Rules

You have $50,000 to utilize on five players from either team. However, one of those players will be designated as your team captain. The captain accumulates 1.5 times the standard fantasy points. Additionally, the captain is 1.5 times the standard cost of the flex position.

The remaining four players in your lineup will receive the standard fantasy points. Having stated that, it is highly important for you to identify the correct player for your captain position if you hope to win a large field DFS GPP (guaranteed prize pool) showdown contest.

If you have additional questions regarding the rules for the single Game showdown contest, I recommend that you check out the Draftkings website for more details.

*I recommend that all readers review the starting lineups for both teams prior to setting your DFS lineup for this one game slate.

Here are my Draftkings picks for tonight’s Oakland Athletics vs. Houston Astros matchup.

Draftkings MLB Showdown Picks

Hunter Brown, Starting Pitcher, Houston Astros $11,400

On Wednesday night, Major League Baseball presents the second game of a three game American League series between the Houston Astros and the Oakland Athletics.

How are these two teams playing entering tonight’s MLB game? The Houston Astros arrive at tonight’s game with the Athletics playing below average baseball. The Astros have lost five of the team’s last seven games played in the 2024 MLB regular season, including a 12-6 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks three days ago.

Similar to the Houston Astros, the Oakland Athletics have not been playing good baseball recently. Let me be more specific. The Athletics have lost four of the team’s last six Games played this season, including an embarrassing 16-3 loss to the Seattle Mariners last week.

It should be noted that the Oakland Athletics defeated the Houston Astros 4-3 in last night’s opening game of this three game American League series.

Now that we have determined how both of these American League teams are currently playing let’s shift our focus to tonight’s Game. Houston pitcher Hunter Brown has established himself as a valuable member of the Houston Astros starting pitching rotation this season. Having stated that, how has Brown been playing from a statistical standpoint in 2024? Let’s review Hunter Brown’s recent Game data to answer that question.

In the 27 games that Hunter Brown has pitched for the Houston Astros in 2024, Brown has posted a respectable 3.41 ERA (Earned Run Average), 1.34 WHIP (walks, hits, inning pitched) and added a massive 161 strikeouts while allowing 55 walks.

More recently, in the Houston Astros 1-0 shutout loss to the Cincinnati Reds six days ago, Houston starting pitcher Hunter Brown certainly pitched at a high level. Let me be more specific. Brown pitched six innings striking out six Reds batters while allowing only four hits and one walks in the Reds win over the Reds.

Flex Plays

Yordan Alvarez, Outfielder, Houston Astros $9,600

Houston outfielder Yordan Alvarez continues to be an important part of the Houston Astros lineup this season. In his last four games played for the Houston Astros in the 2024 MLB regular season, Yordan Alvarez has tallied seven hits (two home runs), two runs scored, and one walk in 15 plate appearances. Clearly, Houston outfielder Yordan Alvarez is currently swinging the bat at a high level.

Flex plays I like (Draftkings price noted): Joey Estes, Starting Pitcher (Oakland Athletics) $10,200: Brent Rooker, Outfielder (Houston Astros) $9,200.