Welcome to the DFS Army MLB Full Count! You have to start your research somewhere, and oftentimes going game by game and breaking down every matchup and its key players is the first step in our process. My name is Michael aka @MadnessDFS on Twitter, make sure to give me a follow as I’ll occasionally make updates to the advice in the article out on Twitter as well as inside our coaching forums. With that said, let’s get it started!
My Take on a Consistent Process – Looking at Pitchers
I always start a slate by looking at pitching, not only do you get a grasp on who the pitchers are that you want to target. But it also gives you an idea of what offenses are in good spots against bad/vulnerable pitchers. I start my research by going straight to the Nilly’s MLB Carnage Report, this is where we can analyze all the pitchers on the slate in a compact, yet detailed manner, but I’ll leave that for our VIP Members. Below are three pitchers that I find particularly interesting and are in good spots here on this slate.
- Robbie Ray – Robbie Ray is a guy that I always look to get to, as he has elite strikeout stuff and for DFS we chase strikeouts when it comes to pitching. On the season he is striking out 31.3% of opposing batters while the Padres are striking out at a 23.2% rate against left-handed pitching on the season. This is a nice matchup for Ray, San Diego is a team that doesn’t scare me. Their lineup is not all that great now that Tatis and Reyes are out of it for the year. They have an implied run total of just four runs and Arizona has actually been one of the best parks for pitching this season. At his price, I think he sets up as a very nice SP1 option on tonight’s slate.
- Luis Severino – Severino has pitched in two games this season (recently) due to being out with an injury. However, the Yankees are getting him back right in time for a playoff run. In his first two starts of the season, he has looked incredible and even made it five innings on 80 pitches last time out, so you have to think that’s the floor of how far he’ll go tonight. He gets a Rangers team that can strikeout with the best of ’em at 23.7% against righties this season. Severino’s strikeout numbers are a bit inflated due to just starting two games but for what it’s worth he’s at 38.2%, which is not too shabby. Paying up for pitching on this slate may be the way to go, I like Severino here.
- Gio Gonzalez – Finding a pitcher under $8.5k is not easy today, in fact, it gets quite ugly after the top tier guys. That said, I always like to provide a cheap option, so we can roll the dice with Gio here. The risky thing about Gio may not be that he’s in Coors Field as weird as it sounds. The Brewers need to win this game to have a shot at the NL Central title and Craig Counsell has not been shy about using his bullpen, so he may see a short start depending on how things go. That said, the Rockies have big strikeout numbers and if Gio can get you somewhere around 15 Draftkings points, you’ll take it at this price tag.
We have a BRAND NEW update to our MLB Domination Station lineup optimizer with advanced user-controlled scoring systems inside. You control how the lineups are built from three main uses of our projections: Points based, DFSA Grades, or the unique blend of Hybrid Scoring! The Domination Station will help you create 150 of the highest projected lineups in a matter of minutes. With features that allow you to Like 
Love 
or Dislike 
a player, you can create a fully unique pool of players to generate your lineups from every day. Combine the power of the Domination Station with our VIP Only Articles and the MLB Research Station to really take your game to the next level. Also, see our “How to Crush” Series of videos designed to walk you through both process and lineup construction using our various tools. These videos are must-watch for any serious player!
Full Count Breakdown:
Baltimore Orioles (+152) @ Boston Red Sox (-166)
John Means and Jhoulys Chacin will draw the starts for these two teams in Fenway tonight. The Orioles have an implied run total of 4.6 while the Red Sox make it all the way up to 6 runs. Boston is an elite stack here if you’re going to be playing the showdown slate or some kind of early slate. I like the talent of John Means, but this Red Sox offense is one of the better lineups in the league. Chacin will likely just open this game as the bullpen follows him, it sounds like Shawaryn will be the long relief option and at minimum salary on Draftkings for the showdown makes a lot of sense. Due to the pricing being much different than the main slate I’ll let the coaches break this one down for you in slack. Also, be sure to check out our Coaches Notes/Player Picks on this game for a more in-depth look on player analysis since the pricing for a showdown slate is much different than the full slate.
-> COACHES NOTES/PLAYER PICKS <-
Minnesota Twins (-179) @ Kansas City Royals (+165)
It looks like there may be some rain in this game so be sure to keep an eye on the Weather Station before locking those lineups. Cody Stashak will draw the start for the Twins giving the Royals an implied run total of 4.5 runs, I don’t hate a mini-Royals stack here as there is some upside in this lineup. Glenn Sparkman will go for the Royals and the Twins are one of the better stacks on the early slate because of this. They have an implied run total of 6.1 runs here and Sparkman has a 5.63 era on the season.
MIN 5-star plays: Mitch Garver, Nelson Cruz, Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano
4-star plays: Jorge Polanco, CJ Cron
GPP Note: Anyone that cracks this lineup is in play for me against Sparkman.
KCR 5-star plays: Whit Merrifield, Jorge Soler
4-star plays: None
GPP Note: There are some elite one-off options in this lineup, but not enough to formulate a full-stack. Mini-stacks may be as far as I go here.
Tampa Bay Rays @ Toronto Blue Jays
This game looks like it will be Trent Thronton and Ryan Yarbrough for both of these teams. The Rays have officially punched their postseason ticket with last nights win and Cleveland losing, so we may get one of those “hangover” lineups from them here, but just keep an eye on the lineups page before lock. I had some interest in stacking the Rays yesterday, but I don’t think that will be the case against Thornton today, he’s a solid pitching option on a day that lacks cheap options. The Jays have some nice one-offs but I like Yarbrough’s stuff, so I’m not going too wild.
TBR 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Austin Meadows, Tommy Pham, Ji-Man Choi
GPP Note: I think I’m just going to stick with one-offs here, maybe a mini-stack or two.
TOR 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Cavan Biggio, Vlad Guerrero Jr.
GPP Note: Yarbrough’s a good pitcher, you don’t need to stack against him on this slate.
Cleveland Indians @ Washington Nationals
This series lost some steam last night with the Indians officially being eliminated from the playoffs and the Nats moving to two games up on the Brewers for that first wild-card spot. Patrick Corbin will see the mound for the Nats but I would expect they take it easy on him as it sounds like they may want to use him out of the bullpen on Tuesday for the wild-card game, that said I won’t be using any of the Indians offense outside of one-offs. Adam Plutko will go for the Indians, and this game just feels like a stay-away for me on all accounts.
CLE 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Yasiel Puig
GPP Note: Although I won’t have much of Corbin, I don’t want to be targeting him with bats either.
WAS 5-star plays: Juan Soto, Anthony Rendon, Trea Turner
4-star plays: Victor Robles, Adam Eaton
GPP Note: Keep an eye on the lineup here, they may look to rest a few guys. Ultimately not a bad GPP stack.
Los Angeles Dodgers @ San Francisco Giants
Hyun-Jin Ryu will start for the Dodgers and although he has done very well this season, the Dodgers have nothing to play for at this point in the season. I don’t think Dave Roberts will be pitching Ryu any longer than he needs to tonight, for that reason I won’t be paying this huge price tag for Ryu in this spot. Logan Webb will take the mound for the Giants, I don’t hate him as a cheap option here as I think Roberts continues to give some of the key guys an opportunity to rest. Plus this is a massive pitcher park to help his cause.
LAD 5-star plays: Cody Bellinger
4-star plays: Corey Seager, Max Muncy
GPP Note: The Dodgers are more of a GPP stack for me, there are a number of different teams I like more than them on this slate.
SFG 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: None
GPP Note: Hyun-Jin Ryu is a great pitcher, no need to stack against him.
Miami Marlins (+154) @ Philadelphia Phillies (-167)
Caleb Smith will draw the start for the Marlins and is a guy that I may find myself having some interest in here against the Phillies. He has a 27.4% strikeout rate on the season and this Phillies team is striking out at a 21.4% rate. I love the talent on Smith and think this is a fair price for him. The Phillies will send Zach Eflin to the mound and will be a popular punt value option against the Marlins weak offense.
MIA 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Jon Berti, Jorge Alfaro
GPP Note: I like Eflin a decent amount here and on a full slate there are better options than a Marlins stack.
PHI 5-star plays: Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins
4-star plays: Brad Miller
GPP Note: Some elite upside power options here, but I like Caleb Smith on the other side of this one.
The starting lineups page is a useful tool to get a quick view of all of the teams, and gives you a nice clean view of the DFSArmy grades as well!
Cincinnati Reds @ Pittsburgh Pirates
Lucas Sims and James Marvel will draw the starts tonight. Marvel has a 10.22 era on the season and is simply not good right now. You can make a decent case for stacking this Reds team, although I hate stacking in this ballpark. Sims sounds like he’ll be the opener followed by Kevin Gausman, who has not been great this season. This is a game where I will be more interested in bats than pitchers. As I said, I hate stacking in Pittsburgh but you can make a case for mini-stacks on both sides of this one.
CIN 5-star plays: Aristides Aquino, Eugenio Suarez
4-star plays: Michael Lorenzen
GPP Note: Just one-offs and mini-stacks for me here, I don’t love stacking in Pittsburgh, Marvel is not good.
PIT 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Bryan Reynolds, Adam Frazier, Kevin Newmann
GPP Note: Gausman has struggled this season, you can take advantage of him with some of these bats, but not my favorite stack by any means.
While you’re here, go check out all the NFL strategy we have at DFSArmy, which has you covered for all of your NFL fantasy needs. BobbyWow1 took home $1,000,000 last weekend, go check out his interview here!
-> NFL Strategy <-
Atlanta Braves (+103) @ New York Mets (-111)
Steven Matz will take the mound for the Mets and may be a guy that starts to gain some ownership throughout the day simply due to the lack of cheap pitching options. The Braves have an implied run total of just four runs and is missing a key bat in their lineup in Ronald Acuna. I don’t hate getting to some Matz on this slate. Mike Foltynewicz will draw the start for the Braves and has gone over 30 Draftkings points in two of his last three games. I don’t hate him for GPP’s against an up and down Mets offense.
ATL 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson
GPP Note: This Braves team can hit, but I think I’ll ultimately get more exposure to Steven Matz here.
NYM 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Michael Conforto
GPP Note: Folty is pitching well, just one-offs for me.
Chicago Cubs (+174) @ St. Louis Cardinals (-189)
After Joe Maddon basically said he was benching his starters last night, he ended up getting a win for the first time in nine games. I would think the starters get rested here again so just keep an eye on the starting lineup here. The Cardinals need to continue to win to secure that NL Central title while the Brewers are just one game back. Cole Hamels will take the mound for the Cubs and he has not been great as of late, I think there are better options here. Wainwright will start for the Cardinals and was rolling through teams up until his last start in which he gave up five earned runs to the Diamondbacks.
CHC 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Nick Castellanos, Kyle Schwarber
GPP Note: Wainwright has been good other than his last start and I’m expecting a weak lineup here, no need to stack the Cubbies.
STL 5-star plays: Paul Goldschmidt, Marcell Ozuna
4-star plays: Paul DeJong
GPP Note: Nothing that I’m too thrilled about here, I’m curious to how Hamel’s looks. Power one-offs for me against the lefty.
The MLB Research Station is my #1 source for research every single day and is one of the VIP Only tools our members have access to daily. The info in the MLB ReSearch Station includes today’s
DFS Army Projection, Adjusted BVP matchups and much more. This tool will cut your daily research time in half. If you’re familiar with CeeGee and Ben you already know the time they’ve put into the “Sheets” and are extremely happy to provide them as apart of your DFS Army VIP Membership this year.
New York Yankees @ Texas Rangers
Well… James Paxton is now my mortal enemy. Any way… I wrote-up Luis Severino as a pitching option here and is really one of the better options on this slate. This Rangers team is not one to be afraid of so get to some Severino here. Adrian Sampson will be the long reliever for the Rangers, making the Yankees one of the better stacks on the slate yet again here in Texas.
NYY 5-star plays: DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez
4-star plays: Gleyber Torres, Edwin Encarnacion
GPP Note: Sampson has not been good and the Yankees have, put two and two together to get one of the better stacks of the night with the Yankees.
TEX 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: None
GPP Note: I’ll have a lot of Luis Severino interest, so no Rangers for me.
Watching the weather is half the battle when it comes to MLB DFS. The DFS Army Weather Station has you covered, from games that have delay and postponement potential, to games that could have significant winds that will play a roll in selecting a team to stack or a pitcher to use.
San Diego Padres (+148) @ Arizona Diamondbacks (-161)
Robbie Ray is another guy that I wrote-up and he is probably my favorite pitching option on the slate given all the strikeout upside here against the Padres here. San Diego will send Garrett Richards to the mound and has not looked good since returning from injury as he has an era over 10 in his first two starts. The Dbacks don’t have a great lineup right now, but there are some nice one-off options, to say the least.
SDP 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Manny Machado, Hunter Renfroe
GPP Note: Robbie Ray is my favorite pitcher on the slate, I won’t be going wild with and Padres bats.
ARI 5-star plays: Eduardo Escobar
4-star plays: Christian Walker, Wilmer Flores
GPP Note: Just one-offs for me here, Richards has struggled out of the gate.
Milwaukee Brewers (-185) @ Colorado Rockies (+170)
As I mentioned with the Cardinals game, the Brewers will continue to put pressure on them so they will be going all out for this one with Gio on the mound. I wrote-up Gio simply because the cheap pitching on this slate is pretty weak, so if you need to get to him to free up salary for a stack I don’t hate it. Chi Chi Gonzalez will get the start for the Rockies and I expect the Brewers to tattoo his 5.86 era. The Brewers are an elite stack if you can afford them, while the Rockies are slightly below them for me.
MIL 5-star plays: Ryan Braun, Trent Grisham, Keston Hiura, Yasmani Grandal, Mike Moustakas
4-star plays: Eric Thames, Orlando Arcia
GPP Note: They have the highest implied run total on the slate, I like them a lot if you can find the salary to get to them.
COL 5-star plays: Trevor Story, Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon
4-star plays: Samuel Hilliard
GPP Note: I don’t like them as much as the Brewers but they have a 5.3 implied run total. I’ll get some Gio as a pitching option so a hedge stack would make some sense.
Playing some cash games today? If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these 7 Tips for MLB Cash Games!
Houston Astros @ Los Angeles Angels
Justin Verlander is the starter for the Astros tonight and the most expensive pitcher on the slate. He’s thrown just 87 and 92 pitches in his past two games, so I expect the Astros keep a pretty close eye on that pitch count tonight as they don’t really have anything to play for. For that reason, I’m not paying all the way up for Verlander. Jose Suarez is a gas-can, you can load up on anyone that cracks this Astros lineup he has a 46.8% hard contact rate this season.
HOU 5-star plays: Alex Bregman, George Springer, Jose Altuve
4-star plays: Yordan Alvarez, Michael Brantley
GPP Note: They are a top stacking option on this slate, it may be tough predicting who’s in this lineup as I think they try and get some of their stars some rest. But, whoever cracks this lineup is in play for me.
LAA 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: None
GPP Note: I don’t expect Verlander to go too deep here, but his lineup is not good right now.
Oakland Athletics @ Seattle Mariners
Both Brett Anderson and Marco Gonzales make sense as pitching options on this slate due to the lack of cheap pitching. Seattle is a big ballpark and good for pitching, so I will likely get to both of these guys in at least a few lineups. If I had to pick a lineup to stack it would be the Mariners just because Brett Anderson isn’t all that great, but I don’t love it. I think I’ll stick with the pitchers in this one.
OAK 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien, Ramon Laureano
GPP Note: I like Gonzales as a pitcher, this is a big ballpark, I’m not going crazy here.
SEA 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Austin Nola, JP Crawford, Kyle Seager
GPP Note: Brett Anderson isn’t a sexy play, but at his price makes some sense as an SP2.
As always I appreciate everyone who gave the article a read! Feel free to mix it up with me in our coaching forums as news breaks and lock approaches.
The only thing you are missing at this point is the key to unlock the next level of your game. Come inside and check us out!! We have the experts sharing their secrets and experience on a daily basis. Combine that with the actual ability to ask them questions and get quick answers in return, and you have a recipe for success that puts our army hats on leaderboards all over the face of DFS.
The only thing you are missing at this point is the key to unlock the next level of your game. Come inside and check us out!! We have the experts sharing their secrets and experience on a daily basis. Combine that with the actual ability to ask them questions and get quick answers in return, and you have a recipe for success that puts our army hats on leaderboards all over the face of DFS.
