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. Below are three pitchers that I find particularly interesting and are in good spots here on this slate.
- Zac Gallen – Gallen is one of the more talented young pitchers in the league and draws a nice matchup with the San Diego Padres here. The Padres lineup has tapered off a bit since losing Franmil Reyes and Fernando Tatis Jr. and have an implied run total of 4.1 runs here in Arizona. They have a strikeout rate of 26.9% on the season to go along with Gallen’s 28.2% k rate on the season. Strikeouts are king in DFS so these numbers are huge to me, at under $10k I like Gallen a good amount as your SP1 in cash games if you’re not going all the way up to Shane Bieber.
- Jakob Junis – This may be the first time I have written up Junis this season, but we all know that streaming pitchers against the Tigers has been profitable. They have an implied run total of 4 runs in this matchup and Junis feels too cheap for the matchup. Detroit is striking out at a 28.4% rate against right-handed pitching on the season to go along with Junis’s 21.5% rate. Junis has also pitched in this matchup three times this season, in which he averaged 19.4 Draftkings points per game. He makes a ton of sense as an SP2 option.
- Trevor Williams – I always like to provide a value option and today that man is Trevor Williams who draws a matchup with the Miami Marlins. The Marlins have an implied run total of just 3.9 runs here in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is a nice ballpark for pitching and a place that I will look to take advantage of. Miami isn’t striking out as much as you might think, just 21.2% against right-handed pitching, but they more than makeup for that in their offensive incompetence. They have just a .270 xwOBA against righties on the season. Not only this but Williams is in great form, over his past two outings he has at least 21.1 Draftkings points in each. At this price, I will be getting to a lot of Trevor Williams.
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:
New York Mets (+106) @ Washington Nationals (-115)
Anyone who saw the end of this game witnessed a great one, the two teams combined for 12 runs in the ninth inning, ending with a seven-run bottom of the ninth for the Nats to take the cake. Today we get a matchup of Zach Wheeler and Anibal Sanchez. I would much prefer the Wheeler side of this game if looking for a pitcher, but the Nationals offense is one of the better offenses in the league. Oppositely, Anibal Sanchez draws a better matchup with the Mets and their 4.9 implied run total. The thing to keep in mind here is the hitting conditions will be wonderful for these offenses. The wind is expected to be blowing out at over 10 mph to right-center and is expected to be over 90 degrees at first pitch meaning the ball should fly out of the park. 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 <-
Texas Rangers @ New York Yankees
This game has a pitching matchup of Lance Lynn and Chad Green who will be the opener for the Yankees. In what will likely be a bullpen game for the Yankees there is no reason to go with Chad Green in any kind of early slate. Lance Lynn will probably be viable just because of the limited amount of pitching on an early slate, but I don’t love it. Any time the Yankees are in Yankee Stadium I don’t want to target pitchers against them, but Lynn has a chance to hit value at $9k. Both offenses are in play here as this is one of the best ballparks for offenses.
TEX 5-star plays: Shin-soo Choo, Danny Santana
4-star plays: Nomar Mazara, Willie Calhoun
GPP Note: The Rangers make sense as a stack and have a decent amount of upside against this Yankees bullpen, don’t be afraid to go here in an early slate.
NYY 5-star plays: DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez
4-star plays: Gleyber Torres, Didi Gregorius
GPP Note: The Yankees are almost always in play when they’re playing at home, it’s a tough matchup but they still have a ton of upside.
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.
Philadelphia Phillies (-125) @ Cincinnati Reds (+116)
I can’t believe we are seeing Trevor Bauer at sub $8k here, I did a double-take on the price three or four times now. The truth is, he has not been good since coming over from the Indians outside of a couple of starts. Over his past three starts, he has a total of 11 innings pitched accompanied by 19 earned runs. However, this is DAILY fantasy, so I’m willing to look at the big sample size here and I know he has the talent to be one of the best pitchers in this league. For that reason, I will get a lot of him if I’m playing an early slate. Aaron Nola will be on the bump on the other side and gets a nice matchup with the Reds, he’s the obvious SP1 on the early slate.
PHI 5-star plays: Bryce Harper, Corey Dickerson
4-star plays: JT Realmuto, Rhys Hoskins
GPP Note: I will likely get a lot of Trevor Bauer here, but you can’t argue with the form he’s in, one-offs don’t sound like a terrible idea.
CIN 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Aristides Aquino, Eugenio Suarez
GPP Note: I’m not going crazy against Aaron Nola, but some power one-offs make sense in this small ballpark.
Miami Marlins (+168) @ Pittsburgh Pirates (-183)
I wrote-up Trevor Williams in my pitcher’s section and really think he makes a lot of sense as an SP2 or really cheap SP1 option on FanDuel. This matchup is a great one for him and has been in nice form over his past two starts. The Marlins will send Robert Dugger to the mound here and is coming off of a 27 Draftkings point outing against the Cincinnati Reds. I’m willing to take a wait-and-see approach on him here as the Pirates don’t strike out a ton and do have some firepower in their offense.
MIA 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Jon Berti
GPP Note: I’ll get to a decent amount of Trevor Williams here, so I’m not going crazy with the Marlins, as usual.
PIT 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Josh Bell, Starling Marte, Kevin Newman, Bryan Reynolds
GPP Note: I’m taking a similar stance on the Pirates offense as I am with Dugger, I’ll use this game as a measurement. I rarely stack in Pittsburgh anyway, so we’ll see what the result of this one is.
Playing some cash games today? If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these 7 Tips for MLB Cash Games!
Minnesota Twins (+119) @ Boston Red Sox (-129)
This game and series should be a very fun one. We get Eduardo Rodriguez and Jose Berrios on the mound here, who are both fantastic pitchers. There is just one problem for them… these offenses are loaded. Both offenses have implied run totals over 5.5 runs in Boston. I’ll be staying away from the pitching here and targeting these offenses as weird as it may feel.
MIN 5-star plays: Nelson Cruz, Miguel Sano, Jorge Polanco
4-star plays: CJ Cron, Max Kepler, Eddie Rosario
GPP Note: Rodriguez pitched well in this matchup earlier this season but this is a massive ballpark upgrade for the home run hitting Twins, get to them if you can. I’m hoping the E-Rod matchup keeps ownership down.
BOS 5-star plays: Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, Mookie Betts, JD Martinez
4-star plays: Andrew Benintendi, Christian Vazquez, Mitch Moreland
GPP Note: Similar story here, the Sox may go under-owned because of the matchup with Berrios making them an elite GPP stack.
While you’re here, go check out the NFL Draft Kit, which has you covered for all of your draft day needs!
-> NFL DRAFT KIT <-
Chicago White Sox (+251) @ Cleveland Indians (-277)
I didn’t write-up Shane Bieber in my pitcher’s section simply because of how obvious he is here. The White Sox are not a great offense and Bieber has shown Cy Young level stuff this season. Yes, he’s expensive, but he’s your go-to SP1 for cash games. The Sox will send Ivan Nova to the mound who has actually pitched well against this team this season, averaging 17 Draftkings points per game in three starts against them. That said, the Indians are one of my top stacks on this slate with an implied run total of 5.8 runs here.
CHW 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: None
GPP Note: Send me your entry fees instead and I’ll donate them, don’t play the White Sox against Bieber.
CLE 5-star plays: Francisco Lindor, Yasiel Puig, Carlos Santana
4-star plays: Oscar Mercado, Franmil Reyes, Jason Kipnis
GPP Note: The Indians may not have the highest implied run total on the slate, but they are a tier-one stack for me here.
San Francisco Giants (+102) @ St. Louis Cardinals (-111)
Man are the Cardinals playing some good baseball at the right time. They will send Michael Wacha to the mound to face up against Madison Bumgarner. Wacha is probably the worst option on the Cardinals but will get ownership here because of his price and matchup with the Giants, who people still look at as a bad offense. If Wacha gains traction today and will be very chalky, I will certainly get to the Giants in GPPs. I will not be stacking against Bumgarner however, I don’t mind playing him as an SP1 in GPPs.
SFG 5-star plays: Mike Yastrzemski, Alex Dickerson, Brandon Belt
4-star plays: Kevin Pillar, Mauricio Dubon
GPP Note: The Giants are a tier-two GPP stack for me on this slate as weird as it sounds, Wacha is not a great pitcher and the only thing keeping me from making them a tier-one stack is the Cardinals bullpen that ranks best in the NL.
STL 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Marcell Ozuna, Paul Goldschmidt
GPP Note: Just power one-offs against Madison Bumgarner
Detroit Tigers (+187) @ Kansas City Royals (-204)
I touched on Jakob Junis in my pitcher’s section and he draws a great matchup with this Tigers team and is a huge favorite making him a good bet to get the win bonus here on both sites. I love the Royals as a stack here against Edwin Jackson who has a 9.35 era on the season and has given up 12 earned runs over his last two outings. Give me all the Royals in this spot, they’re a tier-one stack for me.
DET 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: None
GPP Note: As usual, no Tigers for me
KCR 5-star plays: Adalberto Mondesi, Whit Merrifield, Hunter Dozier
4-star plays: Jorge Soler, Ryan O’Hearn
GPP Note: The Royals have an implied run total of 5.7 runs here and are one of my favorite stacks on the board, I will be all over them.
San Diego Padres (+117) @ Arizona Diamondbacks (-127)
I wrote-up Zac Gallen in my pitcher’s section as well and is my favorite pivot off of Shane Bieber here if you need to go a little cheaper at SP1. The Padres will send Chris Paddack to the mound in what should be a fun matchup between two young and talented pitchers. This will be a game where I will just focus on pitching and look elsewhere for bats to fill my lineups with.
SDP 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Manny Machado
GPP Note: Just power one-offs here, I like the pitchers in this game
ARI 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Ketel Marte, Eduardo Escobar
GPP Note: Same story here just one-offs
Los Angeles Angels (+138) @ Oakland Athletics (-150)
Tanner Roark and Patrick Sandoval will draw the start for these two teams and both guys make sense as SP2 options on Draftkings. I love using pitchers in this ballpark because of all the foul-ball territory that is a buzzsaw to big innings. Sandoval is coming off of a 26.9 Draftking point outing against the Rangers, look for him to stay hot here. Roark has been less hot but has scored 18.9 Draftkings points against this Angels team once already this season.
LAA 5-star plays: Mike Trout
4-star plays: Shohei Ohtani, Justin Upton
GPP Note: I’m not going too wild here, I think Roark has a nice game.
OAK 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Marcus Semien
GPP Note: Same story here, I’ll have some Sandoval shares as an SP2 option.
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.
Colorado Rockies (+305) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (-340)
I didn’t get him written up either in the pitcher’s column because of his recent form, but Hyun-Jin Ryu makes a lot of sense as a pitching option on this slate. The Rockies are below average away from home and Ryu has some massive home/road splits this season. If you want to pivot off of Gallen I think he is your man, huge vegas favorite here to pick up the win. The Rockies will send Antonio Senzatela to the mound which will make the Dodgers a tier-one stack for me, right up there with the Royals, Indians, and Red Sox.
COL 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: None
GPP Note: Hyun-Jin Ryu is great at limiting hard contact, there are better spots on this slate.
LAD 5-star plays: Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy, Gavin Lux
4-star plays: Corey Seager, Justin Turner, AJ Pollock, Joc Pederson
GPP Note: Anyone that cracks the lineup will get interest from me, the Dodgers disappointed me last night but I’m going right back to the well here.
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.
