Full Slate Breakdown for MLB DFS 5/13:
Get your MLB DFS research started with DFS Army’s Full Count! Pitching advice, stack strategy, home run calls, and everything you need.
Happy MLB Season and welcome to another year of 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 Eric, @Razzle11Grinds 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 MLB DFS Process – Looking at Pitchers
I always start an MLB slate by looking at pitching, not only do you get a grasp on who the pitchers are that you want to target, but gives you a holistic look at the slate as well. Breaking down pitching 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 MLB Carnage Report this is where we can analyze all the pitchers on the slate in a compact, yet detailed manner. Below are the three pitchers that jumped out to me at first glance, good or bad.
- Cristian Javier
- Corbin Burnes
- Logan Gilbert
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.
Minnesota Twins @ Chicago White Sox (-135)
Pitchers:
Twins – Michael Pineda
White Sox – Lance Lynn
Rundown:
This game has opened with a total of 7.5. Totally different SP match-up than last night but it’s tough to get the image of that scoreboard and the 20+ runs that were put up, out of my head. My initial thought here is to use the SPs and then sprinkle in some one-offs and mini-stacks from these teams.
MIN 5-star plays: NONE
4-star plays: Nelson Cruz, Josh Donaldson
GPP Note: Team ISO of .184 against RHPs this season.
CWS 5-star plays: Tim Anderson
4-star plays: Billy Hamilton
GPP Note: Team has an ISO of .129 against RHPs this season.
Philadelphia Phillies (-111) @ Washington Nationals
Pitchers:
Phillies – Zach Eflin
Nationals – Patrick Corbin
Rundown:
This game has opened with a total of 8.5. I actually think we could see some offense here despite both SPs being decent overall. Corbin hasn’t looked great this season but I 100% believe he is much better than he is showing. Eflin has shown to be really strong but this WSH squad has hit him pretty well.
PHI 5-star plays: Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins
4-star plays: Jean Segura, Andrew McCutchen
GPP Note: Team ISO of .163 against LHPs this season.
WSH 5-star plays: Trea Turner, Juan Soto
4-star plays: Yan Gomes, Starlin Castro
GPP Note: Team ISO 0f .154 over the last week.
Cincinnati Reds (-135) @ Colorado Rockies
Pitchers:
Reds – Luis Castillo
Rockies – Chi Chi Gonzalez
Rundown:
This game has opened with a total of 10.5. We get a Coors field game with a hot-hitting Reds squad, especially against RHPs. Colorado gets to face a struggling pitcher so I think we see the total go over in this game. I would envision my builds containing at least 1 player from this game in every lineup, if possible of course.
CIN 5-star plays: Jesse Winker, Mike Moustakas
4-star plays: Nick Senzel, Eugenio Suarez
GPP Note: Team ISO of .195 against RHPs this season.
COL 5-star plays: Raimel Tapia
4-star plays: Charlie Blackmon, Trevor Story
GPP Note: Team ISO of .204 at home this season.
Kansas City Royals @ Detroit Tigers (-111)
Pitchers:
Royals – Daniel Lynch
Tigers – Spencer Turnbull
Rundown:
This game has opened with a total of 9. Daniel Lynch looked decent to start his debut before kind of falling apart. He looked horrible in his second start so I have my worries. The issue here is that the Tigers strike out a TON against LHPs. Turnbull is definitely better than he has shown as well so I think he is going to carry a little ownership.
KC 5-star plays: Carlos Santana
4-star plays: Ryan O’Hearn, Jorge Soler
GPP Note: Team ISO of .163 against RHPs.
DET 5-star plays: NONE
4-star plays: Robbie Grossman, Jeimer Candelario
GPP Note: Striking out at nearly a 36% rate against LHPs this season.
Cleveland Indians @ Seattle Mariners
Pitchers:
Indians – Zach Plesac
Mariners – Chris Flexen or Logan Gilbert
Rundown:
Waiting on the Vegas information.
CLE 5-star plays: NONE
4-star plays: Jose Ramirez, Franmil Reyes
GPP Note: Team ISO of .189 against RHPs this season.
SEA 5-star plays: NONE
4-star plays: Kyle Seager, Mitch Haniger
GPP Note: Team ISO of .158 against RHPs this season.
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.
Texas Rangers @ Houston Astros (-195)
Pitchers:
Rangers – Mike Foltynewicz
Astros – Cristian Javier
Rundown:
This game has opened with a total of 8.5. Folty hasn’t been terrible overall but I absolutely LOVE using the Astros when they are at home. They tend to have some strong home splits and the lineup is loaded with danger. Javier has been really impressive so far this season and while I always will worry about HRs, I think he is learning quickly how to limit hard contact while also being able to rack up Ks.
TEX 5-star plays: NONE
4-star plays: Willie Calhoun, Joey Gallo
GPP Note: Team ISO of .158 against RHPs this season.
HOU 5-star plays: Jose Altuve
4-star plays: Yuli Gurriel, Yordan Alvarez
GPP Note: Team ISO of .214 over the last week.
St Louis Cardinals @ Milwaukee Brewers (-125)
Pitchers:
Cardinals – Jack Flaherty
Brewers – Corbin Burnes
Rundown:
This game has opened with a total of 6.5. We get an amazing SP match-up here as Burnes has been absolutely spectacular while Flaherty has been great. I do have one slight worry about Burnes with him coming off of the IL for a COVID situation. We have seen pitchers struggle a bit when they return from the list (whether it be positive tests or vaccine side effects).
STL 5-star plays: NONE
4-star plays: Paul Goldschmidt, Tommy Edman
GPP Note: Team ISO of .163 against RHPs this season.
MIL 5-star plays: NONE
4-star plays: Avisail Garcia
GPP Note: Team ISO of .137 against RHPs this season.
Oakland Athletics @ Boston Red Sox (-111)
Pitchers:
Athletics – Sean Manaea
Red Sox – Garrett Richards
Rundown:
This game has opened with a total of 9. I was shocked to see the total so high here as I consider Manaea a pretty strong SP and BOS has actually been best against RHPs. Richards has turned it around some but the OAK squad is definitely dangerous as well. I imagine that OAK will be more popular as a stack than BOS will be.
OAK 5-star plays: Matt Olson
4-star plays: Mitch Moreland, Seth Brown
GPP Note: Team ISO of .149 against RHPs this season.
BOS 5-star plays: Xander Bogaerts
4-star plays: JD Martinez
GPP Note: Team ISO of .155 against LHPs this season.
The MLB DFS 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 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.
San Francisco Giants (-157) @ Pittsburgh Pirates
Pitchers:
Giants – Anthony DeSclafani
Pirates – Wil Crowe
Rundown:
This game has opened with a total of 8. Look at the BvP history of the Pirates against DeSclafani once. I will sit here and wait while you do that.
Ok, I assume you saw all of those numbers. Yeah, it’s pretty impressive and something that I feel can’t be sustainable, can it? I definitely prefer the Giants’ side but I don’t think I can completely ignore the Pirates, despite how bad they are as a team.
SF 5-star plays: NONE
4-star plays: Buster Posey, Brandon Belt
GPP Note: Team ISO of .179 against RHPs this season.
PIT 5-star plays: Erik Gonzalez, Jacob Stallings
4-star plays: Adam Frazier, Ben Gamel
GPP Note: Roster has a .389 average against DeSclafani in 95 ABs.
New York Yankees (-135) @ Tampa Bay Rays
Pitchers:
Yankees – Jameson Taillon
Rays – Rich Hill
Rundown:
This game has opened with a total of 8.5. I want to believe that we see some offense in this game but every time I target bats against Rich Hill, he does his best to make me cry. With that said, I will be stacking against him yet again. Taillon has the arm talent to be strong and TB can strike out a bunch.
NYY 5-star plays: DJ LeMahieu
4-star plays: Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton
GPP Note: Team ISO of .203 against LHPs this season.
TB 5-star plays: NONE
4-star plays: Joey Wendle, Brandon Lowe
GPP Note: Team ISO of .147 against RHPs this season.
MLB season is upon us! DFSArmy VIP Members had a big season last year and are in for some big things again this season! We will have cheat sheets, breakdowns, and many other tools to help make you successful in one of the more volatile fantasy sports.
Miami Marlins (-115) @ Arizona Diamondbacks
Pitchers:
Marlins – Trevor Rogers
Diamondbacks – Merrill Kelly
Rundown:
This game has opened with a total of 8. Rogers is one of my favorite GPP pitchers on every slate that he is a part of. He has really impressed me with his K upside and he’s worked a ton on his control. I know the D’Backs have an insane ISO against LHPs but I feel like that’s finally moving down with a bunch of guy struggling right now.
MIA 5-star plays: NONE
4-star plays: Corey Dickerson, Jesus Aguilar
GPP Note: Team ISO of .128 against RHPs this season.
ARI 5-star plays: NONE
4-star plays: Carson Kelly
GPP Note: Team ISO of .231 against LHPs this season.
Toronto Blue Jays @ Atlanta Braves (-145)
Pitchers:
Blue Jays – Ross Stripling
Braves – Charlie Morton
Rundown:
This game has opened with a total of 8.5. Morton has struggled all of a sudden and I am not sure this is a match-up for him to turn it around. Stripling gets absolutely smashed by everybody lately but especially RHBs. You will see that Acuna Jr is going to be my favorite play on the entire slate.
TOR 5-star plays: Marcus Semien
4-star plays: Bo Bichette, Randal Grichuk
GPP Note: Team ISO of .165 against RHPs this season.
ATL 5-star plays: Ronald Acuna Jr.
4-star plays: Ozzie Albies, Freddie Freeman
GPP Note: Team ISO of .201 against RHPs this season.
Stacks of the Day: Main Slate
- Cincinnati Reds
- New York Yankees
- Colorado Rockies
MLB Dinger of the Day – Ronald Acuna Jr, Atlanta Braves
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 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 gives you a recipe for success that puts our army hats on leaderboards all over the face of DFS.