Get your MLB DFS research started with DFS Army’s Full Count! Pitching advice, stack strategy, home run calls, and everything you need.
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 Mike 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!
Full Slate Breakdown Picks for MLB DFS 5/22:
Aug 31, 2020; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) pitches against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
My Take on an Optimal MLB DFS Process – Looking at Pitchers
I always start an MLB DFS 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.
- Walker Buehler – I’m going right back to the Dodgers hereafter Trevor Bauer tossed 11 strikeouts last night in just over six innings with a quality start. Buehler will get the same matchup here and comes in with a 27.6% strikeout rate on the season. Not only that, but he gives you one of the better chances at a quality start and a win. We don’t have a spread or implied total here, but I love Buehler in this spot even at an escalated price point.
- Robbie Ray – Ray is the second-highest priced pitcher on the slate but you actually get a sizeable discount on him in relation to Buehler on both DraftKings and FanDuel. He has at least 21 DraftKings points in five straight games and is racking up the strikeouts as well. Tampa has been a popular stack over the past couple of days but I think Ray can shut them down and be very viable as a pitching option here.
- Shane McClanahan – McClanahan is probably about as cheap as I’ll go at starting pitcher tonight. He’s probably also only a DraftKings guy because I don’t think he gives you a huge quality start upside like you’re shooting for on FanDuel. He comes in carrying a 30.6% strikeout rate in 17.1 innings this season. The Blue Jays offense can be a scary one, but I think they’re young enough to chase at some of the nasty stuff McClanahan will throw at them here.
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.
Early MLB Slate Player Projections and Stacks:
Chicago White Sox (+175) @ New York Yankees (-192)
Implied Run Totals:
White Sox – 3.2 IRT
Yankees – 4.4 IRT
Rundown:
Dylan Cease will get the start and comes in as a big underdog in this one as he’ll have to face up against Gerritt Cole of the Yankees. The preferred pitching side this one is pretty obvious, but the White Sox do have the firepower to give Cole issues in this one. Dylan Cease is interesting as well, this Yankees offense is grossly underperforming outside of Judge and Stanton (who is out). Cease has near a 29.2% strikeout rate on the season against a high strikeout Yankees offense.
CHW 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Tim Anderson, Yoan Moncada, Jose Abreu, Andrew Vaughn
GPP Note: I probably won’t full stack against Cole but the Sox of some nice one-offs, even a nice power value option in Vaughn as well.
NYY 5-star plays: Aaron Judge
4-star plays: DJ LeMahieu, Luke Voit
GPP Note: I probably like the Yankees slightly better in this one, but I do have a decent amount of interest in both pitchers.
Arizona Diamondbacks (-109) @ Colorado Rockies (+101)
Implied Run Totals:
Diamondbacks – 5.6 IRT
Rockies – 5.5 IRT
Rundown:
Madison Bumgarner should get the start for the Dbacks in this one, but we know how much curveball guys can struggle in Coors… along with most other pitchers. This is the early game I’ll have interest in over that first one. Anthony Senzatela will get the start for the Rockies and a guy I have no issue stacking against in this spot. Both teams come in with implied totals over 5.5 runs and really aren’t all that expensive to stack, so they should be pretty popular.
ARI 5-star plays: Ketel Marte, Eduardo Escobar, Pavin Smith, David Peralta
4-star plays: Josh Rojas, Stephen Vogt
GPP Note: It’s really hard not to love the Dbacks in this one.
COL 5-star plays: Trevor Story
4-star plays: Charlie Blackmon, CJ Cron, Ryan McMahon, Raimel Tapia
GPP Note: I hope people jump on the bandwagon train here, I’ll go pretty heavily against him in this one.
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.
Afternoon MLB Slate Player Projections and Stacks:
Baltimore Orioles (+140) @ Washington Nationals (-152)
Implied Run Totals:
Orioles – 4.3 IRT
Nationals – 5.3 IRT
Rundown:
We get quite the pitching matchup in this one with Bruce Zimmerman and Jon Lester…sick. I’ve always been on team “stack against Lester”, so why stop now? I haven’t recommended the Orioles much, if at all, this season, but let’s start today. Lester hasn’t been terrible but he hasn’t been good either and the run total is pretty healthy for a bad Orioles team. That being said, the Nats come in with a fairly big run total as well and seems like a team that is starting to heat up.
BAL 5-star plays: Trey Mancini, Cedric Mullins
4-star plays: Austin Hays, Maikel Franco
GPP Note: I really like a mini-stack here to save a little salary, but I could get behind a full stack as well against Lester.
WAS 5-star plays: Trea Turner, Juan Soto
4-star plays: Josh Bell, Kyle Schwarber
GPP Note: I like this side of the game a bit better simply due to the matchup, even though Zimmerman is coming off a nice start last time out.
Houston Astros (-195) @ Texas Rangers (+177)
Implied Run Totals:
Astros – 5.3 IRT
Rangers – 3.8 IRT
Rundown:
Lance McCullers will take the mound for the Astros in this one and gets a really nice matchup against a bad and strikeout heavy Rangers offense. McCullers has been really good to start the season with a sub-three ERA and at least 17 DraftKings points in four straight games. Jordan Lyles will be his mound opponent and a guy I’ll stack against with this loaded Astros offense. Lyles hasn’t put up terrible fantasy numbers but he’s still given up at least 6 hits in four of his last five games and has some walk issues as well. The Astros should work him pretty good in this one.
HOU 5-star plays: Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker
4-star plays: Michael Brantley, Yordan Alvarez, Carlos Correa
GPP Note: I like the Astros a lot here, but they’re REALLY expensive unless you can do a 7-8-9-1-2/3 stack.
TEX 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Joey Gallo, Nate Lowe, Willie Calhoun
GPP Note: Probably just one-offs for me from the Rangers.
Minnesota Twins (+155) @ Cleveland Indians (-169)
Implied Run Totals:
Twins – 3.3 IRT
Indians – 4.3 IRT
Rundown:
Kenta Maeda will get the start in this one for the Twins in a really nice pitching matchup against Shane Bieber and the Indians. The win equity isn’t as much as I’d like it to be due to Bieber being on the other side, but this Indians lineup isn’t good right now, hence all the no-hitters against them. Maeda hasn’t been great this season but I like the price tag and matchup enough to have some interest. Shane Bieber is going going to be one of the top spend-up options on the slate even though the Twins have started to heat up a bit, he’s an elite option here.
MIN 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Max Kepler, Alex Kiriloff
GPP Note: Just punt one-offs for me against Bieber.
CLE 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Jose Ramirez, Eddie Rosario, Franmil Reyes
GPP Note: I’ll have quite a bit of interest in Maeda here, he’s a guy I like a good amount.
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.
Milwaukee Brewers (+126) @ Cincinnati Reds (-136)
Implied Run Totals:
Brewers – 4.0 IRT
Reds – 4.6 IRT
Rundown:
Brett Anderson isn’t a guy that I’ll get to here in a hitters park against one of the better offenses in the league this season, you can go ahead and fade, get yourself some Reds bats in this one. It will be hot and that ball will travel. Sonny Gray is a guy you should have an interest in here, however. The Brewers offense has been horrid even with Yelich back in there, I think there’s a slight chance you see Keston Hiura called up and in the lineup due to how he’s hitting at triple-A, but still, Gray is a guy I’ll have some good interest in.
MIL 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Christian Yelich, Omar Narvaez
GPP Note: Not really a stack I want to go to against Gray.
CIN 5-star plays: Jesse Winker, Nick Castellanos
4-star plays: Tyler Naquin, Eugenio Saurez
GPP Note: The price tag is on high on the Reds here, but it’s a nice matchup against Anderson.
Pittsburgh Pirates (-) @ Atlanta Braves (-)
Implied Run Totals:
Pirates – N/A IRT
Braves – N/A IRT
Rundown:
Mitch Keller has been the definition of hit or miss this season. In his last six starts he has three games with negative fantasy production, but three games with at least 14 DraftKings points. That being said, I think he’s going to be on the wrong side of that data in this one against an elite Braves offense. Bryse Wilson could draw some ownership in this spot just due to the matchup, I don’t hate getting some leverage and doing a little Pirates mini-stack and even a full-stack if you’re getting wacky. I don’t have a whole lot of trust in Wilson, especially if he’s highly owned.
PIT 5-star plays: Bryan Reynolds
4-star plays: Gregory Polanco, Kevin Newman, Adam Frazier
GPP Note: I actually kind of like this Pirates mini-stack if Wilson will draw some ownership.
ATL 5-star plays: Ronald Acuna, Freddie Freeman
4-star plays: Marcell Ozuna, Ozzie Albies
GPP Note: I like the Braves a lot here, they’re a top stack on the early slate for me.
New York Mets (-) @ Miami Marlins (-)
Implied Run Totals:
Mets – N/A IRT
Marlins – N/A IRT
Rundown:
This Mets team is BANGED UP right now and it’s not looking all that pretty although there are some nice cheap pieces in Johneshwy Fargas and Khalil Lee at the bottom of this order. That being said, I think it’s a great chance to get some Pablo Lopez here in a pitchers park, and has been great this season. Jordan Yamamoto will get the start for the Mets and gets a revenge game against the team that let him go in the offseason. I don’t love the Marlins stack but they are getting healthier with Chisholm back in that leadoff spot.
NYM 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Jonathan Villar, Francisco Lindor, Dom Smith
GPP Note: I think I’ll have more interest in Pablo Lopez in this one.
MIA 5-star plays: Jazz Chisholm
4-star plays: Jesus Aguilar, Corey Dickerson
GPP Note: I don’t mind some one-offs and you could make a case for a mini-stack, but I don’t know if I want to full-stack them here.
Detroit Tigers (+133) @ Kansas City Royals (-145)
Implied Run Totals:
Tigers – 3.1 IRT
Royals – 4.5 IRT
Rundown:
Matt Boyd will get the start for the Tigers in this one. The Royals aren’t a great offense and this park is pretty solid for pitching, but the implied run total on the Royals is a bit eye-popping. Boyd hasn’t been all that terrible this season, in fact, he has a sub-three ERA on the season, so I may be against Vegas on this one. Brady Singer gets the ball for the Royals here, and I just don’t want to stack this Tigers team against a whole lot of anyone. They do have some interesting players if you’re looking to mini-stack, but I think there are better full stacking options in this one.
DET 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Robbie Grossman, Eric Haase, Jaimer Candelario
GPP Note: I like the Tigers as a mini-stack, but they don’t have enough talent for me to like a full-stack in this one.
KCR 5-star plays: Whit Merrifield
4-star plays: Jorge Soler, Andrew Benintendi, Carlos Santana, Salvador Perez
GPP Note: The implied run total is big so they might draw some ownership, but I think Boyd has been good enough to where I’ll be underweight the full-stack in this one.
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.
Main MLB Slate Player Projections and Stacks:
Boston Red Sox (-128) @ Philadelphia Phillies (+118)
Implied Run Totals:
Red Sox – 4.8 IRT
Phillies – 4.3 IRT
Rundown:
I think you can make a case for Nathan Eovaldi in this one against the Phillies. He brings the Red Sox in as -128 favorites on the road against a Phillies lineup that can get pretty weak after the top of the lineup. Spencer Howard probably won’t go deep enough in this one for me to have much interest in him at all especially against this lethal Red Sox lineup. The Red Sox are certainly in play here as a stack if you can make it work salary-wise, there are some decent savings at the bottom of the lineup with guys like Gonzalez and Dalbec.
BOS 5-star plays: JD Martinez, Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers
4-star plays: Alex Verdugo, Bobby Dalbec, Marwin Gonzalez
GPP Note: It’s pretty tough not to like the Red Sox in this spot against likely a bullpen game for the Phillies.
PHI 5-star plays: Bryce Harper
4-star plays: Andrew McCutchen, Rhys Hoskins
GPP Note: I think I’ll have more interest in Eovaldi than this Phillies lineup.
Los Angeles Dodgers (-166) @ San Francisco Giants (+152)
Implied Run Totals:
Dodgers – 4.3 IRT
Giants – 3.3 IRT
Rundown:
I touched on Walker Buehler at the top of the article, but he’s pretty clearly the top pitching option on the main slate against a below-average Giants offense. He has over a 27% strikeout rate as well, there’s a lot of safety and upside in this one. It sounds like Nick Tropeano is in line to be the long reliever in this one, but do you really want to play him against a loaded Dodgers lineup? I don’t. Tropeano gave up a 54.2% hard contact rate in 2019 with the Angels but bounced back a bit last year at 31.7%, he’s still a guy I have no issue stacking against here.
LAD 5-star plays: Mookie Betts, Max Muncy
4-star plays: Justin Turner, Will Smith, Gavin Lux
GPP Note: The Dodgers are a pretty elite stack here although their lineup isn’t as strong as you might think once you get past those first four guys.
SFG 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: None
GPP Note: All the Buehler for me here.
Chicago Cubs (-114) @ St. Louis Cardinals (+105)
Implied Run Totals:
Cubs – 4.4 IRT
Cardinals – 4.2 IRT
Rundown:
Adbert Alzolay will get the start for the Cubs in this one and a guy I really like as a young pitcher. This is a tough spot against a pesky Cardinals lineup, but I think he gives you some nice upside at lower ownership in this price range. Miles Mikolas will get his first start since hitting the IL, I wouldn’t expect he’s limited all that much, he was pretty stretched out in his rehab assignment if you’re needing a cheap option on this slate.
CHC 5-star plays: Kris Bryant
4-star plays: Anthony Rizzo, Wilson Contreras, Javier Baez
GPP Note: Mikolas is pretty good at limiting hard contact, but I’m okay with a few mini-stacks here.
STL 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Nolan Arenado, Tommy Edman, Paul Goldschmidt
GPP Note: Similar to the Cubs, I’m more than okay with some mini-stacks, but I won’t get too crazy.
Tampa Bay Rays (+109) @ Toronto Blue Jays (-118)
Implied Run Totals:
Rays – 4.6 IRT
Blue Jays – 5.0 IRT
Rundown:
I touched on Shane McClanahan at the start of the article and think he gives you some nice upside at his price tag on DraftKings. I don’t think he’s a FanDuel guy because of the limited quality start equity, but a guy I’ll have some interest in on DraftKings for sure. Robbie Ray is another guy you can get to in this one, he’s been really good this season and has really cut down on the walks which was his big issue in the past. I don’t have much interest in either offense with how much I like these pitchers, but I do think you can hedge McClanahan with those big Jays bat with how young and raw he can be.
TBR 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Randy Arozarenz, Austin Meadows
GPP Note: I’ll have more interest in Ray than anything here.
TOR 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Vlad Guererro, Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien, Teoscar Hernandez
GPP Note: The same story here, but I do think you can make more of a case for a mini-stack or two on the Jays.
Seattle Mariners (+188) @ San Diego Padres (-208)
Implied Run Totals:
Mariners – 3.1 IRT
Padres – 4.5 IRT
Rundown:
I really don’t love either of these pitchers but I do think you can make a case for Ryan Weathers at his price tag. I don’t know that he’ll go all that deep into the game but he’s a nice young pitcher for them and has some nice upside. Justus Sheffield will start for the Mariners and this Padres lineup got Tatis Jr. back this week, making this Padres lineup look much better. I’d rather stack against him than run him out there as a pitching option.
SEA 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Jarred Kelenic, Mitch Haniger, Kyle Lewis
GPP Note: I have no issue with a couple of one-offs or even a mini-stack here against Weathers, but I won’t go all that crazy.
SDP 5-star plays: Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado
4-star plays: Trent Grisham, Eric Hosmer, Tommy Pham
GPP Note: I think I’m going to end up being overweight on the Padres here as a full-stack.
Oakland Athletics (-135) @ Los Angeles Angels (+125)
Implied Run Totals:
Athletics – 4.6 IRT
Angels – 4.0 IRT
Rundown:
Chris Bassitt will get the start for the A’s in this one and has been sneaky good this season. He’s coming off a bad start last time out, but at least 22 DraftKings points four straight before that one. With Mike Trout out of that Angels lineup, it looks pretty weak, so I don’t hate him in this price range either. Patrick Sandoval will get the ball for the Angels, he has a 50% hard contact rate this season and had a 47.4% hard contact rate last season, I love the A’s stack in this one.
OAK 5-star plays: Matt Olson, Matt Chapman
4-star plays: Chad Pinder, Ramon Laureano, Jed Lowrie
GPP Note: I think the A’s will end up as a top stack for me on this main slate.
LAA 5-star plays: Shohei Ohtani
4-star plays: Anthony Rendon, Jared Walsh
GPP Note: I’ll have more interest in Bassitt than this Trout-less Angels lineup.
Stacks of the Day: Main MLB Slate
- Oakland Athletics: I just touched on the Athletics in that last game, but they’re going to come in as my top stack on this slate. Sandoval is giving up a ton of hard contact over the past couple of seasons and this Athletics offense has some nice pop to it. Not only that but they’re extremely affordable and fit will with Beuhler as your SP1 with cheap guys in the lineup like Pinder and even potentially Seth Brown in that two-hole.
- Los Angeles Dodgers: It’s really hard not to like the Dodgers here, the only issue with them is the price tags on these guys. It will probably be pretty hard to stack the Dodgers and get to Buehler as your SP1, but if you can make it work go for it. You’ll likely have to go down to Ray or even a guy like Eovaldi to make this stack work and I think it makes your lineups unique here by “avoiding” Buehler.
- Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox are another expensive stack that may be hard to get to, but you get some solid value in guys like Verdugo, Gonzalez, and Dalbec at the bottom of the order. They’re actually more expensive than the Dodgers on DraftKings, so another stack you may not be able to get to Buehler with. I do like the upside in this spot against Spencer Howard and the Phils bullpen.
MLB DFS Dinger of the Day – Chad Pinder (DK – $2.4k; FD – $2.0k)
I was all over Pinder as a value guy yesterday and a guy I’ll go right back to hereafter having a big night. We get some nice savings on him and is part of my favorite stack on the main slate. He’s generally a nice lefty masher for cheap and that’s what we get here, he comes in with a 0.519 SLG, 0.333 ISO, and a 0.314 wOBA against lefties on the season. Tweet me (@MadnessDFS) your dong predictions and if you’re right I’ll give you a shoutout on Twitter, let’s have some fun with this!
The only thing you are missing at this point is the key to unlock the next level of your MLB DFS 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.
