MLB DFS Main Slate Advice | Picks, Stacks, Strategy Projections Today May 9th | Fanduel Draftkings

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 5/09:

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.

• Carlos Rodon – Carnage Report ranking coming soon
  • Rodon has carried over where he left off last season and has been awesome to start the season. He has a 36.9% strikeout rate this season and will be a guy I go right back to against this Rockies offense away from Coors Field.
•  Julio Urias – Carnage Report ranking coming soon
  • I love the price tag we get on Urias on both FanDuel and DraftKings and gets an elite matchup against this Pirates team. Not to mention we head into a nice pitcher’s park in Pittsburgh, he looks like a nice option in all formats
• Austin Gomber – Carnage Report ranking coming soon
  • Gomber is really interesting to me tonight, particularly as an SP2 against this Giants team. He’s looked really good as of late and has at least 19.1 DraftKings poitns in three straight starts. The price tag is nice if you’re looking to spend up on bats.

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Early MLB Slate Player Projections and Stacks:

Kansas City Royals (+115) @ Baltimore Orioles (-134)

Implied Run Totals:

Royals – 3.6 IRT

Orioles – 4.1 IRT

Rundown:

We’ll start in Baltimore where Carlos Hernandez will take the mound and matchup against this Orioles offense. Hernandez hasn’t exactly been great for DFS and has a sub-20% strikeout rate going back to the start of last season. The matchup is nice if you really want to make a case for him on the short early slate, but other than that I think we can do better. Taylor Wells will start for Baltimore and has at least 11 DraftKings points in three of his last four starts if you get desperate and need a pitching option on the early slate.

KCR 5-star plays: Bobby Witt Jr., Whit Merrifield

4-star plays: Salvador Perez, Andrew Benintendi

GPP Note: The Royals look like a nice stack here against Wells even with just a 3.6 implied run total… Baltimore has played better to pitchers to start the season which is vastly different than what we’re used to.

BAL 5-star plays: Cedric Mullins, Ryan Mountcastle

4-star plays: Trey Mancini, Anthony Santander, Austin Hayes

GPP Note: I think I have a slight lean to the Royals stack just because I like the speed in that lineup, but Baltimore looks great as well here against Hernandez.

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Texas Rangers (+180) @ New York Yankees (-220)

Implied Run Totals:

Rangers – 2.9 IRT

Yankees – 4.3 IRT

Rundown:

Jon Gray will start for the Rangers here and will look at least interesting as a DFS option. Going back to the start of last season he has a 24% strikeout rate and there are strikeouts in this Yankees lineup… there is also a good amount of power as well. We haven’t really seen Gray go more than five innings this year but I think he’s one of the better options on the early slate. Nestor Cortes will start for the Yankees and is the top pitcher on the early slate with the Rangers having just a 2.9 implied run total. Cortes has a sub-2.00 ERA on the season and averaging 19.2 DraftKings points per game.

TEX 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: Marcus Semien, Adolis Garcia, Corey Seager, Mitch Garver

GPP Note: The Rangers are more of a leverage stack for me with most people firing at Cortes as a pitching option.

NYY 5-star plays: Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge

4-star plays: Aaron Hicks, DJ LeMahieu

GPP Note: I do think Gray is a fine enough pitching option on the early slate but that’s just due to the other options we have, the Yankees do look like a nice stack here.

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Main MLB Slate Player Projections and Stacks:

Los Angeles Dodgers (-247) @ Pittsburgh Pirates (+202)

Implied Run Totals:

Dodgers – 4.4 IRT

Pirates – 2.8 IRT

Rundown:

Onto the main slate where Julio Urias will kick us off as he heads into Pittsburg to face this below-average Pirates lineup. The ballpark is great for pitching and the price tag on Urias is really nice on both DraftKings and FanDuel. He has at least 30 FanDuel points in four straight after his rough first outing of the season. The win equity is huge for him here and will be a guy I like in all formats. Jose Quintana will start for the Pirates and has actually been somewhat serviceable for them, but he won’t be a guy I look to get to against this Dodgers offense… it’ll just come down to whether or not we want to stack this Dodgers lineup or not.

LAD 5-star plays: Mookie Betts, Trea Turner

4-star plays: Freddie Freeman, Justin Turner, Max Muncy

GPP Note: I don’t think the Dodgers will be a top stack for me, but they’re really close against Quintana and this Pirates bullpen.

PIT 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: Bryan Reynolds, Ke’Bryan Hayes

GPP Note: I’ll be pretty heavy on Urias here, so not much from the Pirates.

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Milwaukee Brewers (-184) @ Cincinnati Reds (+155)

Implied Run Totals:

Brewers – 4.4 IRT

Reds – 3.3 IRT

Rundown:

Brandon Woodruff will take the mound for the Brewers and will look like a great pitching option against a very weak Reds offense. I don’t love the ballpark for pitching, but I have faith that Woody can navigate it well enough. Woodruff has a 30% strikeout rate going back to the start of last season and just put up 32.4 DraftKings points against this Reds team in his last outing, he’s an elite option in all formats. Luis Castillo will make his first start of the season here as he comes back from the IL, I do think he’ll be interesting this season but I don’t want him here in his first start, as he’ll likely be on a pitch count.

MIL 5-star plays: Christian Yelich, Willy Adames

4-star plays: Rowdy Tellez, Hunter Renfroe

GPP Note: The nice thing about Castillo likely being on a pitch count is we can get to this Reds bullpen quicker, I have no issues with the Brewers here.

CIN 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: Tommy Pham, Mike Moustakas, Tyler Stephenson

GPP Note: Just one-offs for me from Cincinnati, I’ll like Woody quite a bit.

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Oakland Athletics (+106) @ Detroit Tigers (-123)

Implied Run Totals:

Athletics – 3.4 IRT

Tigers – 3.7 IRT

Rundown:

Paul Blackburn will start for Oakland as they head into Detroit and has been sneaky good this season. I think you can make a case for him as an SP2 option if you need to save the salary and get to a more expensive stack. Michael Pineda will start for Detroit and will be a guy I look to get to as a value option as well. I’ve been streaming pitchers against the Athletics all season long and won’t stop now.

OAK 5-star plays: Ramon Laureano

4-star plays: Sheldon Neuse

GPP Note: I don’t think I’ll ever get to stacking Oakland this season… this lineup is baddddd.

DET 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: Robbie Grossman, Austin Meadows, Javier Baez

GPP Note: I’m fine with Detroit as a mini-stack team, but nothing I want to go too crazy with.

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Cleveland Guardians (+155) @ Chicago White Sox (-182)

Implied Run Totals:

Guardians – 3.3 IRT

White Sox – 4.4 IRT

Rundown:

Zach Plesac will get the ball for the Guardians in this one and hasn’t exactly been in great form. That being said, he did put up 18.2 DraftKings points against this team a few starts ago, so I guess you can make a case for him in tournaments, but not a guy I want all that much of. Michael Kopech will start for the White Sox and has been great to start the season. He has a 34% strikeout rate going back to the start of last season so the upside is certainly there and this Cleveland lineup isn’t one that scares me.

CLE 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: Jose Ramirez

GPP Note: I’ll have more interest in Kopech than anyone from Cleveland.

CHW 5-star plays: Luis Robert, Tim Anderson

4-star plays: Yoan Moncada, Jose Abreu, Yasmani Grandal

GPP Note: The White Sox look like a great stack here against Plesac and will be a team I get a good amount of exposure to.

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Tampa Bay Rays (+111) @ Los Angeles Angels (-130)

Implied Run Totals:

Rays – 3.6 IRT

Angels – 4.0 IRT

Rundown:

The Rays will send Jeffrey Springs to the mound in this one and isn’t stretched out to go deep enough into this game for us to have interest in using him as a pitching option here, so we can take him out of our player pool. Noah Syndergaard will start for the Angels and has at least 25 FanDuel points in each start this season. I don’t love the matchup with the Rays and his strikeouts haven’t been what we’re used to seeing from him… more of a deeper GPP option for me.

TBR 5-star plays: Brandon Lowe

4-star plays: Randy Arozarena

GPP Note: Syndergaard has been good enough to where I don’t think we need to target him with stacks.

LAA 5-star plays: Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani

4-star plays: Taylor Ward, Anthony Rendon, Jared Walsh

GPP Note: It’ll be mostly a bullpen game for the Rays and this Angels lineup has been much improved as a whole to start the season, you can make a case for full stacks here.

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Chicago Cubs (+140) @ San Diego Padres (-167)

Implied Run Totals:

Cubs – 3.2 IRT

Padres – 4.0 IRT

Rundown:

Kyle Hendricks will get the start for the Cubbies as they head into San Diego here. Hendricks has not been in good form as of late, giving up 10 earned runs over his last two starts, and probably not a guy that I’m looking to get to. That being said, he gets a ballpark boost and this Padres lineup doesn’t exactly scare me so if you want to get here as an SP2 option, I think that’s fine. MacKenzie Gore will start for the Padres and looks like a great option again here. He has a sub-2.00 ERa on the season to go along with a 26% strikeout rate, he’ll look like an awesome here against this Cubs lineup.

CHC 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: Willson Contreras

GPP Note: I like Gore quite a bit and this Cubs lineup just isn’t all that great right now.

SDP 5-star plays: Manny Machado

4-star plays: Eric Hosmer, Jake Cronenworth, Trent Grisham

GPP Note: If you think Hendricks continues to struggle here then I have no issue going right back to the Padres stack, but I do think the ballpark shift helps Hedricks a good deal.

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Miami Marlins (-120) @ Arizona Diamondbacks (+101)

Implied Run Totals:

Marlins – 4.5 IRT

Diamondbacks – 4.2 IRT

Rundown:

Elieser Hernandez will start for Miami as they head into Arizona here. This feels like a make it or break it start for Hernandez, as he’s really struggled to start the season. He has an ERA of 6.66 this season and has given up 13 earned runs over his last three starts. He’s not a guy I want to go to here and think the Dbacks stack is in play. Arizona will send Humberto Castellanos to the mound and probably not a guy I want to get to here either, he’s just not all that good.

MIA 5-star plays: Jazz Chisholm

4-star plays: Jorge Soler, Jesus Sanchez, Jesus Aguilar

GPP Note: I like the Marlins as a tournament stack against Castellanos, they have some nice power/speed upside.

ARI 5-star plays: Ketel Marte, Daulton Varsho

4-star plays: David Peralta, Pavin Smith, Josh Rojas

GPP Note: I think Hernadez continues to struggle here, so a Dbacks stack looks great for GPPs at the very least.

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Philadelphia Phillies (+102) @ Seattle Mariners (-120)

Implied Run Totals:

Phillies – 3.7 IRT

Mariners – 3.9 IRT

Rundown:

Ranger Saurez will start for Philly as they head into Seattle here and will look like a solid SP2 option at the very least. Saurez hasn’t looked as good to start this season as we saw last year, but I do think he has some positive regression coming and I like heading into a pitcher’s park against a weaker offense. Chris Flexen will get the nod for the Mariners and actually has 10+ DraftKings points in three straight starts, but this Phillies offense can smoke the ball, so not really a guy I’m looking to get to here.

PHI 5-star plays: Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper

4-star plays: JT Realmuto, Nick Castellanos, Alec Bohm

GPP Note: I think the Phillies could be sneaky here, I love stacking this team due to the firepower they have.

SEA 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: JP Crawford, Jesse Winker

GPP Note: Saurez has struggled a bit this season but this is a great bounce-back spot for him.

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Colorado Rockies (+220) @ San Francisco Giants (-270)

Implied Run Totals:

Rockies – 2.5 IRT

Giants – 4.1 IRT

Rundown:

Austin Gomber will get the start for the Rockies and is an interesting option here at the very least. It’s a massive ballpark upgrade for him getting out of Coors and going into a pitcher’s park. He has at least 19.1 DraftKings points in three straight games and has a really nice price tag, I’ll definitely have some SP2 interest in him in this one. Then we go to the other side where Carlos Rodon gets the start and has been incredible to start the season. Going back to the start of last season he has over a 35% strikeout rate and this Rockies offense does not scare me, both of these pitchers look like nice options.

COL 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: None

GPP Note: Rodon is the top pitcher on the slate for me, so not a team I’m looking to stack.

SFG 5-star plays: None

4-star plays: Wilmer Flores, Austin Slater

GPP Note: Gomber is really interesting to me and a guy I’ll look to get to a bunch for SP2.

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.

Stacks of the Day: Main MLB Slate 

1. Chicago White Sox
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. Arizona Diamondbacks

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MLB DFS Dinger of the Day – Daulton Varsho (DK – $3.8k; FD – $3.1k)

I think this Dbacks stack is really sneaky here against Hernandez who has struggled to start the season. He’s giving up 2.96 HR/9 on the year and Varsho has been swinging a great bat. All of Varsho’s home runs have come against righties this season and is a guy I love tonight. Tweet me (@MadnessDFS) your dinger predictions and if you’re right I’ll give you a shoutout on Twitter, let’s have some fun with this!

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