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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 6/15:
May 31, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Luis Castillo (58) reacts after pitching during the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
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Early MLB Slate Player Projections and Stacks:
Miami Marlins (+115) @ Philadelphia Phillies (-135)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
We’ll start in Philadelphia where Daniel Castano will take the mound for the Marlins. He’s not a guy we need to look at on this slate, he hasn’t thrown over 30 pitches in any of his three appearances and this Phillies lineup has some firepower that is alluring, at least to me. He’s not a huge strikeout guy either, so no interest from me. Kyle Gibson will get the start for the Phillies and is a guy that has been solid as of late and gets a nice matchup against this Marlins team. He has a 21.1% strikeout rate on the season and is a nice option in this price range.
MIA 5-star plays: Jazz Chisholm
4-star plays: Jorge Soler, Jesus Sanchez
GPP Note: I’ll have some interest in Gibson in this game, but I do think there are some solid enough one-offs on this Marlins team.
PHI 5-star plays: Bryce Harper
4-star plays: Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins, Nick Castellanos
GPP Note: Mostly a bullpen game for the Marlins. I’m not big on stacking against bullpens, but I like this Phillies lineup a good amount in general.
Chicago White Sox (-) @ Detroit Tigers (-)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
Vincent Velasquez will start for Chicago in a really nice matchup against this Tigers team that is striking out at a 24.1% rate on the season. That being said, Velasquez hasn’t been great in a few seasons and this is his first start since returning from the IL… I actually think this Tigers stack could be sneaky on a decent-sized early slate. Alex Faedo will get the ball for the Tigers and has been pretty solid on the season. He has a 2.92 ERA and has at least five strikeouts in back-to-back games… I do think I’d rather get to Gibson at a cheaper price tag, but he’s interesting nonetheless.
CHW 5-star plays: Luis Robert, Jose Abreu
4-star plays: AJ Pollock, Andrew Vaughn
GPP Note: I’ll have some slight interest in Faedo, but the top of this White Sox stack is interesting to me, so more of a mini-stack team to me due to how weak the bottom of this order is.
DET 5-star plays: Austin Meadows, Javier Baez
4-star plays: Harold Castro, Robbie Grossman, Jonathan Schoop
GPP Note: Velasquez is a guy I generally like to stack against, so I think the Tigers could be sneaky here.
Houston Astros (-) @ Texas Rangers (-)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
Luis Garcia will take the mound for Houston in a nice matchup against the Rangers on the road. Garcia is one of the higher-priced pitchers on the early slate on both sites and really hasn’t been all that great as of late. The thing that will help me look over his recent game logs is his solid 24.1% strikeout rate, so he’ll look like a solid option in all formats here. The Rangers will send Tyson Miller to the mound who will start in what should be a bullpen game for the Rangers, so no interest in Miller as a pitching option… the Astros stack will be interesting at the very least.
HOU 5-star plays: Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Yordan Alvarez
4-star plays: Kyle Tucker, Michael Brantley
GPP Note: The Astros will look like a top stack on this early slate.
TEX 5-star plays: Corey Seager, Adolis Garcia
4-star plays: Marcus Semien, Ezequiel Duran
GPP Note: If you think Garcia continues to struggle I can see a leverage Rangers stack working in your favor.
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Cincinnati Reds (+112) @ Arizona Diamondbacks (-131)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
Luis Castillo will start for the Reds in what is a really enticing matchup with the Diamondbacks on the road. He’s been better as of late and we know the upside is there for him, so he’ll be a guy I have an interest in at a nice price tag. He still rocks a 23% strikeout rate on the season and I have no issue chasing the ceiling on him. Arizona will send Zac Gallen to the mound in a similarly great matchup against a below-average Reds lineup. He’s coming off of a rough start last time out but is sporting a 2.95 ERA on the season, he’s worth a look at the very least and makes sense as a pitching option in all formats.
CIN 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Jonathan India, Brandon Drury, Tommy Pham
GPP Note: More of a one-off team than anything for me.
ARI 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Daulton Varsho, Ketel Marte, Christian Walker
GPP Note: Similar to the Reds for me, I’ll have more interest in the pitching in this game.
Kansas City Royals (-) @ San Francisco Giants (-)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
The Royals will send Jon Heasley to the mound against the Giants. Heasley had a massive game last time out against the Orioles where he went seven innings and struck out seven batters. If people are going to chase that game, I’ll happily let them and be underweight on him. He has just a 15.7% strikeout rate on the season, and my general rule of thumb is to get above 20% in order to be in play as an option for me just to capture some sort of upside. The Giants will start Sean Hjelle who gets a great matchup, but I just don’t see the upside for him in this spot.
KCR 5-star plays: Whit Merrifield
4-star plays: Andrew Benintendi, Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez
GPP Note: I think we can get to a mini-stack at the very least on the Royals against Hjelle here.
SFG 5-star plays: Mike Yastrzemski
4-star plays: Joc Pederson, Brandon Crawford
GPP Note: Similar to the Royals, more of a mini-stack team than anything for me.
Minnesota Twins (-134) @ Seattle Mariners (+114)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
The Twins will send Sonny Gray to the mound in a great matchup with the Mariners in a pitcher’s park. He did hit the injury list for about two weeks but was on a heater before getting hurt with at least 20.6 DraftKings points in three of his last five games. I would think they monitor his pitches and innings here, so probably not a guy I’ll love in this price range but if you fall on him, I get it. Marco Gonzales will start for the Mariners and isn’t really a guy I ever get to for DFS due to his low strikeout rate and this Twins team is swinging some hot sticks.
MIN 5-star plays: Byron Buxton, Luis Arraez
4-star plays: Jorge Polanco, Carlos Correa
GPP Note: The Twins look pretty solid here against Gonzales.
SEA 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Jesse Winker, Ty France, Julio Rodriguez
GPP Note: I’ll have more interest in an innings monitor-ed Sonny Gray than this Mariners stack.
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Main MLB Slate Player Projections and Stacks:
Atlanta Braves (-186) @ Washington Nationals (+156)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
Onto to the main slate where the Braves will send Spencer Strider to the mound in a nice matchup against the Nationals. He’s coming off of a really nice start against the Pirates and has been pretty good on the season, he’s a guy I’ll have interest in as an SP2 option on this slate. Erick Fedde will get the start for Washington. but won’t be in my pitcher pool due to the matchup. This Braves lineup is full of firepower from top to bottom even without Albies… and Fedde just isn’t that good.
ATL 5-star plays: Ronald Acuna Jr., Austin Riley
4-star plays: Dansby Swanson, Matt Olson, Marcell Ozuna
GPP Note: It’ll be tough not to like the Braves stack here against Fedde.
WAS 5-star plays: Juan Soto
4-star plays: Lane Thomas, Nelson Cruz, Josh Bell
GPP Note: I’ll have more interest in Strider than this Nationals team.
Tampa Bay Rays (+120) @ New York Yankees (-142)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
Shane McClanahan will take the mound for the Rays here and has been one of the better pitchers in all of baseball this season. He has a massive 35.5% strikeout rate on the year and the upside is massive. I’m willing to overlook the matchup in a bad ballpark, he’s in play in all formats with at least 25.3 DraftKings points in six straight games. We should have a pitcher’s duel in the works here with Nestor Cortes taking the mound on the other side of this one in a great matchup with this watered-down Rays team. Cortes came crashing down to Earth last time out against the Twins but this is an elite bounce-back spot against the Rays who are still without Brandon Lowe and Wander Franco, two of their best bats.
TBR 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Randy Arozarena, Yandy Diaz
GPP Note: I’ll have more interest in the pitchers in this game.
NYY 5-star plays: Aaron Judge
4-star plays: Giancarlo Stanton, Josh Donaldson
GPP Note: Again, I’ll like the pitchers more than anything in this game, but the Yankees have a couple of one-offs that I’ll always have interest in against lefties in a hitters park.
Baltimore Orioles (+250) @ Toronto Blue Jays (-303)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
Bruce Zimmerman will start for the Orioles and will be a pretty easy fade for me against the Jays. Toronto has been hitting the ball extremely well as of late even after a disappointing game last night. Zimmerman has given up at least five earned runs in four of his last five games and this won’t be a spot I think he turns it around. Jose Berrios will start for the Jays in a great matchup with the Orioles. I did have some interest in Kikuchi yesterday which burned me a bit, but Berrios has been in great form as of late with at least 46 FanDuel points in back-to-back games and this Baltimore lineup isn’t one that scares me off.
BAL 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Cedric Mullins, Ryan Mountcastle
GPP Note: I like Berrios too much to have an interest in the Orioles.
TOR 5-star plays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette
4-star plays: George Springer, Alejandro Kirk, Teoscar Hernandez
GPP Note: The Jays are one of the best stacks top to bottom on the slate against Zimmerman.
Milwaukee Brewers (-125) @ New York Mets (+105)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
The Brewers will send Corbin Burnes to the mound and are in need of a good start to get the ball rolling, as they’ve been playing pretty poorly as of late. Burnes will look like a great pitching option in all formats with his 2.48 ERA and 31.8% strikeout rate. David Peterson will start for the Mets and gets a nice matchup against a Brewers team that can’t hit themselves out of a paper bag as of late. Peterson hasn’t been anything special this season, but I do think he’s in play as an SP2… he’s not a sexy option, but he’s an option in this price range.
MIL 5-star plays: Willy Adames
4-star plays: Christian Yelich, Andrew McCutchen, Hunter Renfroe
GPP Note: I don’t mind a mini-stack for the Brewers against a lefty… but they’ve been flat-out bad as of late.
NYM 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Starling Marte, Francisco Lindor
GPP Note: I’ll have more Burnes than anything from the Mets.
Oakland Athletics (+160) @ Boston Red Sox (-190)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
James Kaprielian will start for the A’s in a really tough matchup with the Red Sox on the road. Kaprielian hasn’t been great this season after showing some promising signs last year. He won’t be a guy that I get to on this slate or any slate until he proves something to me this season. Joshua Winckowski will start for the Red Sox after making his MLB debut a couple of weeks ago. He’s not exactly a big strikeout guy in his career and has somewhat struggled with command, so probably not a guy I need to get to here even in a great matchup with this Oakland lineup.
OAK 5-star plays: Ramon Laureano
4-star plays: Seth Brown, Chad Pinder
GPP Note: If you ever want to talk yourself into an A’s mini-stack, now’s the time.
BOS 5-star plays: Trevor Story, Rafael Devers, JD Martinez
4-star plays: Xander Bogaerts, Bobby Dalbec
GPP Note: The Red Sox will look like a great stack on this slate.
Pittsburgh Pirates (+138) @ St. Louis Cardinals (-160)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
Roansy Contreras will get the start for the Pirates in a tough matchup with the Cardinals on the road. Contreras has been good as of late and has a 2.57 ERA on the season… although he did make his season debut against the Cardinals and struggled in just about two innings. I think he’s more of a tournament option simply because he’s priced nicely with some upside, but the risk is certainly there. Jack Flaherty will start for the Cardinals but I wouldn’t expect a whole lot out of him as they’ve decided to limit him to around 60 pitches as he makes his way back from the IL, so we can safely avoid him here. He’s also good enough to hold down this Pirates team for long enough to take them out of play as well.
PIT 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Bryan Reynolds, Ke’Bryan Hayes
GPP Note: No real interest with Flaherty on the other side of this one.
STL 5-star plays: Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt
4-star plays: Tommy Edman, Nolan Gorman, Tyler O’Neill
GPP Note: The Cardinals could be a sneaky stack here… it’s going to be extremely hot in St. Louis so the ball should be flying.
San Diego Padres (+110) @ Chicago Cubs (-129)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
It looks like we could have ourselves a wind game in Wrigley as we have an implied run total over 12 in this one. Keep an eye on the Weather Channel as we get closer to lock to confirm the wind in this one. Ryan Weathers will start for the Padres and is one of their top pitching prospects, but I don’t think this is a great spot for him. Wind games in Wrigley are no joke, so if that doesn’t change, I’ll probably fade both pitchers in this game. On that note, Caleb Kilian will start for the Cubs and had a solid start last time out, but again… not really a game I want to be playing pitching in.
SDP 5-star plays: Manny Machado, Luke Voit
4-star plays: Jurickson Profar, Jake Cronenworth
GPP Note: If the wind is blowing out as we’re currently projecting, the Padres will look like a great stack.
CHC 5-star plays: Christopher Morel, Willson Contreras
4-star plays: Patrick Wisdom, Frank Schwindel, Jonathan Villar
GPP Note: Similar to the Padres, if the wind holds true, the Cubs will look great here as well.
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Cleveland Guardians (-108) @ Colorado Rockies (-110)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
Into Coors Field we go where Konnor Pilkington will get the start for Cleveland in a tough spot against the Rockies. Pilkington had a rough outing last time out and doesn’t get much easier for him here, I don’t think he’s a guy we want to get to here in Coors. The Rockies will start Austin Gomber in a similarly bad matchup and won’t be a guy I have any interest in here even off of a nice start last time out. Both of these teams will make for great stacks as this game has an implied run total of over 12.
CLE 5-star plays: Jose Ramirez, Amed Rosario, Josh Naylor
4-star plays: Myles Straw, Owen Miller
GPP Note: Cleveland will be a top stack on the main slate yet again.
COL 5-star plays: CJ Cron, Brendan Rodgers
4-star plays: Connor Joe, Charlie Blackmon, Randal Grichuk
GPP Note: Similar to the Guardians, they’ll look great here.
Los Angeles Angels (+168) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (-200)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
We’ll round out the slate with a battle of Los Angeles where Reid Detmers will take the mound for the Angels in a tough matchup against a good Dodgers lineup. I don’t see him being a guy that I’ll want to target all that much in this spot, I think there are better options in this price range. Meanwhile, Tyler Anderson will start for the Dodgers after a tough outing last time out against the White Sox. That being said, he had four straight starts with at least 25.1 DraftKings points going into that game. I don’t think he’s the worst option, but the price tag is certainly up on him.
LAA 5-star plays: Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani
4-star plays: Jared Walsh, Taylor Ward
GPP Note: The Angels will be more of a mini-stack team at the top of this lineup.
LAD 5-star plays: Mookie Betts, Trea Turner
4-star plays: Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Max Muncy, Justin Turner
GPP Note: The Dodgers always get overlooked, and I think they look like a great option on this slate.