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 8/05:
Aug 4, 2022; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Juan Soto (right) gestures toward the Padres dugout after hitting a double during the seventh inning as Colorado Rockies shortstop Garrett Hampson (1) looks on at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
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.
Main MLB Slate Player Projections and Stacks:
Washington Nationals (+170) @ Philadelphia Phillies (-205)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
We’ll open up the day with Josiah Gray getting the start against this Phillies lineup. Gray has been fine as of late but I don’t love this matchup one bit as a massive underdog. I liked the Phillies stack a ton last night before it was rained out and I think they could be sneaky again here against Gray. Kyle Gibson will get the start for Philly and will look like a solid SP2 option in a great matchup against this new look Nats team. Without Josh Bell and Juan Soto, they’re lineup is not good and I think Gibson provides some nice value at this price tag. Not to mention the win equity is massive as a -205 favorite.
WAS 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Luke Voit, Luis Garcia, Keibert Ruiz
GPP Note: This lineup just isn’t good enough to full-stack right now.
PHI 5-star plays: Kyle Schwarber
4-star plays: Rhys Hoskins, Alec Bohm, Darick Hall, Nick Castellanos
GPP Note: I like the Phillies here, they’ll be a full-stack I have interest in.
Pittsburgh Pirates (+134) @ Baltimore Orioles (-158)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
The Pirates will send Mitch Keller to the mound here in a good spot against a weak Orioles lineup in a nice pitcher’s park. Keller hasn’t been too bad as of late with at least 17.9 DraftKings points in three of his last four. I think you can make a case for him as an SP2 on DraftKings, but I wouldn’t touch him on FanDuel where you only roster one pitcher. Baltimore will start Dean Kremer in a nice matchup with the Pirates. Kremer is coming off of a rough start last time out against the Reds and probably won’t be a guy that makes my pitching pool on this slate. It’s a 13-game slate, so we can afford to be picky.
PIT 5-star plays: Bryan Reynolds
4-star plays: Oneil Cruz
GPP Note: The Pirates will be more of a one-off team for me than anything.
BAL 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Cedric Mullins, Adley Rutschman, Ryan Mountcastle
GPP Note: They’ll be more of a mini-stack, I think you can make a case for Keller as an SP2 as well.
Atlanta Braves (+118) @ New York Mets (-138)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
The Braves will send Ian Anderson to the mound in a tough matchup with a hot-hitting Mets team. Anderson looked great last time out against the Dbacks after a dreadful start against the Angels… I don’t think he’s a guy that I’ll have interest in here due to his volatility and the Mets lineup being a top 5 scoring team on the season. Taijuan Walker will start for the Mets in a tough matchup as well with this Braves team. Walker has shown a nice 2.79 ERA but has an xERA of 3.99 which will keep me off of him against a good lineup.
ATL 5-star plays: Matt Olson
4-star plays: Ronald Acuna Jr., Dansby Swanson, Austin Riley
GPP Note: It’s not my favorite spot to load up on Braves bats, but I won’t talk you off of them.
NYM 5-star plays: Starling Marte, Francisco Lindor
4-star plays: Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo
GPP Note: The Mets look solid here, they won’t be a top stack, but I don’t trust Ian Anderson to stay hot.
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.
Tampa Bay Rays (-205) @ Detroit Tigers (+170)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
Corey Kluber will take the mound for the Rays in a nice matchup with the Tigers. I had a good amount of interest in Jeffery Springs in this same matchup last night and it worked out well as he went six innings of no-run ball. Kluber is coming off of a nice start last time out and will be a guy I have interest in here against a bad offense. He has a 21.6% strikeout rate on the season and is someone I think has some value at this price tag. The Tigers will send Bryan Garcia to the mound and simply won’t make my player pool. He hasn’t really shown the strikeout stuff in the minors as he’s been held under 20% all the way back until 2019.
TBR 5-star plays: Brandon Lowe, Yandy Diaz
4-star plays: Isaac Paredes, Randy Arozarena, David Peralta
GPP Note: The Rays look great here and will be a stack I have a good amount of interest in.
DET 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Riley Greene, Javier Baez
GPP Note: I’ll have more interest in Kluber than anyone from this Tigers lineup.
Houston Astros (-200) @ Cleveland Guardians (+170)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
Framber Valdez will get the ball for the Astros in this one to follow up a great start from Justin Verlander last night in this same matchup. Valdez has at least 34 FanDuel points in three straight games and is priced up on both DraftKings and FanDuel. That said, he’ll still be a guy that I’m interested in here. He has a 22.3% strikeout rate on the season and this Guardians lineup isn’t one to be all that afraid of. Speaking of the Guardians, they’ll send Bryan Shaw to the mound, and is a guy we can safely exclude tonight.
HOU 5-star plays: Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker
4-star plays: Jose Altuve, Yuli Gurriel, Trey Mancini, Jermey Pena
GPP Note: The Astros look great here against Shaw.
CLE 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Jose Ramirez
GPP Note: Just one-offs against Valdez for me.
Chicago White Sox (-180) @ Texas Rangers (+155)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
Chicago will send Dylan Cease to the mound in a nice matchup with this Rangers team. Cease will look like a top option on the slate and is the highest-priced pitcher on both DraftKings and FanDuel. He has at least 20.7 DraftKings points in five straight games so the floor is obviously there, but the ceiling is as well with a 33.3% strikeout rate on the season. He’ll be a guy I want to get a bunch of exposure to on this slate if we can find the money for him. Glenn Otto will get the start on the other side of this one and likely won’t be a guy I look to get to here either, again, we can be picky on this slate.
CHW 5-star plays: Luis Robert, Tim Anderson
4-star plays: Eloy Jimenez, Jose Abreu
GPP Note: The White Sox don’t have a huge implied run total, but I still think they look good as a secondary stack here.
TEX 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: None
GPP Note: Love Cease here, so nothing really from the Rangers.
MLB season is here! 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.
Boston Red Sox (-115) @ Kansas City Royals (-103)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
Josh Winckowski will get the start for Boston in a really nice matchup with this Royals team that is now without Whit Merrifield. That being said, Winckowski has not been great as of late and has a 5.00 ERA on the season… as good as the matchup looks, I don’t think we can confidently get to Winckowski here. Zack Greinke will get the start for the Royals in a tough matchup as this Red Sox team gets healthier. Greinke is another guy that hasn’t been good as of late, I’ll have some interest in a Boston stack here, so it’s a no from me on Mr. Greinke.
BOS 5-star plays: Rafael Devers
4-star plays: Jarren Duran, Tommy Pham, Xander Bogaerts, JD Martinez
GPP Note: I like Boston here and it’s supposed to be a hot one in Kansas City, so they’re looking good against Greinke.
KCR 5-star plays: Bobby Witt Jr., MJ Melendez
4-star plays: Salvador Perez, Vincent Pasquantino
GPP Note: I think you can make a case for the Royals as a mini-stack here, the top of the lineup is pretty intriguing.
Cincinnati Reds (+188) @ Milwaukee Brewers (-230)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
The Reds will send Robert Dugger to the mound in Milwaukee against a scuffling Brewers team. That said, their bats haven’t really been the issue, but Dugger has looked decent this season in the majors. I don’t think the strikeout rate is enough for me to want to get to him on a big slate however… that Brewers implied total pushing 6 is enough to keep me off. Eric Lauer will get the start for Milwaukee in a nice matchup against this Cincinnati team that sold a bunch of their pieces at the deadline. Lauer has a 24.3% strikeout rate on the season and is a guy I think we can get to in all formats in this one as a massive -230 favorite at home.
CIN 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Jonathan India
GPP Note: This lineup isn’t good enough to stack right now.
MIL 5-star plays: Christian Yelich, Willy Adames
4-star plays: Rowdy Tellez, Andrew McCutchen, Hunter Renfroe
GPP Note: I like the Brewers a good deal here and will be a top stack on the slate for me.
Toronto Blue Jays (-124) @ Minnesota Twins (+104)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
Toronto will send Jose Berrios to the mound in a revenge game against his old squad in Minnesota. He’s coming off of a really nice start against Detroit in which he dropped 24.7 DraftKings points and has a 21.6% strikeout rate on the season. He won’t be a guy I go too crazy on, but he’s certainly in play as a pitching option tonight. The Twins will send Tyler Mahle to the mound to make his team debut in this one. Mahle gets a massive park upgrade after getting out of Cincinnati, his numbers out of Great American Ballpark are really nice, but I hate the matchup with this Toronto team.
TOR 5-star plays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
4-star plays: George Springer, Teoscar Hernandez, Alejandro Kirk, Bo Bichette
GPP Note: I’ll never talk someone off of stacking Toronto, especially when it’s 90+ degrees.
MIN 5-star plays: Byron Buxton
4-star plays: Luis Arraez, Carlos Correa, Jorge Polanco
GPP Note: I’ll have some interest in both Berrios and the Twins as a mini-stack, but probably not a full-stack.
New York Yankees (-154) @ St. Louis Cardinals (+130)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
Nestor Cortes will get the start for the Yankees in this one against a pesky Cardinals team on the road. Cortes has been really good on the season, he has at least a quality start and/or a win in three straight games and is a guy I won’t talk you off of here if you want to get some exposure. He obviously gets a nice park upgrade by getting out of Yankee Stadium. The Cardinals will send Dakota Hudson to the mound against the Yankees and won’t be a guy I get exposure to here… the Yankees continue to hit the cover off of the ball.
NYY 5-star plays: Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo
4-star plays: DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres, Andrew Benintendi
GPP Note: Another team that I won’t talk you out of stacking due to the firepower they have.
STL 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt
GPP Note: The Cardinals have some lefty mashers, but Cortes is great at limiting the big inning.
Colorado Rockies (+112) @ Arizona Diamondbacks (-136)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
The Rockies will send German Marquez to the mound in a decent enough matchup against Arizona here. Marquez is averaging 18.1 DraftKings points per game in two starts against Arizona on the season and looks like he could be in play as a deep SP2 option for tournaments. He’s volatile, so you know what you’re getting into, and won’t be a guy I get too crazy on but wouldn’t hate getting 5-10% of him in that SP2 spot… not a guy I’ll want on FanDuel though. Arizona will send Madison Bumgarner to the mound in what looks like a good matchup against the Rockies out of Coors Field. That said, the Rockies have hit lefties pretty well this season so I don’t think I get to him much in this spot.
COL 5-star plays: CJ Cron
4-star plays: Brendan Rodgers, Charlie Blackmon, Connor Joe
GPP Note: I don’t mind Colorado as a mini-stack team here.
ARI 5-star plays: Ketel Marte, Christian Walker
4-star plays: Josh Rojas, Daulton Varsho, Alek Thomas
GPP Note: This Dbacks lineup has been much better as of late which is what makes me hesitant on Marquez.
San Diego Padres (+135) @ Los Angeles Dodgers (-157)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
Sean Manaea will get the start for San Diego here in a really tough matchup with Los Angeles here. He bounced back nicely last time out against the Twins, but I’ll have a hard time getting to him in this matchup. He does have a 24% strikeout rate on the season if you want to make a case for him. The Dodgers will send Tony Gonsolin to the mound who has been pretty good this season, but I don’t really want to target this new-look Padres team right now, they look legit.
SDP 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Josh Bell
GPP Note: I don’t really want to stack against Gonsolin, especially at these price tags.
LAD 5-star plays: Mookie Betts, Trea Turner
4-star plays: Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Miguel Vargas
GPP Note: The Dodgers could be sneaky here against Manaea if he struggles again.
Los Angeles Angels (+180) @ Seattle Mariners (-210)
Implied Run Totals:
Rundown:
We’ll round out the slate with Patrick Sandoval taking the mound for the Angels on the road in Seattle. Sandoval isn’t a guy that I think is all that great just yet but I do like the upside he has in his career. The price tag looks solid on him here and is a guy I think makes sense as an SP2 option in all formats. Seattle will send Robbie Ray to the mound in a great matchup with this Angels team that is missing Mike Trout… even though they hit 7 home runs yesterday (and lost by the way!). Ray has a 27.5% strikeout rate on the season and this Angels implied run total of 2.9 is very juicy. He’s a great option in all formats on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
LAA 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Taylor Ward
GPP Note: I’ll have a bunch of Ray here.
SEA 5-star plays: None
4-star plays: Kyle Lewis, Ty France, Eugenio Suarez
GPP Note: This Mariners team has such a different feel to it without Julio Rodriguez in it.