12 games on the main slate tonight for both sites, and while from a fan perspective it’s great, the DFS problem, of course, is choice…there can be too many. There are some appealing spots to attack and some possibly sneaky plays that could go overlooked, so let’s see what we’re up against. The focus of this article is to sort through the myriad of options on larger slates and find not only some solid foundational plays but also some spots that could go overlooked. We focus on stacks that are solid for small-field and SE as well as overlooked spots for large-field GPPs, and we discuss players that have good past history vs. the pitchers they’re facing. Our Discord strategy rooms are incredibly active. Hop in and join the discussion!
FIVE DFS MLB Stacks
New York Yankees (5.14 IRT)
Over the last two weeks, the Yankees have been playing some solid baseball: they’re in the middle of a 10-4 stretch that includes an eight-game winning streak, and they continue to put up runs, averaging just under six runs a game during that span. This is a solid spot to attack as the Yankees are solid -140 favorites on the road in a 9.5 O/U game. Brady Singer has been solid this season, but I don’t mind taking some shots here, and our MLB Leverage Stacks Tool seems to agree, projecting them as the highest owned on both DraftKings and FanDuel as of this writing while grading them as one of the top teams to stack on the slate. Aaron Judge has been phenomenal this season, so I’m starting my stacks with him (he’s got a ridiculous 1.830 OPS in his last six games with three HR and 12 RBI) and with Trent Grisham, as he has been a lovely surprise (three HR and five RBI in his last five games) filling in for Juan Soto, who could also actually be back tonight.
Aug 31, 2022; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets right fielder Starling Marte (right) celebrates with first baseman Pete Alonso (20) after hitting a two-run home run in the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
New York Mets (4.08 IRT)
The Mets have been disappointing this season, but they’ve actually been playing better lately (they’re 4-1 in their last five games, scoring 31 runs in that span), and New York as a team is hitting .268 over the last two weeks, the fifth-best mark in the league. Tonight they get a Marlins team that has given up the third most runs in all of baseball this season. Jesus Luzardo has an ERA of 5.32 on the season and got shelled by Tampa Bay last time out (nine earned runs in 4.1 innings), and Miami has the league’s third-worst bullpen ERA as well, so there’s solid potential for a lower-owned Mets stack to do some damage here. Pete Alonso (1.019 OPS with two HR in L7) and Starling Marte (.hitting .400 with three RBI in L7) are solid places to start your stacks, as is the always-dangerous Francisco Lindor; however, players like Jose Iglesias (8-18 with three RBI in his last six games) and Mark Vientos (.318 with two HR and five RBI in L7) are cheaper and solid pieces as well.
Arizona Diamondbacks (5.08 IRT)
Arizona finds themselves in a solid spot tonight at home facing an Angels team that is trotting out an opener in Jose Suarez with his 6.54 ERA and 1.67 WHIP. Once he’s done, the Diamondbacks will face the bullpen with the league’s fourth-worst ERA. All of that to say, Arizona’s offense has been better lately than their 31-35 record would suggest, and the 9.5 game total and matchup indicate that they’ll be popular. I’m starting my stacks with a couple of the usual suspects in Ketel Marte (9-23 with three RBI in L7) and Corbin Carroll (7-23 with two SB in L7); I’m also mixing in Lourdes Gurriel, Jr. (1.047 OPS with two HR and seven RBI in L7) and a sneaky Jake McCarthy (hitting .317 with a HR, two RBI, and two SB in L7).
Jun 10, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (23) hits a two-run home run against the Colorado Rockies in the eighth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota Twins (4.96 IRT)
The Rockies have given up the most runs in baseball this season (the only team in baseball with a team ERA over 5), and they are even more awful away from Coors, which is where they find themselves tonight. Minnesota is starting to hit better lately (they’ve won two games in a row, scoring 16 runs total), and it’s coincided with the return of the dynamic Royce Lewis, whose upside is sky high. If the Twins can get to Cal Quantrill, the Rockies also have the league’s worst bullpen ERA. The game total of 8.5 and the Twins being around -200 favorites are also reasons for me to like them here. Start your stacks with the aforementioned Lewis (1.108 OPS with three HR in L7), Carlos Correa (hitting .333 with seven RBI in L7), and Alex Kiriloff (5-7 with a 2B, two HR, and four RBI vs. Cal Quantrill).
Los Angeles Angels (4.01 IRT)
At first glance, the Angels are definitely not a team that jumps off the page, especially with the absence of Mike Trout. However, the matchup tonight is favorable for a couple of reasons. First, the Diamondbacks do not have a good pitching staff; they have a team ERA of 6.16 over the past two weeks and have the worst team batting average allowed this season of anyone in the league outside of Colorado, who plays half their games in Coors. Second, Jordan Montgomery has been absolutely horrible this season, pitching to a 6.80 ERA in nine starts while striking out more than four batters in a game just once. Third, if Los Angeles gets to Montgomery, Arizona has the fourth-worst bullpen ERA (4.59) in baseball. Granted, the Angels’ offense isn’t that great, but this could be a sneaky spot that will go virtually overlooked (and they’re cheap as well). Zach Neto (HR and six RBI in L7), Logan O’Hoppe (.400 BA and 1.079 OPS in L7), and Luis Rengifo (hitting a decent .269 but with five SB in L7) aren’t household names at all, but in some of your mini-stacks, they could be viable, and if you’re main-stacking, they allow you to fit in a lot of studs.
For other popular plays, our revamped MLB Research Station has every stat you need to send your research to the next level!
May 31, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien (2) hits a double in the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
FOUR MLB BvP Matchups
Garrett Cooper vs. Zach Wheeler: 6-15 with a 2B, HR, and two RBI
Bryan Reynolds vs. Miles Mikolas: 12-33 with four 2B and four RBI
Marcus Semien vs. James Paxton: 4-16 with two 2B, two HR, and four RBI
Dominic Smith vs. Zach Wheeler: 13-31 with a 2B, HR, and five RBI
THREE MLB Value Plays
Trent Grisham ($2200 DK / $2500 FD): two HR, six RBI, and three BB in his last five games
Jose Iglesias ($3000 DK / $2400 FD): .444 with three RBI in his last six games
Rowdy Tellez (2600 $DK / $2300 FD): 10-21 with three 2B, a HR, and seven RBI in L7; 6-18 with two HR vs. Mikolas
