A solid-sized slate of seven main slate games to kick off the week is where we find ourselves this Monday. Where do we start? 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
Houston Astros
We start off with an obvious spot here. Houston’s offense has been one of the best in baseball in the early part of the season, and tonight they start a series in Coors. Now, sometimes the first game in the altitude is less than overwhelming, but it’s not always the case, so the Astros are viable in cash and SE for sure, and even in tournaments you want exposure. Yordan Alvarez is someone who’s a cash lock tonight and is viable in any contest; mix in Jose Altuve and Christian Walker are the other big names I want to be heavy on, and Cam Smith is playing extremely well and is a cheap wraparound piece you’ll want to include as well.
Jul 8, 2023; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson (28) hits an RBI single against the Tampa Bay Rays in the fourth inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta Braves
Interesting spot for Atlanta tonight: Jose Soriano hasn’t been that good over the past few seasons, but his first two starts he’s had it going on (11 Ks and no runs allowed in 12 innings thus far); it’s possible he’s due for a little negative regression, so taking some shots here on the team that’s scored the fourth most runs in the league thus far could yield some solid results. Matt Olson and Drake Baldwin are where I’m starting my stacks, and though he’s off to a slow start, we know how good Ronald Acuna, Jr. is, and I’d rather be on him before the hot streak starts.
Baltimore Orioles
Decent spot for the Orioles offense to get going as they’re facing the White Sox and attacking Chicago is a solid tournament play regardless of who is on the mound, and Baltimore could be a way to get different in your stacks. Grant Taylor is an opener, so there’s not a lot to fear there, and the bullpen there has a 6.75 ERA as a group, the third-worst mark in the league. Adley Rutschman and Taylor Ward (who’s fitting in nicely) are where I’d start; Dylan Beavers is hitting in the #5 or #6 spot and is dirt cheap.
Jul 31, 2021; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays center fielder George Springer (4) celebrates with designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) after hitting a home run against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports
Toronto Blue Jays
Can the real Toronto offense please stand up? They’ve been super volatile (and super annoying) to start the season, but we know the upside is there. We could see some of that tonight going up against Justin Wrobleski, he of the 4.88 career ERA. The game total here is 9, and both offenses have ceilings that are fairly high, so I’ll want a good amount of exposure to each. Obviously start with Vladimir Guerrero and George Springer, and Jesus Sanchez and Addison Barger are also good foundational pieces.
Philadelphia Phillies
If you want a low-owned tournament stack, the Phillies could be it: they’re playing in San Francisco, which as we know can tamp down on the offense, but we also know the ceiling this offense can produce. I don’t think you need to go crazy, but have some exposure here in your tournament mix. Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner have been playing the best as of late; Adolis Garcia is nicely priced and hitting in the sixth spot, so he could have a chance to knock in some runs there.
For other popular plays, our revamped MLB Research Station has every stat you need to send your research to the next level!
Jun 7, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez (44) hits a single during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
FOUR MLB BvP Matchups
Byron Buxton vs. Casey Mize: 7-20 with two 2B, two HR, and four RBI
Julio Rodriguez vs. Jacob deGrom: 5-11 with a HR and two RBI
Corey Seager vs. Logan Gilbert: 8-28 with two 2B, a 3B, a HR, two RBI, and three BB
Christian Walker vs. Ryan Feltner: 5-9 with two 2B, two HR, and six RBI
THREE MLB Value Plays
Hyeseong Kim ($2000 DK / $2000): stone minimum and replacing Mookie Betts; nice wraparound piece
Myles Straw ($2400 DK / $2300 FD): 5-9 with four runs scored this season
Matt Vierling ($2000 DK / $2300 FD): 4-11 with a HR vs. Ryan