Top DFS Pitching and Team Stacking Strategies for DraftKings
In this article, I'm going to take a deeper dive into pitching and team stacking options. Let's take a look at our optimizer's rankings of the pitchers for the DraftKings nine-game main slate, sorted by projected fantasy points.
Visit RotoWire's MLB Daily Lineups to find out where the hitters slot in!
*Postponement possibilities for Guardians at Twins and Tigers at Cardinals. Proceed accordingly!
Robbie Ray is the lone starter priced in the $10k range and there are other team aces on the slate in Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo and Ryan Pepiot. The obvious option, however, is Cristopher Sanchez, who is priced $1,900 less than on FanDuel. He's viable even against the Rockies at Coors Field, who have the second highest strikeout rate in MLB.
We've also starred Castillo, Bailey Ober and J.T. Ginn. Ginn is the value play of the group at $6,700 if you're looking to save some salary against the strikeout heavy Angels. Meanwhile, Castillo and the Mariners are the second biggest favorite on the slate and the White Sox rank last in runs scored, OBP, OPS and xwOBA since the start of last season. Overall, there's nothing wrong with spending up on Gray, and Kris Bubic also ranks well in all the metrics below. Note that the Tigers are going with an opener in Sean Guenther with Keider Montero in bulk relief.
Here's how each pitcher ranks in key categories (stats are from 2025
Top DFS Pitching and Team Stacking Strategies for DraftKings
In this article, I'm going to take a deeper dive into pitching and team stacking options. Let's take a look at our optimizer's rankings of the pitchers for the DraftKings nine-game main slate, sorted by projected fantasy points.
Visit RotoWire's MLB Daily Lineups to find out where the hitters slot in!
*Postponement possibilities for Guardians at Twins and Tigers at Cardinals. Proceed accordingly!
Robbie Ray is the lone starter priced in the $10k range and there are other team aces on the slate in Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo and Ryan Pepiot. The obvious option, however, is Cristopher Sanchez, who is priced $1,900 less than on FanDuel. He's viable even against the Rockies at Coors Field, who have the second highest strikeout rate in MLB.
We've also starred Castillo, Bailey Ober and J.T. Ginn. Ginn is the value play of the group at $6,700 if you're looking to save some salary against the strikeout heavy Angels. Meanwhile, Castillo and the Mariners are the second biggest favorite on the slate and the White Sox rank last in runs scored, OBP, OPS and xwOBA since the start of last season. Overall, there's nothing wrong with spending up on Gray, and Kris Bubic also ranks well in all the metrics below. Note that the Tigers are going with an opener in Sean Guenther with Keider Montero in bulk relief.
Here's how each pitcher ranks in key categories (stats are from 2025 season only):
| Pitcher | Fantasy Points | FIP | K% | Opponent K% |
| Cristopher Sanchez | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Sonny Gray | 2 | 9 | 4 | 8 |
| Luis Castillo | 3 | 6 | 11 | 4 |
| Robbie Ray | 4 | 5 | 2 | 18 |
| Bailey Ober | 5 | 7 | 9 | 12 |
| Kris Bubic | 6 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Ryan Pepiot | 7 | 13 | 7 | 13 |
| J.T. Ginn | 8 | 18 | 6 | 1 |
| Brandon Pfaadt | 9 | 12 | 8 | 11 |
| Jose Soriano | 10 | 3 | 10 | 15 |
| Landon Knack | 11 | 11 | 5 | 17 |
| Colton Gordon | 12 | 17 | 18 | 6 |
| Dean Kremer | 13 | 14 | 15 | 10 |
| Davis Martin | 14 | 10 | 16 | 5 |
| Quinn Priester | 15 | 15 | 17 | 3 |
| Keider Montero | 16 | 16 | 14 | 16 |
| Logan Allen | 17 | 8 | 13 | 9 |
| Kyle Freeland | 18 | 2 | 12 | 14 |
Analyzing Team Stack Rankings for Maximum DFS Impact
Here is how each team ranks in implied runs, BABIP (batting average on balls in play) and how popular we expect each team stack to be in GPPs:
| Team | Implied Runs | BABIP | Stack Popularity |
| Phillies | 7.0 | 4 | High |
| Dodgers | 6.0 | 2 | High |
| Athletics | 5.6 | 8 | Medium |
| Rays | 5.4 | 5 | High |
| Mariners | 5.3 | 12 | High |
| Cardinals | 5.0 | 3 | Medium |
| Brewers | 4.8 | 14 | Low |
| Orioles | 4.6 | 15 | High |
| Diamondbacks | 4.5 | 9 | High |
| Angels | 4.3 | 18 | Medium |
| Twins | 4.3 | 7 | Medium |
| Giants | 4.3 | 10 | Low |
| Astros | 4.0 | 6 | Medium |
| Guardians | 3.5 | 16 | Low |
| Royals | 3.5 | 11 | Low |
| Tigers | 3.4 | 1 | Low |
| Rockies | 3.4 | 13 | Medium |
| White Sox | 3.0 | 17 | Low |
My primary team stack targets
Rays vs. LHP Gordon (second MLB start, 3.94 ERA in Triple-A last year). Key pieces: Danny Jansen, Curtis Mead, Christopher Morel, Yandy Diaz, Jose Caballero
Phillies vs. LHP Freeland (6.15 ERA, 16.9 K%). Key pieces: Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm, Trea Turner, Weston Wilson, Nick Castellanos
Orioles vs. RHP Preister (5.16 ERA, 1.56 WHIP). Key pieces: Adley Rutschman, Ryan Mountcastle, Jackson Holliday, Gunnar Henderson, Ramon Laureano
Diamondbacks vs. RHP Knack (5.89 ERA, 1.5 HR/9). Key pieces: Eugenio Suarez, Lourdes Gurriel, Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, Josh Naylor
Key Matchups and Batter vs. Pitcher Insights for DFS Success
Notable hitter matchups against the opposing starter today:
- Shea Langeliers: 3-for-4, 1 HR; .750 BA, 2.500 OPS
- Freddie Freeman: 5-for-13, 1 HR; .385 BA, 1.198 OPS
- Nick Castellanos: 4-for-17, 3 HR; .235 BA, 1.042 OPS
- Mookie Betts: 5-for-12, 1 2B; .417 BA, 1.000 OPS
- Trea Turner: 10-for-37, 2 HR; .270 BA, .839 OPS
- Jose Ramirez: 7-for-22, 1 HR; .318 BA, .920 OPS
For up-to-the-minute updates on injuries, lineups, roster changes and more, head to RotoWire's Fantasy Baseball News & Latest MLB Updates or follow @RotoWireMLB on X.
