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 10-game main slate, sorted by projected fantasy points.
Visit RotoWire's MLB Daily Lineups to find out where the hitters slot in!
*No weather issues expected.
It's a pretty weak pitching slate overall with only one-third of the starters coming in at $8k or above. The obvious choice will be to just spend up on Framber Valdez, and with good reason. The Rockies have the lowest implied run total by nearly a full run and Valdez has gone for 30 DK points four times over the last three months.
We've also starred Sonny Gray, Ryan Bergert and Colin Rea in our optimizer. Bergert and Rea both get $1,300 discounts compared to their FanDuel salaries with above average matchups to boot. And then there's Gray, who despite his inconsistencies, has GPP appeal in a favorable spot at home against the Pirates.
Shohei Ohtani will likely be held to less than five innings once again, while the Pirates are going with Carmen Mlodzinski to open with Bubba Chandler in bulk relief. Note that Eric Lauer, Jacob Latz and Luis Morales all rank well in the metrics below.
Here's how each pitcher ranks in key categories (less than 10 IP marked as N/A):
| Pitcher | Fantasy Points | FIP | K% | Opponent K% |
| Framber Valdez |
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 10-game main slate, sorted by projected fantasy points.
Visit RotoWire's MLB Daily Lineups to find out where the hitters slot in!
*No weather issues expected.
It's a pretty weak pitching slate overall with only one-third of the starters coming in at $8k or above. The obvious choice will be to just spend up on Framber Valdez, and with good reason. The Rockies have the lowest implied run total by nearly a full run and Valdez has gone for 30 DK points four times over the last three months.
We've also starred Sonny Gray, Ryan Bergert and Colin Rea in our optimizer. Bergert and Rea both get $1,300 discounts compared to their FanDuel salaries with above average matchups to boot. And then there's Gray, who despite his inconsistencies, has GPP appeal in a favorable spot at home against the Pirates.
Shohei Ohtani will likely be held to less than five innings once again, while the Pirates are going with Carmen Mlodzinski to open with Bubba Chandler in bulk relief. Note that Eric Lauer, Jacob Latz and Luis Morales all rank well in the metrics below.
Here's how each pitcher ranks in key categories (less than 10 IP marked as N/A):
| Pitcher | Fantasy Points | FIP | K% | Opponent K% |
| Framber Valdez | 1 | 3 | 8 | 2 |
| Sonny Gray | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Eric Lauer | 3 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| Ryan Bergert | 4 | 11 | 6 | 8 |
| Nolan McLean | 5 | 2 | 1 | 12 |
| Casey Mize | 6 | 10 | 11 | 7 |
| Jacob Latz | 7 | 9 | 9 | 1 |
| Colin Rea | 8 | 14 | 16 | 5 |
| Quinn Priester | 9 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
| Ryne Nelson | 10 | 7 | 10 | 17 |
| Nick Lodolo | 11 | 8 | 7 | 11 |
| Bubba Chandler | 12 | N/A | N/A | 16 |
| Luis Morales | 13 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| Aaron Civale | 14 | 13 | 14 | 19 |
| Simeon Woods Richardson | 15 | 15 | 12 | 20 |
| Taijuan Walker | 16 | 16 | 17 | 14 |
| Carson Whisenhunt | 17 | 19 | 18 | 18 |
| Shohei Ohtani | 18 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Chase Dollander | 19 | 17 | 15 | 15 |
| Jack Kochanowicz | 20 | 18 | 19 | 10 |
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 |
| Astros | 6.0 | 8 | High |
| Tigers | 6.0 | 5 | High |
| Blue Jays | 5.9 | 4 | High |
| Dodgers | 5.7 | 11 | High |
| Rangers | 5.6 | 20 | High |
| Mets | 5.2 | 13 | Medium |
| Athletics | 5.1 | 7 | Medium |
| Brewers | 5.0 | 1 | Low |
| Royals | 4.8 | 16 | High |
| Cubs | 4.8 | 14 | Medium |
| Cardinals | 4.8 | 9 | Medium |
| White Sox | 4.1 | 18 | Medium |
| Giants | 4.1 | 15 | Medium |
| Diamondbacks | 3.9 | 12 | Low |
| Angels | 3.9 | 17 | Medium |
| Phillies | 3.7 | 2 | Low |
| Twins | 3.6 | 19 | Medium |
| Reds | 3.3 | 3 | Low |
| Pirates | 3.1 | 10 | Low |
| Rockies | 2.3 | 6 | Low |
My primary team stack targets
Rangers vs. RHP Kochanowicz (5.68 FIP, 1.5 HR/9). Key pieces: Jonah Heim, Josh Smith, Joc Pederson, Corey Seager, Wyatt Langford
Astros vs. RHP Dollander (6.91 ERA, 1.8 HR/9). Key pieces: Christian Walker, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Mauricio Dubon, Yordan Alvarez
Royals vs. RHP Civale (4.59 FIP, 19.2 K%). Key pieces: Salvador Perez, Maikel Garcia, Bobby Witt, Michael Massey, Vinnie Pasquantino
Cubs vs. LHP Whisenhunt (6.88 FIP, 2.5 HR/9). Key pieces: Justin Turner, Nico Hoerner, Seiya Suzuki, Kyle Tucker, Ian Happ
Key Matchups and Batter vs. Pitcher Insights for DFS Success
Notable hitter matchups against the opposing starter today:
- Matt Chapman: 3-for-5, HR; .600 BA, 2.067 OPS
- Pete Alonso: 5-for-18, 3 HR; .278 BA, 1.270 OPS
- Brandon Nimmo: 4-for-14, 2 HR; .286 BA, 1.161 OPS
- Salvador Perez: 6-for-19, 2 HR; .316 BA, 1.146 OPS
- Michael Massey: 3-for-10, HR; .300 BA, .900 OPS
- Bryan Reynolds: 7-for-27, 3 HR; .259 BA, .952 OPS
- Vinnie Pasquantino: 3-for-12, HR; .250 BA, .808 OPS
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