This article is part of our DFS MLB series.
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!
*No postponements expected.
Chris Sale and Zack Wheeler check in as the highest salaried starters on tonight's mid-sized slate and are also 1-2 in projected points. Sale is our preference as he's allowed two runs or fewer in nine straight starts, sporting a 1.65 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 11.9 K/9 rate in that span. He's also scored 23 or more DK points in six of his last seven outings.
We've also starred Luis L. Ortiz and Jeffrey Springs in our optimizer. Springs has yet to be officially announced as the starter but is in line to be the primary option (he pitched 6.2 innings as a bulk reliever last week). Meanwhile, Ortiz gets a $1,700 discount compared to his FanDuel salary in a matchup against a Reds offense that has been held under five runs in six of their last seven games. Note that Merrill Kelly also ranks well in the metrics below.
Here's how each pitcher ranks in key categories (pitchers with less than 10 IP not included):
| Pitcher | Fantasy Points | FIP | K% | Opponent K% |
| Chris Sale | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| Zack Wheeler | 2 | 2 | 1 | 15 |
| Yusei Kikuchi |
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!
*No postponements expected.
Chris Sale and Zack Wheeler check in as the highest salaried starters on tonight's mid-sized slate and are also 1-2 in projected points. Sale is our preference as he's allowed two runs or fewer in nine straight starts, sporting a 1.65 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 11.9 K/9 rate in that span. He's also scored 23 or more DK points in six of his last seven outings.
We've also starred Luis L. Ortiz and Jeffrey Springs in our optimizer. Springs has yet to be officially announced as the starter but is in line to be the primary option (he pitched 6.2 innings as a bulk reliever last week). Meanwhile, Ortiz gets a $1,700 discount compared to his FanDuel salary in a matchup against a Reds offense that has been held under five runs in six of their last seven games. Note that Merrill Kelly also ranks well in the metrics below.
Here's how each pitcher ranks in key categories (pitchers with less than 10 IP not included):
| Pitcher | Fantasy Points | FIP | K% | Opponent K% |
| Chris Sale | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11 |
| Zack Wheeler | 2 | 2 | 1 | 15 |
| Yusei Kikuchi | 3 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| Matthew Boyd | 4 | 5 | 5 | 13 |
| Eury Perez | 5 | N/A | N/A | 2 |
| Nick Pivetta | 6 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| Merrill Kelly | 7 | 4 | 7 | 5 |
| Shane Baz | 8 | 13 | 9 | 3 |
| Luis L. Ortiz | 9 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| Jeffrey Springs | 10 | 11 | 12 | 1 |
| Jose Berrios | 11 | 8 | 8 | 14 |
| Brayan Bello | 12 | 10 | 15 | 6 |
| Mike Burrows | 13 | 15 | 13 | 10 |
| Dustin May | 14 | 7 | 6 | 17 |
| Aaron Civale | 15 | 16 | 11 | 7 |
| Andre Pallante | 16 | 12 | 16 | 18 |
| Wade Miley | 17 | N/A | N/A | 8 |
| Emerson Hancock | 18 | 14 | 14 | 16 |
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 |
| Diamondbacks | 6.1 | 16 | High |
| Guardians | 5.3 | 17 | Medium |
| Angels | 5.3 | 18 | High |
| Cardinals | 4.7 | 2 | Low |
| Dodgers | 4.7 | 3 | Low |
| Braves | 4.6 | 10 | High |
| Red Sox | 4.5 | 1 | Medium |
| Pirates | 4.3 | 11 | Medium |
| Rays | 4.3 | 8 | Medium |
| Phillies | 4.3 | 9 | Low |
| Padres | 4.3 | 13 | High |
| Blue Jays | 4.2 | 12 | High |
| Athletics | 4.1 | 4 | High |
| Marlins | 4.0 | 5 | Medium |
| Mariners | 3.9 | 14 | Low |
| Cubs | 3.6 | 7 | Low |
| Reds | 3.6 | 6 | Medium |
| Brewers | 3.3 | 15 | Low |
My primary team stack targets
Athletics vs. LHP Kikuchi (4.52 FIP, 1.59 WHIP). Key pieces: Willie MacIver, Logan Davidson, Luis Urias, Max Muncy, Brent Rooker
Diamondbacks vs. RHP Hancock (5.01 FIP, 1.6 HR/9). Key pieces: Geraldo Perdomo, Lourdes Gurriel, Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, Josh Naylor
Blue Jays vs. RHP Pallante (4.95 FIP, 1.5 HR/9). Key pieces: Alejandro Kirk, Vladimir Guerrero, Bo Bichette, Nathan Lukes, Addison Barger
Cardinals vs. RHP Berrios (4.41 FIP vs. 3.67 ERA). Key pieces: Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman, Lars Nootbaar, Willson Contreras, Ivan Herrera
Key Matchups and Batter vs. Pitcher Insights for DFS Success
Notable hitter matchups against the opposing starter today:
- Ian Happ: 4-for-9, 1 HR; .444 BA, 1.434 OPS
- Carlos Santana: 7-for-15, 1 HR; .467 BA, 1.312 OPS
- Shohei Ohtani: 4-for-12, 2 HR; .333 BA, 1.250 OPS
- Michael Conforto: 2-for-11, 2 HR; .182 BA, 1.035 OPS
- Josh Lowe: 7-for-17, 1 HR; .412 BA, 1.150 OPS
- Yandy Diaz: 5-for-12, 2 2B; .417 BA, 1.117 OPS
- Freddie Freeman: 12-for-36, 1 HR; .333 BA, .940 OPS
- Jonathan Aranda: 5-for-12, 1 2B; .417 BA, .962 OPS
- Jake Cronenworth: 5-for-17, 1 HR; .294 BA, .839 OPS
- Nico Hoerner: 3-for-11, 1 HR; .273 BA, .818 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.
