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 11-game main slate, sorted by projected fantasy points.
Visit RotoWire's MLB Daily Lineups to find out where the hitters slot in!
*Possible postponement in Mets at Orioles game. Proceed accordingly!
We have five pitchers priced $9k or higher for tonight's slate, although there isn't a clear standout option. Dylan Cease is the starter I prefer to spend up on, as his 3.40 FIP is significantly lower than his 4.62 ERA. His strikeout rate over the last month is the best on the slate, and he showed his ceiling against the Dodgers last month with a 37 DK point performance.
We've also starred Lucas Giolito, Sandy Alcantara and Bryce Elder in our optimizer. Giolito is our highest projected pitcher against a Rockies team that has only scored five runs in the first two games of the series. Meanwhile, Elder gets an $1,100 discount from his FanDuel salary and has GPP appeal due to his boom-or-bust nature. Cam Schlittler will make his MLB debut for the Yankees after posting a 2.82 ERA in the minors this year. Note that Kris Bubic, Brandon Walter, Kumar Rocker and Mitch Spence all rank well in the metrics below.
Here's how each pitcher ranks in key categories (less than 10 IP marked as N/A):
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 11-game main slate, sorted by projected fantasy points.
Visit RotoWire's MLB Daily Lineups to find out where the hitters slot in!
*Possible postponement in Mets at Orioles game. Proceed accordingly!
We have five pitchers priced $9k or higher for tonight's slate, although there isn't a clear standout option. Dylan Cease is the starter I prefer to spend up on, as his 3.40 FIP is significantly lower than his 4.62 ERA. His strikeout rate over the last month is the best on the slate, and he showed his ceiling against the Dodgers last month with a 37 DK point performance.
We've also starred Lucas Giolito, Sandy Alcantara and Bryce Elder in our optimizer. Giolito is our highest projected pitcher against a Rockies team that has only scored five runs in the first two games of the series. Meanwhile, Elder gets an $1,100 discount from his FanDuel salary and has GPP appeal due to his boom-or-bust nature. Cam Schlittler will make his MLB debut for the Yankees after posting a 2.82 ERA in the minors this year. Note that Kris Bubic, Brandon Walter, Kumar Rocker and Mitch Spence 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% |
| Lucas Giolito | 1 | 6 | 8 | 2 |
| Kris Bubic | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Dylan Cease | 3 | 3 | 2 | 17 |
| MacKenzie Gore | 4 | 2 | 1 | 18 |
| David Peterson | 5 | 4 | 11 | 3 |
| Brandon Walter | 6 | 7 | 7 | 11 |
| Andrew Abbott | 7 | 5 | 5 | 14 |
| David Festa | 8 | 12 | 4 | 20 |
| Sandy Alcantara | 9 | 13 | 14 | 6 |
| Kumar Rocker | 10 | 8 | 9 | 1 |
| Cade Horton | 11 | 9 | 16 | 12 |
| Andre Pallante | 12 | 11 | 18 | 19 |
| Bryce Elder | 13 | 21 | 13 | 10 |
| Cam Schlittler | 14 | N/A | N/A | 9 |
| Slade Cecconi | 15 | 17 | 6 | 16 |
| Brandon Pfaadt | 16 | 16 | 12 | 21 |
| Logan Evans | 17 | 14 | 15 | 7 |
| Kyle Hendricks | 18 | 18 | 17 | 13 |
| Mitch Spence | 19 | 10 | 10 | 8 |
| Bailey Falter | 20 | 15 | 19 | 22 |
| Tomoyuki Sugano | 21 | 19 | 20 | 15 |
| Antonio Senzatela | 22 | 20 | 21 | 5 |
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 |
| Red Sox | 7.0 | 1 | High |
| Mets | 6.2 | 19 | Medium |
| Yankees | 5.8 | 4 | High |
| Royals | 5.6 | 16 | High |
| Athletics | 5.5 | 7 | High |
| Braves | 5.5 | 9 | High |
| Padres | 5.1 | 15 | Medium |
| Twins | 5.1 | 17 | High |
| Reds | 5.0 | 5 | Low |
| Cubs | 4.9 | 13 | Medium |
| Rangers | 4.9 | 21 | High |
| Astros | 4.6 | 3 | Medium |
| Angels | 4.5 | 20 | Medium |
| Cardinals | 4.4 | 6 | Low |
| Orioles | 4.3 | 14 | Low |
| Mariners | 4.2 | 10 | Medium |
| Marlins | 3.9 | 2 | Medium |
| Diamondbacks | 3.8 | 18 | Low |
| Nationals | 3.5 | 11 | Low |
| Pirates | 3.3 | 12 | Medium |
| Guardians | 3.3 | 22 | Low |
| Rockies | 2.5 | 8 | Low |
My primary team stack targets
Twins vs. RHP Horton (4.28 FIP, 16.9 K%). Key pieces: Ryan Jeffers, Willi Castro, Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton
Braves vs. RHP Spence (4.32 FIP). Key pieces: Matt Olson, Marcell Ozuna, Jurickson Profar, Ronald Acuna, Austin Riley
Royals vs. LHP Falter (4.63 FIP, 15.0 K%). Key pieces: Freddy Fermin, Salvador Perez, Jonathan India, Nick Loftin, Bobby Witt
Yankees vs. RHP Evans (4.61 FIP, 17.4 K%). Key pieces: Giancarlo Stanton, Jasson Dominguez, Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm
Key Matchups and Batter vs. Pitcher Insights for DFS Success
Notable hitter matchups against the opposing starter today:
- Marcus Semien: 4-for-8, 2 HR; .500 BA, 1.806 OPS
- Willson Contreras: 8-for-13, HR; .615 BA, 1.667 OPS
- Luis Arraez: 10-for-16, 2 2B; .625 BA, 1.375 OPS
- Jake Cronenworth: 7-for-16, RBI; .438 BA, .875 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.
