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
The Houston bats seem to have woken up as a group over the past few days, and given the matchup, I want to keep riding the hot streak here a bit. Simeon Woods Richardson has a 7.71 ERA (you read that correctly) on the season, and there’s no reason to not attack that here tonight. This could be a bit of an offensive explosion waiting to happen, so I don’t mind some game stacking here, either.
Oct 10, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) bats during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals in game four of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee is a great tournament option tonight. It’s a big divisional matchup between two strong clubs, and it’s an offense going against a very good pitcher in Shota Imanaga. The catch here is that in 79 plate appearances, the Brewers have a combined OPS of 1.012 against the Cubs pitcher, and if they can replicate that success at low ownership when the field goes away from this matchup, that could be a great piece of leverage. It’s risky, but it’s got tournament-winning upside if you’re right.
New York Yankees
The philosophy of “play bats against Patrick Corbin” is in play here tonight. He’s been surprisingly better this season (a 3.93 ERA and 1.40 WHIP), but he’s still extremely volatile and is a low-confidence play, so I’ll take some shots here for sure. The Yankees also have a combined .802 OPS against him in 160 plate appearances with six HR and only 29 Ks. I like the upside New York has in this matchup.
Jun 30, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Minnesota Twins designated hitter Byron Buxton (25) rounds third base to score in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota Twins
As mentioned above, this game has the potential to have some big offense from both sides, and the Astros are trotting out Tatsuya Imai and his 9.24 ERA: he’s had one start of no earned runs, but he’s allowed 13 in the other nine innings he’s pitched spanning his other three outings. There’s not a ton of confidence I have here, and a lot of the Minnesota bats are in prime spots here.
San Francisco Giants
Yet another tournament option that at first glance doesn’t seem that appealing given the Giants’ relative ineptitude at offense. The tradeoff is that Zac Gallen sort of has shown equal levels of failure on the mound this season, pitching to a 5.02 ERA and 1.51 WHIP while allowing 17 runs – 14 of them earned – in his last three starts (Cubs, Pirates, and Rangers). The nice thing is that they’re affordable whether as main stacks or as small combos.
For other popular plays, our revamped MLB Research Station has every stat you need to send your research to the next level!
Sep 27, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) hits a double in the eighth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
FOUR MLB BvP Matchups
Nolan Arenado vs. Robbie Ray: 16-44 with seven 2B, a 3B, three HR, 12 RBI, and eight BB
Cody Bellinger vs. Patrick Corbin: 11-27 with a 2B, three RBI, and five BB
Xander Bogaerts vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto: 6-13 with two 2B, a HR, and three RBI
Shohei Ohtani vs. Michael King: 7-17 with two 2B, three HR, and four RBI
THREE MLB Value Plays
Michael Conforto ($3000 DK / $2700 FD): 1.382 OPS in his last seven games (9-22 with four 2B, two HR, five RBI, and five BB)
Ryan Kreidler ($2700 DK / $2400 FD): 1.180 OPS in his last seven games (7-20 with a 2B, two HR, four RBI, and five BB)
Joey Ortiz ($2300 DK / $2400 FD): 4-9 with a 2B against Shota Imanaga