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 12-game main slate, sorted by projected fantasy points.
Visit WagerKey’s MLB Daily Lineups to find out where the hitters slot in!
Potential postponement in Diamondbacks at Reds game. Proceed accordingly!
Despite the large slate that includes 24-of-30 MLB teams, we only have four starters priced $9k or higher. Kodai Senga is our preference of that group, even at Coors Field as the Rockies lead the league in strikeout percentage at 26.6. In his career, admittedly just 41 starts, Senga has a 0.81 HR/9 rate, so he is built to manage at Coors.
We’ve also highlighted Ben Brown, Bailey Ober and Colton Gordon in our optimizer, who are all value options at under $8k. Brown checks in as our top point-per-dollar option given his $1,300 discount compared to his FanDuel salary. I’m also intrigued by Gordon, as the Guardians have only scored 10 runs across their last four games combined. Note that the Athletics have yet to officially announce JP Sears, and the Blue Jays are going with opener Paxton Schultz and Eric Lauer expected in bulk relief. Spencer Schwellenbach, Will Warren, Hayden Birdsong and Lauer all rank well in the metrics below.
Here’s how each pitcher ranks in key categories (pitchers with less than 10 IP not
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 12-game main slate, sorted by projected fantasy points.
Visit WagerKey’s MLB Daily Lineups to find out where the hitters slot in!
Potential postponement in Diamondbacks at Reds game. Proceed accordingly!
Despite the large slate that includes 24-of-30 MLB teams, we only have four starters priced $9k or higher. Kodai Senga is our preference of that group, even at Coors Field as the Rockies lead the league in strikeout percentage at 26.6. In his career, admittedly just 41 starts, Senga has a 0.81 HR/9 rate, so he is built to manage at Coors.
We’ve also highlighted Ben Brown, Bailey Ober and Colton Gordon in our optimizer, who are all value options at under $8k. Brown checks in as our top point-per-dollar option given his $1,300 discount compared to his FanDuel salary. I’m also intrigued by Gordon, as the Guardians have only scored 10 runs across their last four games combined. Note that the Athletics have yet to officially announce JP Sears, and the Blue Jays are going with opener Paxton Schultz and Eric Lauer expected in bulk relief. Spencer Schwellenbach, Will Warren, Hayden Birdsong and Lauer all rank 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% |
| Tarik Skubal | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 |
| Kodai Senga | 2 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
| Spencer Schwellenbach | 3 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Sonny Gray | 4 | 5 | 4 | 16 |
| Ben Brown | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Bryce Miller | 6 | 13 | 14 | 2 |
| Seth Lugo | 7 | 19 | 15 | 8 |
| Will Warren | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Bailey Ober | 9 | 10 | 16 | 24 |
| Hayden Birdsong | 10 | 8 | 5 | 10 |
| Dean Kremer | 11 | 16 | 17 | 14 |
| Nick Lodolo | 12 | 9 | 13 | 21 |
| Colton Gordon | 13 | 15 | 10 | 13 |
| JP Sears | 14 | 20 | 18 | 3 |
| Eduardo Rodriguez | 15 | 14 | 6 | 4 |
| Walker Buehler | 16 | 18 | 12 | 11 |
| Chad Patrick | 17 | 6 | 11 | 22 |
| Eric Lauer | 18 | 11 | 7 | 12 |
| Kyle Hendricks | 19 | 21 | 20 | 7 |
| Davis Martin | 20 | 17 | 21 | 23 |
| Justin Wrobleski | 21 | N/A | N/A | 18 |
| Logan Allen | 22 | 12 | 19 | 17 |
| Randy Vasquez | 23 | 22 | 22 | 15 |
| Antonio Senzatela | 24 | 23 | 23 | 19 |
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 |
| Mets | 7.8 | 18 | High |
| Orioles | 6.0 | 16 | High |
| Yankees | 5.7 | 8 | High |
| Mariners | 5.5 | 19 | High |
| Diamondbacks | 5.2 | 17 | Medium |
| Brewers | 5.1 | 15 | Low |
| Twins | 5.0 | 13 | Medium |
| Athletics | 5.0 | 5 | Medium |
| Royals | 4.9 | 11 | High |
| Astros | 4.8 | 9 | High |
| Reds | 4.8 | 7 | Medium |
| Cardinals | 4.7 | 2 | High |
| Tigers | 4.7 | 3 | Medium |
| Angels | 4.5 | 24 | Low |
| Braves | 4.3 | 10 | Medium |
| Dodgers | 4.2 | 4 | Medium |
| Guardians | 4.1 | 22 | Low |
| Blue Jays | 3.9 | 12 | Medium |
| Padres | 3.8 | 14 | Low |
| Giants | 3.5 | 20 | Low |
| White Sox | 3.5 | 23 | Low |
| Rockies | 3.2 | 21 | High |
| Red Sox | 3.2 | 1 | Low |
| Cubs | 2.7 | 6 | Low |
My primary team stack targets
Orioles vs. LHP Sears (5.04 FIP, 1.9 HR/9). Key pieces: Adley Rutschman, Coby Mayo, Ramon Urias, Jorge Mateo, Ramon Laureano
Mets vs. RHP Senzatela (7.14 ERA, 1.7 HR/9). Key pieces: Jeff McNeil, Starling Marte, Brandon Nimmo, Juan Soto, Pete Alonso
Royals vs. RHP Martin (4.46 FIP, 14.4 K%). Key pieces: Salvador Perez, Jonathan India, Bobby Witt, John Rave, Drew Waters
Cardinals vs. LHP Wrobleski (career 6.13 FIP, 2.2 HR/9). Key pieces: Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado, Lars Nootbaar, Masyn Winn, Ivan Herrera
Key Matchups and Batter vs. Pitcher Insights for DFS Success
Notable hitter matchups against the opposing starter today:
- Juan Soto: 2-for-4, 2 HR; .500 BA, 2.667 OPS
- Brandon Nimmo: 3-for-11, 3 HR; .364 BA, 1.545 OPS
- Adley Rutschman: 4-for-10, 2 HR; .400 BA, 1.455 OPS
- Taylor Ward: 4-for-10, 1 HR; .400 BA, 1.355 OPS
- Tommy Edman: 8-for-18, 1 HR; .444 BA, 1.222 OPS
- Michael Conforto: 3-for-11, 1 HR; .273 BA, 1.021 OPS
- Rowdy Tellez: 9-for-24, 1 HR; .375 BA, .917 OPS
- Trent Grisham: 4-for-17, 2 HR; .235 BA, .866 OPS
- Paul Goldschmidt: 3-for-11, 1 HR; .273 BA, .818 OPS
For up-to-the-minute updates on injuries, lineups, roster changes and more, head to WagerKey’s Fantasy Baseball News & Latest MLB Updates or follow @WagerKeyMLB on X.
