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!
*No weather issues expected.
Friday's action has a solid slate of starters at the top with five pitchers priced $9,500 or higher. Logan Gilbert is our highest projected by a decent margin despite only being the third most expensive. He leads the slate in strikeout rate and has struck out 14 Rangers batters across 10.1 IP this year.
We've also highlighted Kevin Gausman, Gavin Williams and Andrew Heaney in our optimizer. Heaney is our top point-per-dollar option given his $1,900 discount compared to his FanDuel salary. Meanwhile, Williams comes in with a 2.25 ERA across his last four starts and gets a Twins offense that is now much weaker after the trade deadline.
Anthony DeSclafani carries risk as he hasn't pitched more than four innings across eight appearances (one start). Note that Hunter Brown ranks well in the metrics below.
Here's how each pitcher ranks in key categories (stats are from the 2025 season only):
| Pitcher | Fantasy Points | FIP | K% | Opponent K% |
| Logan Gilbert | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| Carlos Rodon | 2 | 11 | 4 | 17 |
| Hunter Brown | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Joe Ryan | 4 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| Nick Pivetta | 5 |
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!
*No weather issues expected.
Friday's action has a solid slate of starters at the top with five pitchers priced $9,500 or higher. Logan Gilbert is our highest projected by a decent margin despite only being the third most expensive. He leads the slate in strikeout rate and has struck out 14 Rangers batters across 10.1 IP this year.
We've also highlighted Kevin Gausman, Gavin Williams and Andrew Heaney in our optimizer. Heaney is our top point-per-dollar option given his $1,900 discount compared to his FanDuel salary. Meanwhile, Williams comes in with a 2.25 ERA across his last four starts and gets a Twins offense that is now much weaker after the trade deadline.
Anthony DeSclafani carries risk as he hasn't pitched more than four innings across eight appearances (one start). Note that Hunter Brown ranks well in the metrics below.
Here's how each pitcher ranks in key categories (stats are from the 2025 season only):
| Pitcher | Fantasy Points | FIP | K% | Opponent K% |
| Logan Gilbert | 1 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| Carlos Rodon | 2 | 11 | 4 | 17 |
| Hunter Brown | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Joe Ryan | 4 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| Nick Pivetta | 5 | 4 | 6 | 19 |
| Robbie Ray | 6 | 10 | 7 | 15 |
| Kevin Gausman | 7 | 8 | 9 | 21 |
| Gavin Williams | 8 | 17 | 10 | 13 |
| David Peterson | 9 | 6 | 14 | 9 |
| Jacob Lopez | 10 | 16 | 5 | 18 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 11 | 12 | 20 | 11 |
| Jack Leiter | 12 | 14 | 13 | 5 |
| Janson Junk | 13 | 1 | 17 | 8 |
| Michael Wacha | 14 | 9 | 16 | 22 |
| Tyler Anderson | 15 | 19 | 18 | 7 |
| Shane Baz | 16 | 15 | 11 | 14 |
| Shane Smith | 17 | 13 | 12 | 2 |
| Anthony DeSclafani | 18 | 18 | 8 | 6 |
| Matthew Liberatore | 19 | 7 | 15 | 20 |
| Andrew Heaney | 20 | 20 | 19 | 1 |
| Cooper Criswell | 21 | 21 | 22 | 16 |
| Antonio Senzatela | 22 | 22 | 21 | 3 |
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 |
| Pirates | 6.7 | 12 | High |
| Rockies | 5.4 | 6 | High |
| Athletics | 5.3 | 7 | High |
| Angels | 5.3 | 15 | Medium |
| Dodgers | 5.1 | 9 | High |
| Yankees | 5.1 | 10 | Medium |
| Padres | 5.0 | 11 | Medium |
| Mariners | 4.9 | 13 | Low |
| Blue Jays | 4.9 | 5 | Medium |
| Diamondbacks | 4.7 | 16 | Medium |
| Astros | 4.5 | 3 | High |
| Mets | 4.5 | 19 | Low |
| Rays | 4.3 | 2 | High |
| White Sox | 4.2 | 20 | High |
| Red Sox | 3.9 | 1 | Medium |
| Guardians | 3.9 | 22 | Medium |
| Royals | 3.5 | 17 | Medium |
| Twins | 3.4 | 14 | Low |
| Giants | 3.4 | 18 | Low |
| Marlins | 3.3 | 4 | Low |
| Rangers | 2.9 | 21 | Low |
| Cardinals | 2.9 | 8 | Low |
My primary team stack targets
White Sox vs. LHP Anderson (5.11 FIP, 1.6 HR/9). Key pieces: Edgar Quero, Colson Montgomery, Luis Robert, Andrew Benintendi, Miguel Vargas
Pirates vs. RHP Senzatela (5.51 FIP, 1.6 HR/9). Key pieces: Spencer Horwitz, Nick Gonzales, Andrew McCutchen, Bryan Reynolds, Tommy Pham
Astros vs. RHP Criswell (5.44 FIP, 1.7 HR/9). Key pieces: Yainer Diaz, Christian Walker, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Jesus Sanchez
Rays vs. LHP Kershaw (4.10 FIP, 15.7 K%). Key pieces: Junior Caminero, Jonny DeLuca, Christopher Morel, Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe
Key Matchups and Batter vs. Pitcher Insights for DFS Success
Notable hitter matchups against the opposing starter today:
- Julio Rodriguez: 6-for-11, 2 HR; .545 BA, 1.636 OPS
- Cal Raleigh: 3-for-8, 2 HR; .375 BA, 1.625 OPS
- Bo Bichette: 5-for-13, HR; .385, BA, 1.053 OPS
- Starling Marte: 9-for-25, HR; .360 BA, 1.109 OPS
- Andrew McCutchen: 4-for-15, 2 HR; .267 BA, 1.020 OPS
- Corey Seager: 8-for-25, HR; .320 BA, .993 OPS
- Willy Adames: 3-for-10, 2B; .300 BA, 1.032 OPS
- Bobby Witt: 4-for-12, HR; .333 BA, 1.000 OPS
- Tommy Pham: 6-for-15, 2 2B; .400 BA, 1.004 OPS
- Ryan Jeffers: 4-for-10, 2B; .400 BA, .900 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.
