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!
*No postponements expected.
Tonight's slate only gives us three starters in the $9k+ range, headlined by MacKenzie Gore and Max Fried. Gore is our preference to spend up on as he has the best K%, K-BB% and SIERA in the pitching pool - all by a comfortable margin, while Fried faces a Royals lineup that doesn't strike out often.
We've also starred Lance McCullers, Kyle Harrison and Griffin Canning in our optimizer. The top point-per-dollar option is clearly Harrison against a weak Rockies lineup, although the game being in Coors Field increases the risk. Harrison flashed 22.9 DK-point upside two starts back. Meanwhile, McCullers has shown a high ceiling with 19 strikeouts combined in his last two starts, and gets a favorable home matchup agains the White Sox.
Here's how each pitcher ranks in key categories (stats are from 2025 season only):
| Pitcher | Fantasy Points | FIP | K% | Opponent K% |
| MacKenzie Gore | 1 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
| Max Fried | 2 | 2 | 5 | 21 |
| Lance McCullers | 3 | 13 | 3 | 6 |
| Kyle Harrison | 4 | 7 | 6 | 2 |
| Dylan Cease | 5 | 3 | 2 | 14 |
| Tyler Mahle | 6 | 4 | 13 | 11 |
| Brandon Pfaadt | 7 |
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 postponements expected.
Tonight's slate only gives us three starters in the $9k+ range, headlined by MacKenzie Gore and Max Fried. Gore is our preference to spend up on as he has the best K%, K-BB% and SIERA in the pitching pool - all by a comfortable margin, while Fried faces a Royals lineup that doesn't strike out often.
We've also starred Lance McCullers, Kyle Harrison and Griffin Canning in our optimizer. The top point-per-dollar option is clearly Harrison against a weak Rockies lineup, although the game being in Coors Field increases the risk. Harrison flashed 22.9 DK-point upside two starts back. Meanwhile, McCullers has shown a high ceiling with 19 strikeouts combined in his last two starts, and gets a favorable home matchup agains the White Sox.
Here's how each pitcher ranks in key categories (stats are from 2025 season only):
| Pitcher | Fantasy Points | FIP | K% | Opponent K% |
| MacKenzie Gore | 1 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
| Max Fried | 2 | 2 | 5 | 21 |
| Lance McCullers | 3 | 13 | 3 | 6 |
| Kyle Harrison | 4 | 7 | 6 | 2 |
| Dylan Cease | 5 | 3 | 2 | 14 |
| Tyler Mahle | 6 | 4 | 13 | 11 |
| Brandon Pfaadt | 7 | 20 | 15 | 4 |
| Ryan Pepiot | 8 | 15 | 11 | 3 |
| Grant Holmes | 9 | 16 | 4 | 12 |
| Chris Bassitt | 10 | 5 | 7 | 17 |
| Griffin Canning | 11 | 10 | 9 | 15 |
| Jose Soriano | 12 | 11 | 18 | 13 |
| Lucas Giolito | 13 | 19 | 14 | 8 |
| Simeon Woods Richardson | 14 | 21 | 12 | 5 |
| Shane Smith | 15 | 6 | 8 | 16 |
| Noah Cameron | 16 | 8 | 20 | 9 |
| Mitch Spence | 17 | 12 | 10 | 1 |
| Logan Evans | 18 | 18 | 16 | 19 |
| Quinn Priester | 19 | 17 | 21 | 10 |
| Matt Sauer | 20 | 14 | 17 | 20 |
| Miles Mikolas | 21 | 9 | 22 | 22 |
| Carson Palmquist | 22 | 22 | 19 | 7 |
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 |
| Giants | 7.6 | 19 | High |
| Yankees | 5.7 | 5 | Medium |
| Diamondbacks | 5.4 | 16 | High |
| Angels | 5.4 | 21 | High |
| Twins | 5.0 | 10 | Medium |
| Mets | 4.9 | 14 | Medium |
| Red Sox | 4.8 | 1 | Low |
| Astros | 4.8 | 8 | Medium |
| Braves | 4.7 | 9 | Medium |
| Rays | 4.6 | 6 | High |
| Cardinals | 4.6 | 2 | Low |
| Mariners | 4.6 | 12 | Medium |
| Rangers | 4.4 | 22 | High |
| Padres | 4.4 | 13 | Medium |
| Blue Jays | 4.3 | 11 | High |
| Brewers | 4.2 | 15 | Low |
| Athletics | 4.0 | 4 | Medium |
| Dodgers | 4.0 | 3 | Low |
| Rockies | 4.0 | 18 | High |
| Nationals | 3.5 | 17 | Low |
| Royals | 3.2 | 7 | Low |
| White Sox | 3.1 | 20 | Low |
My primary team stack targets
Rockies vs. LHP Harrison (4.34 ERA, career 1.4 HR/9). Key pieces: Hunter Goodman, Thairo Estrada, Brenton Doyle, Jordan Beck, Kyle Farmer
Giants vs. LHP Palmquist (8.50 ERA, 2.0 HR/9). Key pieces: Casey Schmitt, Wilmer Flores, Willy Adames, Jung Hoo Lee, Heliot Ramos
Blue Jays vs. RHP Mikolas (3.96 ERA, 13.8 K%). Key pieces: Alejandro Kirk, Bo Bichette, Addison Barger, Vladimir Guerrero, George Springer
Rays vs. RHP Giolito (6.42 ERA, 1.6 HR/9). Key pieces: Yandy Diaz, Brandon Lowe, Junior Caminero, Jose Caballero, Josh Lowe
Key Matchups and Batter vs. Pitcher Insights for DFS Success
Notable hitter matchups against the opposing starter today:
- Alec Burleson: 2-for-2, 1 HR;, 1.000 BA, 4.000 OPS
- Nolan Schanuel: 4-for-10, 1 HR; .400 BA, 1.217 OPS
- Shohei Ohtani: 4-for-15, 2 HR; .267 BA, 1.086 OPS
- Logan O'Hoppe: 5-for-12, 1 RBI; .417 BA, .878 OPS
- Michael Conforto: 5-for-13, 3 2B; .385 BA, 1.044 OPS
- Nathaniel Lowe: 3-for-15, 2 HR; .200 BA, .800 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.
