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 nine-game main slate, sorted by projected fantasy points.
This is my final pitcher and team stacks article of the season. Thanks for reading this year!
Visit RotoWire's MLB Daily Lineups to find out where the hitters slot in!
*Possible delay/postponement in White Sox at Yankees game. Proceed with caution!
Tonight's medium-sized slate brings us five pitchers in the $9k+ range, headlined by Garrett Crochet at the top. However, considering he faces a Blue Jays team that doesn't whiff much, my preference to spend up on is Max Fried (check weather). The White Sox are averaging 2.3 runs across the last 10 games and Fried has posted at least 23 DK points in four of his last six outings.
We've also highlighted Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray and Taj Bradley in our optimizer. Castillo is our top point-per-dollar starter, with an always favorable matchup against the Rockies away from Coors Field. Meanwhile, Gray is a consistent option in the middle tier, and he posted 18.4 DK points against the Giants earlier this month.
The White Sox are going with Fraser Ellard to open with Tyler Alexander expected to follow, and I'll advise avoiding that situation altogether. Note that Jacob deGrom and Hunter Brown rank well in the metrics below.
Here's how each
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 nine-game main slate, sorted by projected fantasy points.
This is my final pitcher and team stacks article of the season. Thanks for reading this year!
Visit RotoWire's MLB Daily Lineups to find out where the hitters slot in!
*Possible delay/postponement in White Sox at Yankees game. Proceed with caution!
Tonight's medium-sized slate brings us five pitchers in the $9k+ range, headlined by Garrett Crochet at the top. However, considering he faces a Blue Jays team that doesn't whiff much, my preference to spend up on is Max Fried (check weather). The White Sox are averaging 2.3 runs across the last 10 games and Fried has posted at least 23 DK points in four of his last six outings.
We've also highlighted Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray and Taj Bradley in our optimizer. Castillo is our top point-per-dollar starter, with an always favorable matchup against the Rockies away from Coors Field. Meanwhile, Gray is a consistent option in the middle tier, and he posted 18.4 DK points against the Giants earlier this month.
The White Sox are going with Fraser Ellard to open with Tyler Alexander expected to follow, and I'll advise avoiding that situation altogether. Note that Jacob deGrom and Hunter Brown rank well in the metrics below.
Here's how each pitcher ranks in key categories (stats are from 2025 season only):
| Pitcher | Fantasy Points | FIP | K% | Opponent K% |
| Jacob deGrom | 1 | 9 | 6 | 9 |
| Luis Castillo | 2 | 11 | 12 | 2 |
| Garrett Crochet | 3 | 2 | 1 | 18 |
| Blake Snell | 4 | 1 | 3 | 15 |
| Max Fried | 5 | 3 | 8 | 8 |
| Sonny Gray | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 |
| Hunter Brown | 7 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
| Matthew Boyd | 8 | 7 | 11 | 13 |
| Max Scherzer | 9 | 18 | 9 | 6 |
| Yusei Kikuchi | 10 | 14 | 10 | 17 |
| Jonah Tong | 11 | 13 | 4 | 16 |
| Taj Bradley | 12 | 15 | 14 | 10 |
| Stephen Kolek | 13 | 8 | 18 | 1 |
| Luis Severino | 14 | 12 | 17 | 14 |
| JT Brubaker | 15 | 4 | 16 | 12 |
| Ryne Nelson | 16 | 10 | 13 | 11 |
| Tanner Gordon | 17 | 16 | 15 | 4 |
| Fraser Ellard | 18 | 17 | 2 | 3 |
Analyzing Team Stack Rankings for Maximum DFS Impact
Here is how each team ranks in implied runs, team OPS against opposing starter handedness and how popular we expect each team stack to be in GPPs:
| Team | Implied Runs | Team OPS vs. Hand | Stack Popularity |
| Yankees | 6.4 | 1 | High |
| Mariners | 5.7 | 6 | High |
| Astros | 5.1 | 11 | High |
| Dodgers | 5.1 | 2 | High |
| Rangers | 5.0 | 13 | High |
| Angels | 4.5 | 16 | Medium |
| Royals | 4.3 | 18 | High |
| Athletics | 4.3 | 4 | Medium |
| Red Sox | 4.3 | 5 | Medium |
| Cardinals | 4.0 | 14 | Medium |
| Giants | 3.9 | 9 | Low |
| Cubs | 3.8 | 7 | Low |
| Diamondbacks | 3.8 | 8 | Low |
| Blue Jays | 3.6 | 3 | Medium |
| Mets | 3.5 | 15 | Medium |
| Twins | 2.9 | 10 | Low |
| Rockies | 2.2 | 17 | Low |
| White Sox | 2.0 | 12 | Low |
My primary team stack targets
Astros vs. RHP Severino (4.20 FIP, 17.4 K%). Key pieces: Yainer Diaz, Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Jesus Sanchez, Zach Cole
Dodgers vs. RHP Nelson (3.80 FIP). Key pieces: Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy
Royals vs. LHP Kikuchi (4.25 FIP, 1.45 WHIP). Key pieces: Salvador Perez, Vinnie Pasquantino, Jonathan India, Maikel Garcia, Bobby Witt
Red Sox vs. RHP Scherzer (5.08 FIP, 2.0 HR/9). Key pieces: Wilyer Abreu, Masataka Yoshida, Jarren Duran, Alex Bregman, Trevor Story
Key Matchups and Batter vs. Pitcher Insights for DFS Success
Notable hitter matchups against the opposing starter today:
- Blaze Alexander: 3-for-4, HR; .750 BA, 2.750 OPS
- Yainer Diaz: 4-for-10, 2 HR; .400 BA, 1.400 OPS
- Willy Adames: 5-for-16, HR; .313 BA, 1.104 OPS
- Mickey Moniak: 4-for-14, 2 HR; .286 BA, 1.000 OPS
- Francisco Lindor: 13-for-36, 2 HR; .361 BA, 1.021 OPS
- Lawrence Butler: 5-for-14, HR; .357 BA, 1.000 OPS
- Matt Chapman: 3-for-12, HR; .250 BA, .983 OPS
- JJ Bleday: 3-for-11, HR; .273 BA, .818 OPS
- Rafael Devers: 5-for-18, HR; .278 BA, .850 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.
