MLB DFS Pitcher & Team Stacks Guide: Top Picks & Strategy

MLB DFS Pitcher & Team Stacks Guide: Top Picks & Strategy

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 main slate, sorted by projected fantasy points.

We have a pair of starters priced over $10k today in Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but the pitcher that jumps out on the slate is Robbie Ray due to his $8,600 salary and matchup against the Rockies. Colorado ranks last in the MLB in team OPS at .632, which drops down to .546 away from Coors Field.

We've also starred Framber Valdez, Ben Brown and Gunnar Hoglund in our optimizer. Hoglund ranks as the best point-per-dollar option as he gets the minimum pitcher salary of $4k in his MLB debut. The 25-year-old has a 2.43 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in six starts at Triple-A this year. Valdez also stands out in matchup against the White Sox, who have the second lowest implied run total. I wouldn't blame anyone spending up for Skubal or Yamamoto, and it should also be noted that Joe Ryan and Jack Leiter rank well in all the metrics below. 

Here's how each pitcher ranks in key categories (stats are from 2025 season only):

PitcherFantasy PointsFIPK%Opponent K%
Tarik Skubal1533
Robbie Ray21771
Yoshinobu Yamamoto33110
Framber Valdez4111411
Joe Ryan5

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 main slate, sorted by projected fantasy points.

We have a pair of starters priced over $10k today in Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but the pitcher that jumps out on the slate is Robbie Ray due to his $8,600 salary and matchup against the Rockies. Colorado ranks last in the MLB in team OPS at .632, which drops down to .546 away from Coors Field.

We've also starred Framber Valdez, Ben Brown and Gunnar Hoglund in our optimizer. Hoglund ranks as the best point-per-dollar option as he gets the minimum pitcher salary of $4k in his MLB debut. The 25-year-old has a 2.43 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in six starts at Triple-A this year. Valdez also stands out in matchup against the White Sox, who have the second lowest implied run total. I wouldn't blame anyone spending up for Skubal or Yamamoto, and it should also be noted that Joe Ryan and Jack Leiter rank well in all the metrics below. 

Here's how each pitcher ranks in key categories (stats are from 2025 season only):

PitcherFantasy PointsFIPK%Opponent K%
Tarik Skubal1533
Robbie Ray21771
Yoshinobu Yamamoto33110
Framber Valdez4111411
Joe Ryan51024
Max Fried661312
Sonny Gray712922
Bryan Woo891018
Ben Brown914816
Jose Soriano1013175
Clay Holmes111420
Ryan Pepiot1219112
Chris Bassitt134517
Michael Wacha147158
Jack Leiter15266
Gunnar Hoglund16N/AN/A7
Brayan Bello17232115
Dean Kremer18212223
Grant Holmes19201214
Valente Bellozo2081821
Quinn Priester21162019
Jonathan Cannon22181613
Logan Allen23151924
Antonio Senzatela2422239

Analyzing Team Stack Rankings for Maximum DFS Impact

Here is how each team ranks in implied runs, home run rate and how popular we expect each team stack to be in GPPs:

TeamImplied RunsHR RateStack Popularity
Yankees6.11High
Giants6.013High
Dodgers5.82High
Astros5.720High
Athletics5.66High
Orioles5.47Medium
Blue Jays5.323High
Tigers5.09Medium
Cubs4.94Medium
Red Sox4.78Medium
Twins4.722High
Mariners4.53Medium
Brewers4.519Medium
Rangers4.314Low
Marlins4.316Medium
Mets4.111Low
Royals4.024High
Cardinals3.815Low
Guardians3.612Medium
Braves3.510Low
Rays2.817Low
Angels2.85Low
White Sox2.621Low
Rockies2.418Low

My primary team stack targets

Dodgers vs. RHP Grant Holmes (5.45 FIP, 1.6 HR/9) Key pieces: Will Smith, Max Muncy, Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman

Royals vs. RHP Dean Kremer (7.04 ERA, 2.1 HR/9) Key pieces: Vinnie Pasquantino, Michael Massey, Bobby Witt, Drew Waters, Jonathan India

Athletics vs. RHP Valente Bellozo (career 5.45 FIP, 1.8 HR/9) Key pieces: Shea Langeliers, Luis Urias, Jacob Wilson, JJ Bleday, Brent Rooker

Blue Jays vs. LHP Logan Allen (career 4.85 FIP, 1.49 WHIP) Key pieces: Vladimir Guerrero, Addison Barger, Anthony Santander, Bo Bichette, George Springer

Key Matchups and Batter vs. Pitcher Insights for DFS Success

Notable hitter matchups against the opposing starter today:

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ryan Pohle
Ryan Pohle is a DFS Product Specialist at RotoWire and has written for the site since 2020.
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