The 2026 MLB season is here, and we have a seven-game main slate on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Every team will be sending out their number one or number two starter, so pitching is certainly easier to find than offense. Of course, that doesn't mean there aren't still some good spots to attack. 

What can you expect from the playbook?

Well, first and foremost, you'll get a broad overview of the slate. You'll get our top spend up's and value plays on the mound and at the plate. Some of our favorite stacks and even some leverage to go along with it. You can find all of our ownership on site, lineups pages here, and many more tools we have to offer. We'll have a player grid at the bottom of this playbook, too, and narrow that down into some core players for today's main slate.

 

 

⚡ THE SLATE DASHBOARD

💎 PITCHING COACH

The Top Tier

Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves — FD $10,300, DK $9,700

Analysis: Even though Sale made just 20 starts last season, he was electric when he was on the mound. Across 125.2 innings, he posted a 32.4% strikeout rate, 6.3% walk rate, and a 2.58 ERA. Kansas City is a tough matchup for upside, as they posted the 2nd-lowest strikeout rate in MLB last season, but they did strike out considerably more versus LHP (20.9%). 

Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals — FD $9,100, DK $9,000

Analysis: Ragans battled injuries and bad luck last season, posting a 4.67 ERA across just 61.2 innings. However, his underlying metrics were incredibly impressive, as he posted an absurd 38.1% strikeout rate and a 2.52 SIERA. Atlanta was a below-average offense against LHP last season (99 wRC+), and they are missing three key hitters from that regular lineup. Marcell Ozuna departed in free agency, Sean Murphy is on the Injured List, and Jurickson Profar was dealt a 162-game suspension. 

Value Play

Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins — FD $8,900, DK $7,500

Analysis: It was a tale of two seasons last year for the Marlins ace as he worked his way back from Tommy John surgery. In the first half of the season, Alcantara was rocked for a 7.22 ERA. He was much better in the second half, posting a 3.33 ERA. Today, he gets an elite matchup against a Colorado team that was the worst offense in baseball away from Coors Field. They struck out a league-high 28.6% and posted a putrid .260 wOBA on the road. 

Mike Burrows, Houston Astros — FD $7,500, DK $6,500

Analysis: Houston received Burrows in the trade that saw Brandon Lowe move from Tampa bay to Pittsburgh. He is coming off an impressive debut season in which he posted a 24.1% strikeout rate, 7.7% walk rate, and a 3.94 ERA. He gets a high-upside matchup against an Angels team that struck out more than anyone in baseball last season. 

💎 HITTING COACH

Elite Bats

Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers

Analysis: Ohtani secured a third consecutive MVP award last season, leading the NL in ISO, wOBA, and wRC+. His 55 home runs ranked second in the league, and he led all of baseball in runs scored. 

Addison Barger, Toronto Blue Jays

Analysis: Barger enjoyed a breakout season last year, swatting 20 homers and posting a .231 ISO versus RHP. Severino struck out just 16.9% of lefties last season. 

Max Muncy, Los Angeles Dodgers 

Analysis: Muncy has had consecutive seasons of over .360 wOBA and 130 wRC+, and he does nearly all of his damage against right-handed pitching. Nelson struck out just 18.9% of righties last season

Value Bats (Salary Savers)

  • Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays - Varsho slugged 20 homers in just 271 plate appearances last season, with 18 of them coming off righties. Severino struck out just 16.9% of lefties last season. 
  • Carlos Correa, Houston Astros - Correa was much better against lefties than righties last season, and he was even a little unlucky. He posted a .168 ISO compared to a .198 xISO. Kikuchi surrendered 1.47 HR/9 to righties last season. 

🏗️ THE STACKING BLUEPRINT

Primary Stack: Los Angeles Dodgers

Why: Elite offense against a pitcher with below-average strikeouts. Arizona also had one of the worst bullpens in baseball last season, and did very little to address that problem in the off-season.  

The "Leverage" Stack: Miami Marlins 

Why: Cheap bats against a pitcher who posted only a 17.5% strikeout rate, while allowing a 9.4% barrel rate. Freeland also allowed 1.49 HR/9 on the road last season. 

📈 THE LEVERAGE REPORT (GAME THEORY)

The "Chalk" (Popular)The "Pivot" (Low Owned)The Winning Logic
Chris SaleMike BurrowsSale is the most expensive pitcher on the slate facing the high-contact Royals, while Burrows is significantly cheaper and facing the high-strikeout Angels. 
Los Angeles Dodgers Miami MarlinsA much cheaper stack that still has plenty of upside against the low strikeouts of Freeland and a terrible bullpen. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

🎯 Heart of the Order

The foundation for every lineup you build today.

  1. Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins: Another year removed from major surgery, and flashed previous Cy Young form in the second half. Elite matchup against the worst offense in MLB. 
  2. Addison Barger, Toronto Blue Jays: Mid-range price tag, coming off a breakout (.231 ISO vs. RHP) last season. 
  3. Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays: Value option that posted elite power numbers (.359 ISO vs. RHP) last season. 
  4. Max Muncy, Los Angeles Dodgers: Mid-range price tag and crushed RHP last season (.247 ISO) 

Player Pool

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Stacks

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