Welcome to the Fantasy Alarm MLB DFS Playbook for Friday, May 23rd! 

We have a 12-game main slate in store for us this evening on DraftKings and an 11-game slate on FanDuel starting at 7:05 PM ET. Today, we have plenty of talent on the diamond and many different ways to build your lineup. Our expert analysis is here to guide you through the top pitchers, value plays, and stackable offenses to target.

Whether chasing big GPP prizes or grinding cash games, we’ve got you covered with insights tailored to today’s matchups. Let’s jump right into the key plays and strategies to dominate the slate!

 

 

This season's MLB DFS picks and playbook will consist of a pitcher and hitter core players section with written analysis, player pool grid and core stacks section.

The core player section should be used as a starting point for all lineups, you may not be able to use all players in the same lineup, but those players should be the building blocks for you on a given night.

The player pool grid will feature both players from the core player section along with additional plays to help you build a complete lineup. The grid will be broken into top priced players, mid-priced players and value tier players.

The stacks section will bring you are favorite lineups stacks for the day and which players we would look to include in those stacks based on matchups and pricing.

Check out the MLB DFS Show to get an initial outlook on the day's MLB DFS slate to give you a good base for the start of your research each day! 

Make sure you subscribe to the Fantasy Alarm YouTube channel so you never miss a show! Also, join the Fantasy Alarm Discord to get your DFS lineup questions answered by our MLB DFS team! Plus, as always, be sure to check in with our MLB DFS Tools, with the Daily MLB Projections, MLB DFS Rostership Projections, and our MLB DFS Lineup Generator when building those lineups today to help you decide which players you should be targeting.

 

MLB DFS Picks & MLB Playbook

MLB Weather: Friday, 5/23

Los Angeles Dodgers @ New York Mets

  • Low chance of rain that could cause an in-game delay. PPD unlikely. 

Baltimore Orioles @ Boston Red Sox

  • Solid chance of rain, but hopefully remains light enough to play through. 

Arizona Diamondbacks @ St. Louis Cardinals

  • Very low chance of rain that is unlikely to cause any stoppage in play. 
 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers

Let's get into today's core pitching plays for our DFS lineups

Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies ace is having his bet season yet in what has already been an impressive career. The strikeout rate is a career-high 32.8 percent and is backed by a career-high 14.2 percent swinging-strike rate. The walks are all the way down at an elite 4.9 percent. Wheeler owns a 2.67 ERA through 10 starts that is fully backed by estimators such as his 2.12 xERA and and 2.51 SIERA. This is one of the very best pitchers in baseball and he is completely matchup proof. The only hesitation is whether we want to prioritize him over some of the expensive elite bats on the slate. He is the clear top pitching option if you have the salary.  

Tyler Mahle, Texas Rangers

Mahle gets the best matchup on the board facing the White Sox, who have struck out at 23.1 percent and rank dead last in the league with a .280 wOBA versus right-handed pitching. The issue is we are paying a premium for that matchup as he is priced above $9,000 on both sites and salary can be tight on this slate if paying for the elite offenses. Mahle has also been very lucky to achieve his 1.47 ERA this season, as his .222 BABIP and 3.6 percent HR/FB rate are not sustainable, and his strikeout rate is well below league average at 18.8 percent. ERA estimators (3.75 xERA/4.37 SIERA) put him closer to a league average starter than an elite one, but the matchup keeps him in play on this slate despite the uncomfortable price tag. 

Pablo Lopez, Minnesota Twins

Pablo Lopez is having a fantastic season with a 2.40 ERA through eight starts. The strikeout rate (27.7 percent) and walk rate (5.1 percent) are both significantly better than average, and he has worked at least six innings in three of his last four starts. He gets a solid matchup against the Royals, making him one of the “safer” pitching options of the day. KC has managed just a .299 wOBA and 87 wRC+ versus right-handed pitching this season, but they have also struck out at the lowest rate in the league. Lopez has one of the strongest floors on the slate, but there are concerns about upside due to the Royals lack of strikeouts. 

Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves

Sale gets a matchup against a Padres offense that has actually been slightly below average against left-handed pitching (95 wRC+), but they also strike out at just 19.3 percent (3rd lowest) against lefties. Sale features a dominant pitch arsenal and an elite 30.4 percent strikeout rate that leaves him capable of excelling in any matchup, but there are some upside concerns at his price tag. 

Yusei Kikuchi, Los Angeles Angels

Kikuchi is maybe the most intriguing point-per-dollar pitcher on a slate where we would love to save some salary at SP in order to allocate it to elite bats. The Angels lefty has one of the best matchups on the board against the Marlins, who have posted just a .104 ISO and 82 wRC+ against southpaws this season. The Marlins don't strike out a ton (21.4 percent vs. LHP) but they are unlikely to beat Kikuchi with the long ball. Kikuchi has worked at least six innings in six of his 10 starts this season, and there is a good chance he can do that again in this matchup.    

Clarke Schmidt, New York Yankees

Schmidt is priced up on FD and barely a large-field tournament dart throw there, but his $7,200 DK price tag is very appealing. The Yankees are the biggest favorite (-290) of the day, so there is solid win equity baked in for Clarke Schmidt if he can make it through five innings in Coors Field. Schmidt is backed by the best offense in baseball, and he faces a Rockies offense that is tied for the highest strikeout in MLB and has posted just a .286 wOBA (3rd worst) despite playing half its games in the best offensive environment in the league. 

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

Let's check out today's core plays to build our lineups around.

Core MLB DFS Hitters

New York Yankees in Coors Field

The Yankees have an absolutely bonkers implied team total of nearly 7.5 runs. Their offense leads MLB with a .215 ISO, .356 wOBA and 132 wRC+. Simply put, they have been the best offense in baseball. Now, they travel to Coors Field for a matchup with a historically bad Rockies team. The Yanks are rightfully priced through the roof, with Aaron Judge getting the extremely rare $7,000 price tag on DK. Six other Yankees hitters are priced above $5,000 on DK, so there will be some tough decisions to be made. Trent Grisham has been absurdly good this season, while Cody Bellinger and Jasson Dominguez have been red hot of late. We should get some value bats like DJ LeMahieu, Oswald Peraza and/or Jorbit Vivas rounding out the bottom of the lineup that will help make some things work. No matter which nine players crack the lineup, every one of them will be in play. 

Tanner Gordon is expected to get a spot start for the Rockies. The righty carried an 8.65 ERA in eight starts last season, and he allowed seven runs (four earned) on nine hits to the Tigers in his lone MLB appearance this season. The Rockies bullpen behind him is among the worst in baseball with a 4.52 ERA and league-low 18.4 percent strikeout rate. 

Philadelphia Phillies in Sutter Health Park

The Phillies are coming off a four-game series sweep in Coors Field in which they put up more than eight runs per game in the first three games before coming away with a 2-0 victory in the finale. They get another series in a great ballpark for offense with a trip to Sacramento against the A's. Jeffrey Springs takes the ball for the A's in the first game and he holds some extremely strong home/road splits this season: 

HOME: 6.30 ERA, 15.5% K%, 10.3% BB%, 1.80 HR/9, .364 wOBA

AWAY: 2.45 ERA, 20.3% K%, 8.6% BB%, 0.82 HR/9, .251 wOBA

The Phillies are still priced up on DK coming off their series in Coors Field, but they are extremely affordable on FD where Nick Castellanos, Alec Bohm and Edmundo Sosa are all under $3,000. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper are two lefties very capable of paying off top tier price tags despite the lefty-lefty matchup, and Trea Turner is coming off a huge series in Coors. 

UPDATE: Jacob Lopez will start for the A's instead of Jeffrey Springs. This doesn't change much in terms of the outlook for the Phillies. 

Los Angeles Angels vs. Sandy Alcantara

It has been one ugly return from surgery for Marlins righty Sandy Alcantara so far as the ERA sits at 7.99 through nine starts. The former Cy Yong winner has allowed at least four runs in six of his nine starts. The strikeouts are all the way down at 17.8 percent and the walks are up at 12.0 percent. Lefties have done the majority of the damage against him, but the Angels unfortunately don't have many strong lefties. Yoan Moncada is the top lefty and Nolan Schanuel has been hitting better of late but still lacks power. Zach Neto, Taylor Ward and Logan O'Hoppe all have fly-ball rates above 30 percent and absurd barrel rates against RHP this season. 

Texas Rangers vs. Sean Burke 

The Rangers get a matchup against rookie right-hander Sean Burke, who has been very fortunate to post a 4.69 ERA through 48 innings. ERA estimators like his 6.55 xERA and 5.50 SIERA believe there is some serious regression on the horizon. Burke has walked nearly as many hitters as he has struck out, and he has allowed a lot of loud contact with an 11.7 percent barrel rate. Wyatt Langford and Josh Smith have both been excellent this season, and Josh Jung has heated up recently with five home runs this month. Adolis Garcia owns a .208 ISO and 16.8 percent barrel rate against righties this season. 

DK Special 

The second game of the Boston/Baltimore double-header is only available on the DK slate. 

The Red Sox are in a great spot against Charlie Morton, who has found his way back into the Orioles rotation despite getting shelled for a 7.68 ERA and 10.1 percent barrel rate through 41 innings of work. The strikeouts are all the way down to 20.5 percent, and he is walking 12.3 percent of batters and has allowed 1.98 HR/9. Rafael Devers and Jarren Duran are elite options. 

The Orioles get Lucas Giolito, who has also been hit extremely hard in three of his four starts. Overall, he has allowed a 10.4 percent barrel rate and 2.21 HR/9. Lefties in particular have really squared him up for a .262 ISO and 14.7 percent barrel rate. Gunnar Henderson is under $5,000, while Jackson Holliday has been leading off recently with 2B eligibility at just $3,900.  

 

 

 

Player Pool

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Stacks

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