Welcome to the Fantasy Alarm MLB DFS Playbook for Friday, August 15th! 

We have a 5-game main slate in store for us this evening on DraftKings and FanDuel starting at 7:07 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, 8/15 

Detroit Tigers @ Minnesota Twins

Possible late start but should be dry after that. 

Arizona Diamondbacks @ Colorado Rockies 

Most likely plays dry but there is a small chance of rain. 

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers

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

Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Framber Valdez, Houston Astros

The matchup against the Orioles is an excellent one for Framber Valdez, making him the runaway favorite for top pitcher on the slate. 

Valdez has struggled in his last two starts against the Yankees and Red Sox, but this is a much better spot for him. The Orioles have had no answer for left-handed pitching all season long. Against lefties, their 89 wRC+ ranks just 21st and their 23.9% strikeout rate is the 9th-highest mark in MLB. 

The Astros lefty is still more of a groundball pitcher than a strikeout pitcher, but his efficiency allows him to pitch deep into games. 

Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers

Rangers ace Jacob deGrom gets a difficult matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays, who have been the best offense in baseball for a long stretch of the season. Since July 1st, the Jays rank 1st in wOBA and wRC+ and 3rd in ISO. They have also struck out at the lowest rate in the league. 

As for deGrom, he is still an excellent pitcher, but he is not quite as matchup proof as he was in his prime. His strikeout rate is still a healthy 27.2% and the walk rate remains elite at 5.7%. Unfortunately, we are not getting a discount for the tough matchup, so that leaves deGrom as a tournament-only option. 

Options Aplenty in the Mid-Range 

The mid-range of the salary tier offers many playable pitching options on this large slate, but there is no standout. There is also a very strong value tier on this slate that I prefer to most of the options in the mid-range, but that doesn't mean there won't be any great performances here. 

Noah Cameron has been outstanding since his call-up, but he gets a matchup with a White Sox offense that has been excellent in the 2nd half of the season. There is concern for his upside at this price. 

Yusei Kikuchi will occasionally pop for a big strikeout performance, but there is extreme risk as well for a fly-ball pitcher in a great hitters park. 

Luis Castillo has been much better at home than on the road this season, and his strikeouts have been trending in the wrong direction over the last couple seasons. 

Lucas Giolito issued six walk in his last start, and the Marlins have been a formidable offense of late. 

Chris Bassitt has failed to top 70 pitches or get out of the 5th inning in two of his last three starts. In between was a very good start against the Royals. 

Charlie Morton is the most intriguing option, but I struggle to trust a 41-year-old pitcher that is coming off a double-digit strikeout performance in which he also allowed seven hits including two home runs. 

Joey Cantillo and Sean Manaea both offer strikeout upside, but they also both struggle with control and do not have much leash to work with. 

Again, any of these pitchers are capable of a tournament-winning performance, but there is significant risk associated with each one of them. 

Luis Gil, New York Yankees 

The reigning AL Rookie of the Year is finally back on the mound for his sophomore season. He has made just two MLB starts this season, but he was up to 91 pitches in his last one. The righty recorded seven strikeouts and allowed just two runs in 5.1 innings against a solid Houston offense. 

Today, Gil gets a matchup against a Cardinals offense that has been average against righties. There are also more strikeouts in the lineup with Nolan Gorman filling in for the injured Nolan Arenado. Gil is cheaper than the tier above because of the time he has missed this season, but he has as much upside than anyone in that group. 

Jack Perkins, Athletics 

It is rare we have a pitching option under $6,000 with significant upside on any slate, but this slate actually offers two such options. 

Jack Perkins has recently moved into the A's rotation after working out of the bullpen initially following his call-up. He has made just two MLB starts, but the upside is intriguing considering he posted a 38.4% strikeout rate in Triple-A this season. He also happens to get the best possible matchup for strikeouts with the Angels in town. 

Of course, there is also extreme risk with the Angels ranking 6th in the league in ISO and the game being played in the extremely hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park. The upside outweighs the risk for me, making Perkins one of the top options on the slate. 

Joe Boyle, Tampa Bay Rays 

Like Perkins, Joe Boyle is also a reliever turned starter who is priced under $6,000 and comes with significant upside. Similarly, Boyle also has posted an excellent 32.9% strikeout rate at Triple-A this season. The matchup for Boyle comes with significantly less risk as he moves to an extreme pitcher's park in San Francisco. The Giants don't strike out near as much as the Angels, but they also don't possess near the power. 

Factoring in the matchups and ballparks, Perkins comes with more upside and more risk, while Boyle offers a little more safety. Ultimately, Perkins and Boyle are very similar plays and I think either could break the slate. 

 

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

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

Core MLB DFS Hitters

Ketel Marte, Corbin Carroll and Arizona Diamondbacks in Coors Field 

The Diamondbacks performed to expectations by putting up eight runs in the first game of their Coors Field series. They are again in an incredible spot against a terrible pitching staff in the best offensive environment in MLB. 

Tanner Gordon will make the start for the Rockies and he is just not a Major League-level starting pitcher. Gordon has posted an 8.37 ERA in seven starts while striking out just 13.8% of batters. Lefties in particular have crushed him with a .212 ISO and 10.4% barrel rate. 

Obviously, that makes Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll two of the best options on the entire slate, with Geraldo Perdomo following closely behind. Adrian Del Castillo and Tyler Locklear are both still too cheap for their talent level. Alek Thomas will hit from the left side and is coming off a multi-hit performance last night. 

Kerry Carpenter, Riley Greene and Detroit Tigers vs. Pierson Ohl

The Tigers have an implied team total of five runs against Pierson Ohl and a Twins bullpen that traded away a bunch of key pieces at the deadline. Ohl has not thrown more than four innings in any outing this season (including minor leagues), so this is likely to be a bullpen game for the Twins. They have just one lefty in the 'pen and he has worked in each of the last three days. That is a significant boost to the lefties in the Tigers lineup. 

Versus righties, Riley Greene (.299 ISO) and Kerry Carpenter (.286 ISO) are the top options. Spencer Torkelson also has an excellent .212 ISO against RH pitchers. Colt Keith and Wenceel Perez would be next in line given their lineup order positions and above average ISOs.  

Alex Bregman and Boston Red Sox vs. Sandy Alcantara 

The Red Sox have been one of the best offenses in baseball recently. Since July 1st, they rank 4th in wOBA and 7th in ISO. Today, they get a home matchup with the struggling Sandy Alcantara. The former ace has been brutal in his return from major surgery this season, posting a 6.55 ERA with just a 16.8% strikeout rate against an 8.8% walk rate. He has allowed at least five runs in nearly half his starts this year, including in each of his last two starts. 

Not one single hitter in the Red Sox projected lineup has an ISO below .150 against right-handed pitching this season. Alex Bregman leads the way with an elite .286 ISO, with Wilyer Abreu and Jarren Duran both above .220 ISO. Roman Anthony should continue to lead-off and owns an excellent .387 wOBA against righties.  

Aaron Judge and New York Yankees vs. Andre Pallante 

Andre Pallante was a serviceable starter for the Cardinals last season and even for parts of this season, but he has fallen on hard times recently. He was lit up for six runs in his last start against the Cubs, and he had three starts last month where he allowed at least five runs. He relies almost exclusively on groundball ability to record outs. That is a very tough proposition against a Yankees lineup full of fly-ball, power hitters. 

I could list the elite fly-ball and power numbers for the Yankees, but that would include the entire lineup. Only Giancarlo Stanton and Ben Rice have fly-ball rates below 33.5% against right-handed pitchers this season. No hitter in the entire projected lineup has an ISO below .190 against righties. 

Mickey Moniak and Colorado Rockies vs. Brandon Pfaadt 

The Rockies were shutdown by Eduardo Rodriguez last night, but they get a chance at redemption tonight against Brandon Pfaadt. The D-backs righty has been extremely inconsistent this season and has allowed a 12.2% barrel rate and 1.42 HR/9. 

Pfaadt's troubles against lefties (.210 ISO allowed) vault Mickey Moniak to the top option for the Rockies. Hunter Goodman also has plenty of power against righties with a .235 ISO this season. Ezequiel Tovar and Jordan Beck are both still too cheap for their production, and Tyler Freeman has an excellent .374 wOBA against righties. 

Player Pool

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Stacks

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