Welcome to the Fantasy Alarm MLB DFS Playbook for Monday, May 19th! 

Let’s start the week on the right foot with some winning lineups today. We have a 9-game main slate in store for us this evening on DraftKings and 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! 

Tune into the MLB DFS Livestream at 5 PM ET to watch us break down today’s slate, give you last-minute advice, and answer any questions before locking in those lineups!

 

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: Monday, 5/19

UPDATED

Cleveland Guardians vs Minnesota Twins - FADE THIS.  Rain is going to hit in the early/mid innings and likely shortens this game. Risk of PPD after 5 innings.

Detroit Tigers vs St. Louis Cardinals - Rain coming in the final few innings, could get called early but likely plays wet to finish out.

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers

Some of my honorable mentions for pitchers you could consider today, outside of my core plays, include Kris Bubic, Luis Castillo, Sonny Gray, and Ryan Pepiot. 

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

Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Cristopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies

Cristopher Sanchez is my favorite pitching option on the slate today. He has been pitching great this season with a huge jump in strikeout rate up to 28.4% after being 20.3% last year. I am worried about the forearm tightness he was experiencing earlier in the season, and it likely will eventually end in Tommy John for him, but he is a great option while he is still out there throwing. 

Pitching in Colorado really doesn’t scare me that much. The Rockies' offense is so bad that it mitigates the good hitters' park, and there are honestly more scary places to pitch in the majors right now. 

Robbie Ray, San Francisco Giants

I wish he weren’t quite expensive today, but I think he should be the top pitcher on the slate, and I don’t mind paying up for him if you can make it work. He has great strikeout upside, with 7 or more strikeouts in 5 of his 9 starts this season, including a season-high 9 in his last outing against a great Arizona offense. 

Bailey Ober, Minnesota Twins

Bailey Ober's results haven’t been amazing this season. He has been giving up too many hits and not striking out enough batters, but he still has a 3.72 ERA, so he is still surviving. I think he figures things out, and we will start seeing more strikeouts soon. He is a pitcher I trust, and I am not really worried about him yet. I am willing to run with it today if you don’t want to pay up for someone like Robbie Ray. 

 

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

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

Core MLB DFS Hitters

Josh Naylor, 1B Arizona Diamondbacks

I like the Arizona Diamondbacks again today. They get to be in a great hitting environment in LA and face Landon Knack. Josh Naylor is one of my favorites in the lineup, as you are getting him way too cheap for someone who is slashing .302/.371/.459 with 5 homers and 8 steals already this season. 

Royce Lewis, 3B Minnesota Twins

Look out, Royce Lewis might finally be hitting up. I can forgive his slow start, given his injury and not getting a ramp-up in spring training; he has needed some time to get going. He has 6 hits in his last 4 games, including a double and a homer. I am happy to get in now while he is $4,100 because we know he can quickly become a $6,000 hitter. 

Jacob Wilson, SS Athletics

Jacob Wilson has had quite the season so far. Despite his recent 4-game hitless streak, he is still slashing .337/.369/.478 with 5 homers and 3 steals. He is only striking out 5% of the time with incredible plate skills. In a great park to hit in, even if he doesn’t keep bringing a lot of power, he can easily return value in a spot like this with his ability to stack up hits in a pretty good offense. 

Randy Arozarena, OF Seattle Mariners 

I really like the Seattle Mariners in general today. They are going up against the Chicago White Sox, and their offense continues to produce. Randy is one of those guys who, when he is hot, is one of the best hitters in baseball, and he is hot right now. He has 17 hits in his last 14 games, including 4 homers and 2 doubles, slashing .333/.433/.529. He homered yesterday, and I think he continues to produce today. 

 

 

 

Player Pool

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Stacks

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