Welcome to the Fantasy Alarm MLB DFS Playbook for Monday, August 4th! 

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 7:10 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: Monday, 8/4

Milwaukee Brewers @ Atlanta Braves

This game has the most rain in the forecast. It's Atlanta summers. There's rain in the forecast that could cause a delay. Check back later in the day to see if things have gotten better or worse.

Cincinnati Reds @ Chicago Cubs

There's winds blowing in 5-10 MPH, which obviously helps the pitchers a bit.

Toronto Blue Jays @ Colorado Rockies

There is wind blowing OUT in Coors Field. It's also hot as hell. Offense, offense, and more offense.

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers

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

Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Max Fried, New York Yankees

Since July 1st, the Texas Rangers are 23rd in OPS, 26th in wOBA, 25th in wRC+ and has a 27.8% K-rate against lefties. That's actually an improvement to what their season numbers look like, too. Fried has been up and down lately, but he has a massive ceiling in this spot. He's coming off one of his best starts in some time, posting 29 DKP.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles Dodgers

There has only been one team worse than the St. Louis Cardinals against right-handed pitching since July 1st. It's the Pittsburgh Pirates. You do not want to be in the same breath as the Pirates. Glasnow looked great in the two starts before his matchup against the Reds. There's a very high ceiling against this Cardinals offense, especially if Brendan Donovan misses time again.

Quinn Priester, Milwaukee Brewers

The price on DK isn't something that many will probably be comfortable with, but I love the matchup and how well he's pitched lately. The Braves put Austin Riley on the IL and he joins Ronald Acuna there. The Braves, since July 1st, rank 18th in OPS and wRC+ and 17th in wOBA while striking out 24.4% of the time. Priester has put up 19+ DKP in three of his last four. Since June 1st, Priester has a 2.54 ERA and has a 24.8% K-rate. Over that span, he has a 57.6% GB, 2.92 xFIP, and a .236 BAA.

Yusei Kikuchi, Los Angeles Angels

The Rays are horrible against left-handed pitching. Horrible. Since July 1st, they rank 29th in OPS and it sits at just .565 as a team. Their 54 wRC+ and .246 wOBA are also the second worst in baseball. Kikuchi has a high strikeout ceiling, and the Rays have a 26.6% K-rate against southpaws since July 1st. The spot and price are great.

Michael Soroka, Chicago Cubs

This is an interesting spot as Mike Soroka is making his season debut here. The matchup against the Reds is quite good as they rank 23rd or worse in OPS, wOBA, ISO, and wRC+ against righties since July 1st. Soroka has a 4.87 ERA but a 3.33 xERA, 4.06 xFIP, and 3.62 SIERA. He also happens to have a career-high 25.4% K-rate and 9.6 K/9. 

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

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

Core MLB DFS Hitters

Blue Jays Take Flight in Coors Field

It's nearly impossible to ignore the Blue Jays in the Coors Field weather considering it's 90 degrees and there are double-digit winds blowing out as well. Since July 1st, the Blue Jays rank 1st in OPS, wOBA, and wRC+ against right-handed pitching. They face off against Tanner Gordon who has struggled mightily against both splits.

vs. LH - .158 ISO, .201 xISO, .304 wOBA, .345 xwOBA, 52.1% FB, 40.8% HH

vs. RH - .204 ISO, .423 wOBA, .358 xwOBA, 38.1% HH 

Here are the Blue Jays numbers vs. RHP this year;

Rockies Crush Lefties

Although Eric Lauer has been frying lately, this is a TOUGH spot. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, has a better OPS in baseball than the Rockies do since July 1st. They're top-five in ISO, wOBA, and wRC+ as well. As good as Lauer has been, he allows a LOT of flyballs. He's over 50% against both splits.

Lets dive into the Rockies with good numbers against southpaws;

Brewers Fedde Up

Erick Fedde's Braves debut went exactly how we thought it would. He allowed 4 ER, seven base runners, and couldn't get out of the fifth inning. Fedde's been especially bad against lefties and has gotten lucky against righties too.

Lefties have a .214 ISO, .244 xISO, .377 wOBA, .406 xwOBA, 5.54 xFIP

Righties have a .127 ISO, .173 xISO, .311 wOBA, .347 xwOBA, 4.99 xFIP

Brewers lefties: Brice Turang .168 xISO & .352 xwOBA, Christian Yelich .237 ISO, .376 xwOBA, Isaac Collins .365 wOBA, Blake Perkins .111 ISO, .253 wOBA

Brewers righties: Andrew Vaughn .188 ISO, .246 xISO, .288 wOBA, .364 xwOBA, William Contreras .127 ISO, .139 xISO, .318 wOBA, .322 xwOBA

Red Sox Will not Falter

Bailey Falter is making his first start of the year for the Royals but has a brutal spot. Falter has a 3.73 ERA but a 4.55 xERA, 4.93 xFIP, .236 BABIP, and 5.11 SIERA. He's been VERY lucky. Boston ranks 2nd in OPS against left-handed pitching this year, so this spot is a luck breaker.

Boston has some FIRE numbers against lefties;

Padres Offense Clicking

The Padres offense has been better lately and have a decent matchup against Brandon Pfaadt. Pfaadt's strikeouts are down, home runs are up and his 5.11 ERA is attached to a 6.29 xERA.

Look at this numbers for Pfaadt versus both splits;

vs. LH - .215 ISO, .252 xISO, .357 wOBA, .397 xwOBA

vs. RH - .188 ISO, .254 xISO, .325 wOBA, .381 xwOBA

You're starting a Padres stack with Fernando Tatis (.208 ISO, .248 xISO, .374 wOBA, .405 xwOBA) & Manny Machado (.172 ISO, .223 xISO, .367 wOBA, .391 xwOBA).

You're likely going to round it out with Jackson Merrill (.159 ISO, .221 xISO, .330 wOBA, .370 xwOBA), Ramon Laureano (.273 ISO, .257 xISO, .402 wOBA, .365 xwOBA) & Ryan O'Hearn (.190 ISO, .200 xISO, .370 wOBA, .387 xwOBA)

Can Yankees get it Going?

The Yankees have a lot of players with really good history against lefties, so they look pretty good. Some of them are really cheap, such as Paul Goldschmidt, Amed Rosario, and Austin Slater, but what will happen is each of them will likely be pinch-hit for as soon as a righty comes in the game. That stuff is always tricky.

I'd play any of those names listed above and also Cody Bellinger, who rakes against lefties, Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Volpe, and Jose Caballero. They face Patrick Corbin who's just an OK pitcher. Righties have had much better numbers than lefties have had.

Player Pool

$ Tier {{pos.alias}}

Stacks

{{stack.team.name}} {{player.name}}
DraftKings {{player.fantasy.price.value[8]}}-
Fanduel {{player.fantasy.price.value[6]}}-