Welcome to Fantasy Alarm's MLB DFS picks and daily fantasy playbook for Monday, October 5th. Our MLB DFS projections combine advanced pitching metrics, platoon splits, strikeout prop data, and ownership positioning to identify the sharpest plays on every slate. Whether you are targeting DFS Projections, running lineups through our DFS Optimizer, tracking ownership trends, or checking confirmed lineups, Fantasy Alarm has the tools to sharpen your edge. 

This MLB DFS playbook covers every key position on DraftKings and FanDuel with our best MLB DFS picks for today.

Slate: 2-Game Main | Lock Time: 5:00 pm ET, Monday, October 5th, 2026

Vegas Totals: CWS/CLE & NYY/TB (tied for highest-projected game total)

Highest K-Projections: Gavin Williams 7.5 O/U (-115), Cam Schlittler 6.5 O/U (-138), Freddy Peralta 5.5 O/U (+121)

MLB Weather Today, 10/5

White Sox vs Guardians - It's going to be in the 50s and 60s with winds blowing in over 10 MPH. Great pitching weather. 

Top Options For Strikeouts

K-prop lines and value ratings are incorporated below for DFS and prop context. These are the arms building the highest strikeout ceilings on the 10-game slate.

Our model identifies these arms as the highest-ceiling plays for Alt-K lines today:

Gavin Williams: 33.2% K% (12.1 K/9)

Cam Schlittler: 31.4% K% (11.1 K/9)

Sean Burke: 25.8% K% (9.7 K/9)

Freddy Peralta: 21.4% K% (8.3 K/9)

Best Odds For A Win

The following MLB DFS picks offer a combination of favorable win odds, sustainable ERA and xFIP metrics, and soft opponent matchups. Each carries K-prop lines worth noting alongside their DFS value at reduced ownership relative to the top tier.

Chicago White Sox Breakdown

The White Sox are going to start Anthony Kay in this game with Sean Burke expected to follow. Kay has pitched twice this postseason and hasn't surpassed 1.1 innings so he's not expected to be on the mound for too long. Sean Burke will follow and he has a high strikeout ceiling but can be susceptible to walks and we saw him serve up three homers to the Astros.

The White Sox offense definitely strikeout more against righties and haven't had as much success against them compared to lefties. That said, they do homer a bunch and Gavin Williams does give up homers. Righties had a .179 ISO, .184 xISO, and lefties have a .173 xISO.

Munetaka Murakami, Miguel Vargas, Colson Montgomery, Andrew Benintendi, and Tristan Peters are the best power hitters on the White Sox if you're looking for a home run. Sam Antonacci and Kyle Teel are nice options against righties too.

Cleveland Guardians Breakdown

You can count on one hand how many pitchers across major league baseball struck out as many batters as Gavin Williams did this year. The White Sox struck out 25.1% of the time vs. RHP, which is the fifth-highest in baseball.

The Guardians offense is in an interesting spot because they're facing a lefty opener and then a righty bulk innings guy after that. Kay is hit by righties and Burke is hit by lefties. The Guardians have a couple of switch hitters (Jose Ramirez, Angel Martinez, Brayan Rocchio) that won't matter the split. Chase DeLauter crushes righties and Jo Adell crushes lefties. With the bulk innings handled by a righty, I like the DeLauter play a little more.

Travis Bazzana and Steven Kwan are two pieces that could play big roles, especially with the month of September Bazzana had and Kwan has speed to boot.

New York Yankees Breakdown

The Yankees send the American league Cy Young to the mound tonight and he's been incredibly dominant all year long. Schlittler's had a historic season on the road pitching to a 1.16 ERA while holding his opponents to a .154 BAA. Over his last 10 starts, he's 5-0 with a 1.04 ERA and has 78 Ks over 60.1 IP.

The Yankees are going to throw seven to eight lefties at Freddy Peralta today and that's the proper split to attack him with. On the year, lefties have a .185 ISO and .330 wOBA against him. Ben Rice and Luis Garcia Jr. are the two top lefty bats the Yankees have to offer and they have elite numbers against righties.

Jazz Chisholm has a massive ceiling because of his power/speed combination while Spencer Jones could hit a 440-foot bomb today and that wouldn't be surprising. Cody Bellinger is another solid lefty while Trent Grisham and Austin Wells are decent values. George Lombard is in play from the right side.

Tampa Bay Rays Breakdown

I'm definitely interested in Freddy Peralta here because the Yankees strike out a ton against righties. Since the All-Star break, the Yankees have struck out 26.3% of the time, which is the second-highest mark in baseball. Peralta is probably on the shorter-hook side of things with the Rays having a rested bullpen and a crucial Game 2 here.

There really isn't a lot to like on the offensive side of the ball here with Cam Schlittler opposing them. He's had slightly more issues with lefties, so that would put Jonathan Aranda, Victor Mesa, Chandler Simpson, and Liam Hicks most in play. Of course, Junior Caminero is always playable because of his game-changing ability.