Welcome to the Fantasy Alarm MLB DFS Playbook for Saturday, May 3rd!

We’re diving into the action with a 7-game early slate on DraftKings and 5-game main slate FanDuel, kicking off at 2:10 PM ET on DraftKings and 6:40 ET on FanDuel. With a packed day of baseball ahead, our expert analysis is here to guide you through the top pitchers, value plays, and stackable offenses to target.

Whether you’re hunting for GPP glory or locking in cash game success, we’ve got tailored insights to help you conquer today’s matchups. Let’s dive 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 our favorite lineups stacks for the day and which players we would look to include in those stacks based on matchups and pricing.

There will also be a daily MLB DFS Show with a variety of hosts ranging from myself, Jon Impemba, Howard Bender, and James Grande. The MLB DFS Show will give you an initial outlook on the day's MLB DFS slate and should 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: Saturday, 5/3

New York Mets vs St. Louis Cardinals

  • Decent chance of rain throughout the afternoon, delays could be possible

San Diego Padres vs Pittsburgh Pirates

  • Rain and thunderstorms are likely.  Most of it should be prior to first pitch.  Chance of possible delay to start the game.

Minnesota Twins vs Boston Red Sox

  • Chance of rain in the late afternoon or early evening.  Game should start on time, but could cause a delay later on.

Washington Nationals vs Cincinnati Reds

  • Chance of rain throughout the day.  Minimal impact expected.

Kansas City Royals vs Baltimore Orioles

  • Chance of heavy rain, thunderstorms and hail this evening in Baltimore.  This is the most likely game to get postponed on tonight’s slate.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs Atlanta Braves

  • Chance of rain early on today in Atlanta.  Chance of thunderstorms later on tonight.  Monitor closely as delays and/or postponement could be possible.

 

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers

It is an interesting 7-game slate in terms of pitching today for the DraftKings Early Slate.  We have a good mix of past experience and younger pitchers.  It will be a great day to mix and match once again!

High-end options include Hunter Brown and Max Meyer, both of which are young pitchers living up to their potential.  Tylor Megill, Kevin Gausman and Bailey Ober are intriguing mid-price options.  Pay down options are highlighted by Gavin Williams and rookie Hunter Dobbins.

For the FanDuel main slate we have less in terms of history for hitter vs pitcher matchups. However, Luis Castillo, Kris Bubic and Jose Quintana look like strong options.

Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Hunter Brown, Houston Astros - DraftKings $10,900

Brown has carried his end of 2024 season success into the 2025 season.  He enters Saturday with 1.22 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 40 Ks in 37 IP.  He looks like the new ace of the Houston Astros.

He enters this matchup against the Chicago White Sox with good history against their hitters in the past.  This includes two starts against them in 2024, where he put up 26.2 and 23.3 DraftKings points.

Tylor Megill, New York Mets - DraftKings $8,800

Megill has looked like a new pitcher to start off the 2025 season.  He enters Saturday with 1.74 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 39 Ks in 31 IP.

Megill enters this matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals with decent, but limited history against their hitters in the past.  He did not pitch against the Cardinals during the 2024 season.  Expect another solid start out of him on Saturday.

Bailey Ober, Minnesota Twins - DraftKings $8,000

Ober is my favorite value pitcher on Saturday’s slate.  He enters Saturday with 4.16 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 25 Ks in 32.2 IP.  He is coming off 4 straight quality starts and 3 straight wins.

He faces a Boston Red Sox lineup that he has fared well against in the past, although it is a small sample size.  Look for a solid performance out of Ober once again on Saturday.

Hunter Dobbins, Red Sox - DraftKings $7,500

Dobbins will be making his 3rd career start. He enters Saturday with 2.45 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 11 Ks in 11 IP.  

He faces a lackluster Minnesota Twins lineup.  Dobbins has not faced the Twins in the past, but this is something that typically favors the pitcher.  He offers solid upside once again on Saturday.

Luis Castillo, Seattle Mariners - FanDuel $9,100

Castillo is typically a pitcher who struggles early on in this season and with colder weather.  He enters Saturday with 3.62 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 28 Ks in 32.1 IP.  However, he gets to pitch in Texas today where the weather is expected to be in the 70s.  I fully expect to see another solid start out of Castillo.

Castillo enters this matchup against the Texas Rangers with decent history against their hitters in the past.  He had 43 and 40 FanDuel points in his two starts against the Rangers during the 2024 season.
 

Kris Bubic, Kansas City Royals - FanDuel $9,500

Bubic has had a strong start to the 2025 season.  He enters Saturday with 2.25 ERA,  1.14 WHIP and 37 Ks in 36 IP.  Bubic has also recorded a quality start in 4 of his 6 starts this season.

He enters this matchup against the Baltimore Orioles with decent history against their hitters in the past.  This includes a start in 2025, where he put up 54 FanDuel points.

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

It is an interesting slate for hitters as we have a good mix of solid pitching options and struggling pitchers for the DraftKings early slate.  Feel free to mix and match today.  New York Mets, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants should be the front runners in terms of top teams to stack.

For the FanDuel main slate we have less in terms of history for hitter vs pitcher matchups. This could make for an interesting day, be sure to mix and match across our lineups.  Seattle Mariner, Kansas City Royals and Atlanta Braves look like the top teams to stack.

Core MLB DFS Hitters

Juan Soto, New York Mets - DraftKings $5,300

It has been a slow start to the year for Juan Soto.  However, he has collected at least one hit in 4 of his last 6 games.  He has 4 multi games and 2 HRs during that time span as well.

Soto is 2 for 3 against Erik Fedde, the expected starting pitcher for the Cardinals.  Look for another solid day out of Juan Soto and this Mets lineup on Saturday.

Luis Arraez, San Diego Padres - DraftKings $4,300

Arraez has really started to turn it up as of late.  He is currently on a 3 game hitting streak since returning from the IL.  He also has 2 multi hit games during this stretch.

Arraez is 1 for 2 against Pirates expected starting pitcher Bailey Falter.  He looks like a solid one-of play or key piece to a Padres stack for Saturday’s slate!

Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays - DraftKings $4,500

Varsho has returned from the IL in a big way with a hit in 2 of his 3 games started.  He has 2 multi hit games and 2 HRs during this time span.

He has a small sample size against Guardians expected starting pitcher Gavin Williams in the past.  He is 0 for 2 against Williams in his career.  However, look for another strong performance out of Varsho on Saturday!

Jeff McNeil, New York Mets - DraftKings $3,200

McNeil is one of my favorite values for Saturday’s slate.  He is on a modest 6 game hitting streak.  This includes 1 multi hit game and 1 HR during that stretch.  McNeil offers some versatility as he is eligible at 2B and OF.

McNeil has good history in the past against expected Cardinals starting pitcher Erik Fedde.  He is 7 for 16 against Fedde in his career.  Look for Jeff McNeil to continue his strong start to the season on Saturday! 

Isaac Paredes, Houston Astros - DraftKings $4,200

Paredes is a solid mid-price option for Saturday’s slate.  He has at least one hit in 9 of his last 10 games.  This includes 2 multi hit games and 1 HR during that stretch.  

Paredes is one of the few Astros hitters with history against expected White Sox starting pitcher Davis Martin.  He is 1 for 2 against Martin in his career.  Look for Paredes to extend his hitting streak today.  He looks like a solid one-off play or a core piece to an Astros stack.

Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers - FanDuel $3,700

Yelich has gone hitless in his three most recent games.  However, he has good history against expected Cubs starting pitcher Jameson Taillon.  He is 10 for 30 with 2 HRs against Taillon in his career.  Look for Yelich to right the ship on Saturday.  

Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers - FanDuel $3,600

Much like Yelich, Chourio has also gone hitless in his three most recent games.  However, he also has good history against expected Cubs starting pitcher Jameson Taillon.  He is 4 for 7 with 1 HRs against Taillon in his career.  Take advantage of the slightly reduced price tag for Jackson Chourio today! 

Jorge Polanco, Seattle Mariners - FanDuel $3,300

Polanco is one of my favorite values for Saturday’s slate.  He has at least one hit in his last 5 starts.  This includes 3 multi hit games and 4 HRs during that stretch.  Polanco offers some versatility as he is eligible at 3B and 2B on FanDuel

Polanco has good history in the past against expected Rangers starting pitcher Patrick Corbin. He is 4 for 5 with 1 HR vs Corbin in his career.  Look for Jorge Polanco to continue his strong start to the season on Saturday!

Josh Smith, Texas Rangers - FanDuel $2,900

Smith is an intriguing pay down option for Saturday’s slate.  He has at least one hit in his 3 last starts.  This includes 1 multi hit games and 1 HR during that stretch.  He offers versatility as you can play him at SS, 3B and OF.

Smith is one of the Rangers hitters with good history against expected Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo.  He is 3 for 4 with 1 HR against Castillo in his career.  He looks like a solid one-off play for our FanDuel lineups today.

 

Player Pool

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Stacks

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