Welcome to the Fantasy Alarm MLB DFS Playbook for Saturday, August 30th!

We’re diving into the action with a 9-game main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel kicking off at 7:10 PM ET.  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 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: Saturday, 8/30

Chicago Cubs vs Colorado Rockies

  • Chance of rain throughout the day could lead to a potential delay.

Wind blowing out expected for the following games:

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers

We have an interesting slate in terms of pitching options.  There are a lot of inexperienced pitchers on today’s slate.  We also have less in terms of pitcher vs hitter history.  Feel free to get creative especially on DraftKings where you need to start 2 pitchers.

High-end options include Nick Pivetta, Trevor Rogers and Tyler Glasnow.  The mid-range include Logan Gilbert and Merrill Kelly.  Paydown options include Gavin Williams and Shane Smith.

Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Nick Pivetta, San Diego Padres - DraftKings $9,600 | FanDuel $9,600

Pivetta has posted a quality start in 9 of his last 11 starts.  He enters Saturday with 2.82 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 161 Ks in 153.1 IP.

Pivetta enters this matchup against the Minnesota Twins with good but limited history against their hitters in the past.  He had one start against the Twins during the 2024 season.  He put up 33 FanDuel points and 19 DraftKings points.  Look for Nick Pivetta to continue his success against the Twins on Saturday.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles Dodgers - DraftKings $9,400 | FanDuel $9,200

Glansow has allowed 2 runs or fewer in 6 of his 8 starts since returning from the IL.  He enters Saturday with 3.36 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 75 Ks in 61.2 IP.  

Glasnow enters this matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks with good but limited history against their hitters in the past.  He had one start against the Diamondbacks during the 2024 season.  He put up 24 FanDuel points and 14.3 DraftKings points.  Look for Tyler Glasnow to continue his success against the Diamondbacks today.

Merrill Kelly, Texas Rangers - DraftKings $8,300 | FanDuel $8,800

Kelly is my favorite value option for today.  He enters Saturday with 3.20 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 147 Ks in 157.2 IP.

Kelly enters this matchup against the Athletics with good but limited history against their hitters in the past.  He did not pitch against the Athletics during the 2024 season.  Look for Merrill Kelly to continue his success against the Athletics on Saturday.

Trevor Rogers, Baltimore Orioles - DraftKings $9,800 | FanDuel $10,700

Rogers has posted 9 straight quality starts.  He enters Saturday with 1.40 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 78 Ks in 83.1 IP.  

Rogers enters this matchup against the San Francisco Giants with decent but limited history against their hitters in the past.  He had one start against the Giants during the 2024 season.  He put up 33 FanDuel points and 20.4 DraftKings points.  Look for Trevor Rogers to continue his success against the Giants today.

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

It is a good slate for hitters on Saturday.  We have a lot of inexperienced pitching toeing the rubber in addition to the Coors Field game.  Feel free to mix and match your hitters across multiple lineups.

Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers should be the front runners in terms of top teams to stack.

Core MLB DFS Hitters

Jesus Sanchez, Houston Astros - DraftKings $4,100 | FanDuel $2,800 

Sanchez has been heating up as of late.  He is currently on a 4 game hitting streak.  He has 2 multi hit games and 2 HRs during this stretch.

Sanchez has good history in the past against expected Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks.  He is 3 for 7 with 1 HR against Hendricks in his career.  Look for another strong performance out of Jesus Sanchez and the Houston Astros lineup on Saturday.

Teoscar Hernandez, Los Angeles Dodgers - DraftKings $4,100 | FanDuel $3,200 

Hernandez enters a favorable matchup on Saturday.  He is currently on a 3 game hitting streak.  He has 0 multi hit games and 0 HRs during this time span. 

Hernandez has good history in the past against Arizona Diamondbacks expected starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez.  He is 10 for 23 with 3 HRs against Rodriguez in his career.  Teoscar Hernandez looks like a solid one-of play or key piece of a Los Angeles Dodgers stack for today’s slate.

Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers - DraftKings $4,800 | FanDuel $3,500 

Freeman is putting together another solid season despite battling injuries throughout the year.  He has at least one hit in 10 of his last 11 games.  He has 4 multi hit games and 4 HRs during that time span.

Freeman has good history against Eduardo Rodriguez, the expected starting pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks.  He is 7 for 13 with 1 HR against Rodriguez in his career.  Look for another strong performance out of Freddie Freeman and the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup on Saturday.

Jeremy Pena, Houston Astros - DraftKings $5,300 | FanDuel $3,400 

Pena has been on fire as of late.  He is currently on a 5 game hitting streak.   He has 3 multi hit games and 0 HRs during this stretch.

Pena has good history against Los Angeles Angels expected starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks.  He is 2 for 5 with 1 HR against Hendricks in his career.  Jeremy Pena looks like a solid one-of play or key piece of a Houston Astros stack for today’s slate.

Player Pool

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Stacks

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