Welcome to the Fantasy Alarm MLB DFS Playbook for Thursday, June 5th! 

Welcome to Thursday. We have more games than usual for a Thursday with 13 games all day, and we even have a full 5-game main slate this evening. So enjoy some day baseball and then get ready for this evening’s 5-game main slate starting at 6:40 PM ET on DraftKings and FanDuel. 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.

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: Thursday, 6/5

  • Houston Astros vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

Some thunderstorms could cause a delay, but it should clear out in time for them to still play.

 

 

 

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

There was a bit of a bump in the road for Fried in his last outing, giving up 6 runs off 8 hits in 5 innings while only striking out 3 against the Dodgers, but it was the Dodgers, so we can forgive a bit of a hiccup. Despite that outing, he is still rocking a 1.92 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. He has settled into the ace role in New York in the absence of Gerrit Cole, and I expect him to continue to be an ace tonight against the Guardians. 

Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals

I am usually a little hesitant to go for a pitcher in their first outing coming back from the IL, but I am taking the shot here with Ragans. No pitcher in baseball (min. 40 innings pitched) has a higher strikeout rate than Cole Ragans, and the only pitcher with a higher strikeout minus walk rate is Tarik Skubal. He has been unreal so far, and I am going to trust that he is healthy and can give another dominant performance tonight in his return. 

Ryan Pepiot, Tampa Bay Rays

I really like what we have seen out of Pepiot in his last two outings against the Blue Jays and Astros. He has pitched 13.2 straight scoreless innings, giving up only 5 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 9. He has revamped his slider, and it looks really good. I think that he can still get back to striking out more guys, too, and against a really weak Rangers offense, I trust this good stretch to continue and think there is a great chance we see him get back to 6+ strikeouts as well. 

 

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

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

Core MLB DFS Hitters

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B New York Yankees

Paul Goldschmidt just continues to produce at first for the Yankees. Slade Cecconi was looking pretty good in his first two outings of the season, but got beat up by the Angels a bit in his last start. I don’t trust him to survive the Yankees in New York and think this is a great chance to stack some Yankees against him today.  

Nico Hoerner, 2B Chicago Cubs

I also really like stacking the Cubs today against Jake Irvin. Nico Hoerner may not be providing any power, but he really hasn’t needed it. Over his last 16 games, he is slashing .365/.420/.467. It has come with no homers, which hurts that slugging, but he is still providing value even without the power, and I trust him to continue to produce in a really good Cubs offense. 

Junior Caminero, 3B Tampa Bay Rays

I don’t really see how you could not be playing Junior Caminero tonight at this price in Tampa Bay. He is slashing .375/.406/.975 over his last 10 games with 6 homers, 6 doubles, 12 runs, 18 RBIs, and a stolen base. He has 5 multi-hit games over that stretch as well. He is red-hot right now and in a good park to hit in, but he is way too cheap for the way he is hitting the ball currently. 

Jeremy Pena, SS Houston Astros 

The Astros' offense might not be the juggernaut it used to be, but Jeremy Pena is turning into a legitimate star right now. He is on a 10-game hitting streak over which he has 6 multi-hit games, 3 homers, 2 doubles, and 4 stolen bases. I don’t think that Mitch Keller will be the one to stand in the way of his hitting streak, and I bet the production continues tonight. 

 

 

 

Player Pool

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Stacks

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