Welcome to the Fantasy Alarm MLB DFS Playbook for Thursday, August 28th! 

Let’s start the week on the right foot with some winning lineups today. We have a 5-game main slate in store for us this evening on DraftKings and FanDuel starting at 1:05 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: Thursday, 8/28

Nothing of note.

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers

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

Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox

The best pitcher on the slate today is Garrett Crochet and far and away is the most expensive as well. At 12K on DK it's hard to get to on a bigger slate, but on a 5-game main slate if he goes for 35 FP it'll be hard to find someone that can match that. The Orioles have been better against left-handed pitching since the All-Star break, but they rank in the bottom-10 for the year.

Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants

Since the All-Star break, the Cubs have been one of the worst offenses in the league against right-handed pitching. They rank 28th in OPS, wOBA, and wRC+, and 26th in ISO. Webb has been elite all year and is fully back from his struggles in July. His strikeouts are up this year, too, which is obviously a need in DFS, especially in tournaments.

Shota Imanaga, Chicago Cubs

Despite the Giants getting to Matthew Boyd, I have absolutely no issues going right back to a lefty against them. Since the All-Star break, they rank 27th in OPS, 26th in wOBA, 25th in wRC+, and are striking out at a 23.6% clip. After a tough July, Imanaga has bounced back in a big way in August. He has a 2.33 ERA and his opponents are batting .141 and has a season-high 28.1% K-rate in August.

Jason Alexander, Houston Astros

It's interesting because Jason Alexander has been a better starter than he has been a relief pitcher this season. His strikeout rate is up, xFIP is down, and has a 2.93 ERA compared to a 12 ERA as an RP. This is one of the best spots imaginable against a Rockies offense that strikes out a LOT against right-handed pitching.

Braxton Ashcraft, Pittsburgh Pirates

It'll definitely be interesting to see where Braxton Ashcraft's pitch count sits at here but he got to 65 in his last outing after 61 the start before. If he's extended to 80 pitches, he could be a GPP winning pitcher. He's in a fantastic matchup as the Cardinals offense ranks dead last against right-handed pitching since the break. They also have struck out more than they were earlier in the year, striking out at a 23% clip.

 

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

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

Core MLB DFS Hitters

Red Sox Look Great Here

My top stack today might just be the Boston Red Sox. I actually like Cade Povich the pitcher, but the numbers against him for both splits are elite.

vs. RH - .144 ISO, .244 xISO, .325 wOBA, .378 xwOBA

vs. LH - .263 ISO, .242 xISO, .365 wOBA, .341 xwOBA

Roman Anthony has hit two leadoff home runs in his last three games and has a .171 ISO and .201 xISO against lefties this year.  Alex Bregman hasn't flashed a lot of power against lefties this year, but he has a .425 wOBA and .386 xwOBA. Rob Refsynder has been activated off the IL and is elite against left-handed pitching this year. Romy Gonzalez, Trevor Story, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Nate Eaton could round out your stack.

Pirates Stack Yes Please

This might be one of the only times this year that I've suggested the Pittsburgh Pirates but when a matchup against Miles Mikolas comes around you don't miss this opportunity.

Miles Mikolas has allowing a .234 ISO, .267 xISO, .360 wOBA, and .367 xwOBA against lefties while righties have a .182 ISO, .214 xISO, .326 wOBA, and .361 xwOBA.

Lefties we're looking at: Spencer Horwitz, Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz

Righties we're looking at: Tommy Pham, Nick Gonzales, Joey Bart

Astros Get Great Matchup

The Astros have not hit right-handed pitchers well this year but good thing they're facing a southpaw here. Kyle Freeland is that lefty they're facing and righties have a .192 ISO, .214 xISO, .368 wOBA, and .375 xwOBA against him. The Astros have a LOT of righties in their lineup. The lefty they have is Yordan Alvarez.

Carlos Correa, Jeremy Pena, Jose Altuve, Christian Walker, Cam Smith all have either a .180 ISO or .180 xISO against right-handed pitching this year.

Shine Bright Like a Diamondback

This is going to be the most contrarian one, but I think the Diamondbacks are interesting. The Brewers are sending Jose Quintana to the mound and although his numbers aren't bad, his underlying numbers are.

Righties have a .189 xISO and .363 xwOBA while only striking out 15% of batters. Lefties have a .192 ISO and .189 xISO, and .321 xwOBA. Here are some numbers against lefties for the DBacks;

Top One Offs

Player Pool

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Stacks

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