Welcome to the Fantasy Alarm MLB DFS Playbook for Tuesday, August 5th! 

We have a 10-game main slate in store for us this evening on DraftKings and FanDuel starting at 7:10 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: Tuesday, 8/5

Milwaukee Brewers @ Atlanta Braves

Rain in the area that could end up over the ballpark. A late start, in-game delay or postponement are all possible. 

Cincinnati Reds @ Chicago Cubs

Winds blowing in 5-10 MPH from left-center, which is a boost to pitching.

 

 

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

Not much needs to be said about Garrett Crochet, who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season. He has thrown 100 pitches in each of his last three starts, and he carries tremendous upside with an elite 31% strikeout rate. The lefty is completely matchup proof, so there are no concerns about the low-strikeout Royals on the other side. 

Bryan Woo, Seattle Mariners

Impressively, Bryan Woo has recorded at least 18 outs in all 21 of his starts this season. The walk rate is elite under 5% and the strikeouts are above average at 24.2%. He was hit around a bit in his last start against the Athletics, but today he is back home in his pitcher-friendly home park for a matchup with the White Sox. Although they have been hot to start the second half of the season, the Sox still rank dead last in wOBA against right-handed pitching this season.  

Nathan Eovaldi, Texas Rangers

Eovaldi has allowed more than one run in just one of his last 13 starts, and it happened to be his first start after a lengthy IL stint. He gets a tough test against the Yankees, who are expecting Aaron Judge to return to the lineup tonight. There is plenty of risk here facing an elite offense, but the Yankees also strike out at the 6th-highest rate in the league against right-handed pitching. 

Shota Imanaga, Chicago Cubs

Imanaga rebounded nicely after a disastrous start against the White Sox to strike out eight Brewers in his most recent outing. He was still bitten by the home run ball, but at least the whiffs were back. The lefty gets a good matchup against a Reds offense that ranks 24th in wOBA against LHP this season. Imanaga also gets favorable wind at Wrigley this evening, which is a big deal for a pitcher with a 55% fly-ball rate and 1.73 HR/9 allowed. 

Jose Soriano, Los Angeles Angels

Soriano has put together the best season of his young career, with a 3.65 ERA through 23 starts and strong peripherals. His 66.7% groundball rate and 0.47 HR/9 allowed are both elite. The matchup isn't great against the Rays, who are a top-10 offense against RHP this season, but the price tag is very fair. 

Yu Darvish, San Diego Padres 

DraftKings is really tempting us with the $6,100 price tag on Darvish today, who is coming off his best start of the season. Darvish racked up seven strikeouts in seven scoreless innings last time out against the Mets. He gets a matchup today against the Diamondbacks, who have been the best offense in baseball against RHP. However, they have also traded away Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor. I wouldn't expect Darvish to repeat his performance from his last start, but we can get away with a lot less at this price tag. 

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

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

Core MLB DFS Hitters

Toronto Blue Jays in Coors Field 

The Blue Jays return to Coors Field after their 15-run explosion last night. It is expected to be around 90 degrees again at game time, and they face another weak starting pitcher in Anthony Molina. The young righty has posted a 5.64 ERA in Triple-A this season with just a 15% strikeout rate. 

The Jays have been the best offense in baseball over the last month and they are clearly the top offense on the slate. Vladimir Guerrero, Bo Bichette and Addison Barger make up an elite trio, with Daulton Varsho, Nathan Lukes and Alejandro Kirk not far behind. Joey Loperfido has also been excellent in a small sample. 

Boston Red Sox vs. Ryan Bergert 

Boston has been a top-10 offense this season and they get a matchup against an inexperienced pitcher. Ryan Bergert has posted a 2.78 ERA through 35.2 career innings, but his peripherals don't quite match the results. He has a 4.46 xERA and a 12.1% walk rate. 

Unfortunately, the Sox are expected to be without Roman Anthony for another day, but there is still plenty to like here. Alex Bregman, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu all own an ISO of above .235 against righties this season. Bergert has had reverse splits so far and Bregman is the top option with his team leading .279 ISO. The high walk rate of Bergert should allow plenty of traffic on the bases for the Sox, making a full stack an excellent option. 

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Miles Mikolas 

This Dodgers offense is far too talented to continue scuffling the way they have for much longer. They have posted just an 85 wRC+ since July 1st, but Miles Mikolas may just be the cure. Mikolas owns a 4.83 ERA and has posted the highest home run rate and lowest groundball rate of his career this season. 

Shohei Ohtani is of course the top option. Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Max Muncy have all been excellent against righties, as has Andy Pages further down the order. Mookie Betts' season long funk continues, but he is theoretically a better hitter than his mid-range price tag. The Cardinals also traded away two of the best pieces from their bullpen at the trade deadline. 

Colorado Rockies vs. Jose Berrios 

The Rockies were shutdown by Eric Lauer last night, but they have been a much better offense since the weather warmed up. In fact, they rank top 10 in ISO and wOBA since July 1st. Opposing pitcher Jose Berrios owns just a 20.4% strikeout rate and he has allowed a career-worst 11.2% barrel rate. 

Mickey Moniak has been the Rockies best hitter against righties with a .291 ISO, and Hunter Goodman has also been strong with a .238 ISO. Ezequiel Tovar and Jordan Beck also possess above average power, and Tyler Freeman owns an excellent .392 wOBA against righties. The Rockies should be far less popular than their opponent.   

San Diego Padres vs. Ryne Nelson 

This Padres lineup looks a whole lot deeper with the new additions. They get a matchup with the Diamondbacks and Ryne Nelson, who has a solid 3.20 ERA this season. Nelson has also only allowed .230 BABIP, which could signal some regression is heading his way. I see an average skillset across the board outside of the unsustainable BABIP. 

Fernando Tatis and Manny Machado still lead the Padres offense, but Ryan O'Hearn and Ramon Laureano fit in nicely to make this a very formidable group. The new additions add some much needed power to an offense that ranked 3rd-worst in ISO against RHP. 

Seattle Mariners vs. Davis Martin 

Like the Padres, the Mariners also received an influx of power at the trade deadline. Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor lengthen an already strong lineup and make the Mariners a very attractive stack. They get a matchup against the low strikeouts of Davis Martin. Martin survives with an elite groundball rate to lefties, but he is just above average to righties. 

Cal Raleigh brings the perfect counter to Davis' strength with an elite 44% fly-ball rate, so he is still the clear top option in the offense. Eugenio Suarez would be the next choice, with an elite .301 ISO and 38% fly-ball rate against righties this season.  

Player Pool

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Stacks

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