Welcome to the Fantasy Alarm MLB DFS Playbook for Wednesday, September 24th! 

We have a 12-game main slate in store for us this evening on DraftKings and FanDuel starting at 7:05 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: Wednesday, 9/24

Chicago White Sox @ New York Yankees 

Chance of an in-game delay if the rain is heavy enough. 

St. Louis Cardinals @ San Francisco Giants 

Storms in the area most likely miss the ballpark but an in-game delay is possible. 

Houston Astros @ Athletics 

Lower chance of rain than San Francisco but similar situation. 

 

 

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 

Crochet has put together a Cy Young-caliber season and is the top option on a loaded pitching slate. He gets a tough matchup against a Blue Jays lineup that owns the lowest strikeout rate in baseball. The lefty is completely matchup-proof and can spike a big strikeout game against anyone, but it does at least bring Crochet closer to the field in terms of upside. The Jays have also cooled off considerably from their peak this season and they have posted just a 97 wRC+ in September. 

Max Fried, New York Yankees 

Fried is coming off a 13-strikeout masterpiece against the Orioles in his last outing. He isn't typically a huge strikeout pitcher, but it is nice to know that he has it in him. The slight savings from the top tier and a plus-matchup against the White Sox give him intriguing upside. The Sox have had a strong second half offensively overall, but they have come back to earth a bit recently. In September, they have posted just an 88 wRC+ and they have struck out at the 7th-highest clip in the league. Fried should be able to work deep into the game, and anything over a strikeout per inning would just be icing on the cake. 

Sonny Gray, St. Louis Cardinals

Sonny Gray is a high-upside option in the mid-tier of the salary range today. He gets a ballpark upgrade pitching in San Francisco and a strong matchup against the Giants. Gray owns an above average 26.8% strikeout rate this season, and he has recorded at least six strikeouts in eight of his last nine starts. The Giants have been a below average offense this season (96 wRC+) and have struck out at the 10-highest rate in the league.  

Luis Castillo, Seattle Mariners 

Mariners righty Luis Castillo has had a perfectly fine season overall with a 3.63 ERA in 31 starts. His strikeouts are down from past seasons, but there are reasons to love his upside today. First, he has pitched much better in his home ballpark (2.71 ERA) than he has on the road this season (4.71 ERA). And second, he gets the absolute best possible matchup against the Rockies facing a massive ballpark downgrade travelling to Seattle. On the road this season, the Rockies own a massive 28.3% strikeout rate and have posted just a .261 wOBA. Both of those numbers represent the worst marks in the league. Castillo also projects to face seven righties in the Rockies lineup, and his strikeout rate splits strongly favor him when facing righties. A home matchup against the Rockies vaults Castillo into consideration as the top point-per-dollar pitcher on the slate. 

Taj Bradley, Minnesota Twins 

Taj Bradley got smacked around by the Yankees in his last start, but he gets a pass for that one as the Yankees have done that to plenty of pitchers this season. He was quite good in the three starts before that with 18 strikeouts in 16.1 innings. He also gets a strong matchup today against the Rangers, who have been awful in September with a 75 wRC+. If shopping in the value tier or looking for a pivot away from the chalky Castillo, Bradley is a strong option. 

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

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

Core MLB DFS Hitters

New York Yankees vs. Chicago White Sox Bullpen

The Yankees lead MLB in just about every major offensive category and just clinched a playoff spot with a walk-off win last night. Today, they get a matchup against the White Sox who are deploying a bullpen game with Fraser Ellard expected to be the opener. It really doesn't matter who the Sox trot out their behind Ellard, as there is no one that should scare you away from the elite bats of the Yankees. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton each own an ISO above .300. Trent Grisham, Cody Bellinger, Ben Rice, and Jazz Chisholm are each above .200. Stack 'em up any way you wish.  

Seattle Mariners vs. Tanner Gordon 

The Mariners get an elite matchup against Tanner Gordon and a bad Rockies bullpen. Gordon has a allowed a .204 ISO and managed just an 18.6% strikeout rate this season. Cal Raleigh is making history and on the cusp of a 60-home run season. Julio Rodriguez has been one of the best hitters in baseball in the second half and owns a 160 wRC+ and .271 ISO since August 1. Jorge Polanco, Eugenio Suarez, and Dominic Canzone all own an ISO above .200 against righties this season, while Randy Arozarena and Josh Naylor are both above .175 ISO. This is a powerful lineup facing a pitcher that allows a lot of power. 

Houston Astros vs. Luis Severino 

The Astros get a nice ballpark upgrade for hitters out in West Sacramento this evening. They take on Luis Severino, who has allowed a massive 6.51 ERA at home and posted just a 17.4% strikeout rate this season. Isaac Paredes is back from the IL and owns a .220 ISO against righties this season. There aren't many standout bats in the Astros lineup beyond that, but they are priced accordingly. Not one hitter in the lineup is priced above $4,000 on DK or $3,100 on FD. This is a cheap stack with a lot of upside given their context tonight. 

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Ryne Nelson 

The Dodgers are clinging to a narrow 1.5-game lead in the NL West entering play on Wednesday night. They face off against Ryne Nelson, who has had a solid season overall, but is not an overpowering pitcher by any means. I'll take the elite offense that needs to carry a very injured pitching staff if they hope to remain atop the division. It starts with Shohei Ohtani and Freeman, followed by Mookie Betts, Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernandez.   

Kansas City Royals vs. Yusei Kikuchi 

The Royals offense has come to life in the second half, as they have posted a 107 wRC+ since the All-Star break. Tonight, they get a matchup against a fly-ball pitcher in a great home run park, so I prefer power hunting over the full stack. Bobby Witt and Salvador Perez are the top two targets, followed by Maikel Garcia and Randal Grichuk. 

Player Pool

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Stacks

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