Welcome to the Fantasy Alarm MLB DFS Playbook for Wednesday, July 23rd! 

Happy Wednesday! It is our first small slate of the second half with a lot of early games today, leaving us with only a 5-game slate starting at 6:40 PM on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Lots of good baseball to enjoy throughout the day while you get ready for this evening’s matchups, and 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: Wednesday, 7/23

There are thunderstorms this afternoon, but they should be clear before game time.

 

 

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

Max Fried is easily the top guy on today’s slate. I know the recent results aren’t fantastic, giving up 3 or more earned runs in each of his last 3 starts and only having 9 strikeouts in 14 innings over that stretch, but that doesn’t worry me a ton, and it was against a tough stretch of opponents. True, he is facing one of those tough opponents again today in the Blue Jays, but with no other elite pitching options today, I am happy to trust in Fried still. 

Jesus Luzardo, Philadelphia Phillies

Luzardo has been incredibly volatile, but that is a risk I'm willing to take in daily fantasy, given the significant upside. Plus, it is a lefty facing the Red Sox outside of Fenway, so he should be able to put up a ton of strikeouts no matter what. We know a blowup is in the cards, but so is 10 strikeouts, and I think the 10 strikeouts is far more likely. 

Lucas Giolito, Boston Red Sox

Lucas Giolito has quietly had an incredible rebound for the Red Sox. He just ended a six-game streak of quality starts, during which he had a 0.70 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 37 strikeouts in 38.2 innings. It didn’t come to an end with a terrible start either, with 6 strikeouts in 5.1 innings against a great Cubs offense, giving up 4 runs. The Phillies are a tough matchup, too, but I trust how well Giolito has been pitching lately. 

Slade Cecconi, Cleveland Guardians

I have a hard time knowing what to think about Cecconi. His last outing, he only had 2 strikeouts and gave up 6 runs off 8 hits, including 2 homers, but he pitched into the 9th inning. Before that, he struck out 9 in 7 innings against the Astros. I have no idea what you will get today, but we know that he can go deep into games, and he has shown that he has strikeout upside. So, on a short slate, I am willing to take a shot on him. 

 

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

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

Core MLB DFS Hitters

Tampa Bay Rays 

Tampa Bay at home against Jonathan Cannon and the White Sox? Sign me up. Take your pick of who you want in your lineup, but my favorite Ray targets today in order are Junior Caminero, Josh Lowe, Yandy Diaz (I wish I could start both Aranda and Yandy, but I lean Yandy just slightly today), and Chandler Simpson. I don’t know if I want a full 5-man stack, and keep an eye on the rain to make sure it clears out, but I am probably putting at least 3-4 Rays in my lineup today. 

Romy Gonzalez, 1B/2B Boston Red Sox

I know I am in on taking a shot with Luzardo today, and I am not going to be stacking other Red Sox players today, but it is hard not to take a shot on Romy Gonzalez against a lefty. He is slashing .359/.414/.654 (that is a 1.068 OPS) against lefties this year. Especially if you end up rolling without Luzardo as a pitcher, I think you need to start Romy today. 

Athletics

You know we have to get some action against Patrick Corbin today as well. I am not quite as eager to stack the Athletics as I am the Rays, but I still want to get at least somebody against Patrick Corbin in this matchup. My favorites are She Langeliers and Jacob Wilson as cheaper options at C and SS, but you can’t go wrong with Lawrence Butler, Brent Rooker, or Nick Kurtz either. 

 

 

 

Player Pool

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Stacks

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