Looking for the best MLB DFS picks and lineup strategy for today’s DraftKings and FanDuel slate? The Fantasy Alarm team breaks down every game on the board, identifying the top pitching targets, elite hitter stacks, and high-upside contrarian plays to target in both cash games and GPP tournaments. Check Fantasy Alarm’s MLB DFS pitcher projections and hitter projections for the data-driven edge to build winning lineups across DraftKings and FanDuel. Before locking your roster, verify the MLB weather tool for any late-breaking environmental changes, run your builds through the Fantasy Alarm MLB lineup optimizer, and check MLB DFS ownership percentages before finalizing any GPP entry to find the contrarian stacks where the leverage lives.

Slate Weather Alert

Storm-tracking matters as much as matchups on this 11-game slate, with multiple games carrying delay risk that could affect lineup construction right up to lock.

  • Camden Yards (SEA @ BAL, 6:35 PM): pregame storms should clear by first pitch, with warm humid air and winds blowing out 5-10 mph after that. Good hitting environment once the rain moves through.
  • PNC Park (LAD @ PIT, 6:40 PM): starts dry and likely finishes dry, but a storm line approaches late. Winds blowing out, warm and humid. Monitor for late-inning issues.
  • Comerica Park (MIN @ DET, 6:40 PM): storms are more robust than this morning's models suggested, a delay of some kind looks likely.
  • Citi Field (STL @ NYM, 7:10 PM): rain arrives in-game, likely outcome is play-delay-finish.
  • Kauffman Stadium (TEX @ KC, 7:40 PM): a nasty storm line pushes in, delay likely, but winds blowing out 10-15 mph if it gets going.
  • Rate Field (ATL @ CWS, 7:40 PM): one storm clears around first pitch, another arrives after, should be enough window for a full game with a possible late start.
  • Coors Field (CHC @ COL, 8:40 PM): clear and hot, no concerns. Always a good combination for hitting.
  • Las Vegas Ballpark (MIL @ ATH, 9:05 PM): clear, 99 degrees, winds blowing out 5-10 mph at elevation. After 11 homers two nights ago, these two teams combined for 6 more last night. This remains the best park on the slate for power.

MLB DFS Pitching Picks

Chris Sale (L, ATL @ CWS)

Sale checks every box you look for in a top-tier SP1. He sits at 8-4 with a 2.23 ERA, and his fastball has averaged 97 mph in back-to-back outings, the highest readings he's shown since 2019. The strikeout profile matches the velocity gain: 10.65 K/9 overall, and against left-handed batters his FIP drops to 1.99 with an xFIP of 1.83 across 18 innings, numbers that would be elite for anyone, let alone a 37-year-old. Atlanta has allowed more than three earned runs in a Sale start just once over his last 12 trips to the mound, and that consistency is exactly what cash games are built on. Tonight's matchup brings him back to Chicago, the city that drafted him 13th overall in 2010, against a White Sox lineup with talent but a track record of struggling against his stuff. Weather carries some delay risk but the forecast still calls for a completed game. At $11,000 DK and $11,400 FD, expect Sale to carry the highest ownership of any pitcher on the slate, and the underlying numbers support that price tag.

Jesus Luzardo (L, PHI @ TOR)

Luzardo is the pivot play if you want to fade Sale's expected ownership without sacrificing much on paper. His K/9 sits at 9.86 with a 25.6% K rate, and the gap between his 3.40 FIP and 3.14 xFIP suggests the surface numbers have actually been a bit unlucky relative to the underlying process. Against right-handed batters his FIP comes in at 3.72 with a 26.0% K rate, a relevant split given Toronto's lineup leans right-handed in most spots. Rogers Centre's roof takes the Toronto storm risk completely off the table. At $8,500 DK and $8,700 FD, rostering Luzardo frees up the salary needed to get into both Vegas-stack builds tonight.

Shohei Ohtani (FD Only, LAD @ PIT)

FanDuel's roster construction allows Ohtani to occupy a pitcher slot while also hitting, and that dual-usage angle is unique to this player on this format. The numbers support the price: a four-time MVP carrying a .403 wOBA and a 15% barrel rate at the plate, and on the mound his last outing went seven innings with eight strikeouts and a 0.97 ERA. The Dodgers sit as -207 favorites tonight in Pittsburgh, which adds to the case for stacking production from both roster slots. At $11,100 FD the salary commitment is significant, but no other player on this slate offers this kind of two-way DFS equity.

MLB DFS Value Pitchers

Peter Lambert (R, HOU @ LAA)

Lambert has quietly been a reliable strikeout source all season, sitting at 8.35 K/9 with a 22.0% K rate overall. Against right-handed batters his command tightens up further, with a 0.88 BB/9 that limits free baserunners and keeps his floor stable. The matchup lines up well: the Angels carry a 25.2% strikeout rate against right-handed pitching, the highest mark of any offense on this slate. Weather at Angel Stadium is clear with no concerns. At $9,300 DK and $8,200 FD, Lambert offers a clean strikeout floor in a contained environment.

Reid Detmers (L, LAA vs HOU)

Detmers' overall numbers, a 10.70 K/9 and 28.5% K rate, would headline most slates on their own, and against right-handed batters those marks climb further to 11.31 K/9 and a 29.6% K rate with a 2.88 FIP. Houston has been a strikeout-prone lineup against left-handed pitching this season, which lines up directly with Detmers' strengths. Weather is clear with no concerns. At $7,500 DK, he provides DraftKings builds with real salary relief without sacrificing strikeout upside; at $9,900 FD the price reflects more of his ceiling.

Andre Pallante (R, STL @ NYM)

Pallante isn't going to rack up strikeouts like the arms above him, but he brings length and stability with a 7.21 K/9 and a 4.41 xFIP overall, and his FIP against right-handed batters checks in at 4.19. The matchup helps: the Mets carry an 88.1 wRC+ against right-handed pitching as a team, the second-weakest offensive split vs RHP on this slate behind only the Phillies. Citi Field carries some in-game delay risk, but the forecast still has the game finishing. At $6,800 DK and $9,000 FD, Pallante is the salary-relief option against a lineup that simply hasn't produced much against right-handed pitching.

Top Options for Strikeouts

Best Odds for a Win

MLB DFS Lineup Picks: Top Hitters

Nick Kurtz (1B, ATH vs MIL)

Kurtz has turned a slow start to the power department into one of the better stretches on this slate, with four homers over his last week and seven over his last two. His season-long numbers against right-handed pitching now sit at .292 with a 180.4 wRC+ and a 1.027 OPS, and the Statcast profile supports the production: a 94.2 average exit velocity, an 18.2% barrel rate, a 57.7% hard-hit rate, and an ISO of .266. He's also riding one of the longer active on-base streaks in the league, just outside the all-time top ten. Tonight's matchup is in Vegas against a Brewers pitching staff that allowed six home runs in this same building last night. At $5,900 DK and $4,300 FD, Kurtz is the price point and matchup combination that anchors the highest-total game on the board.

Hunter Goodman (C/1B/OF, COL vs CHC)

Goodman’s power profile against right-handed pitching is one of the better marks at his position: a 130.9 wRC+ with an ISO of .301. The matchup adds to it. Imanaga’s overall FIP of 4.93 doesn’t look alarming on the surface, but he’s been homer-prone this season, and Coors Field tonight is clear and hot, conditions Kevin Roth flagged as “always a good combination for hitting.” At $5,400 DK and $4,000 FD, Goodman gives you Coors-aided power production without paying a premium price for it.

Kyle Schwarber (OF, PHI @ TOR)

Schwarber's profile against left-handed pitching stands out as one of the cleanest matchups on this slate. His wRC+ vs LHP sits at 162.4 with a slash of .264/.380/.571 and an ISO of .296, and his walk rate roughly matches his strikeout rate in that split, a sign of real selectivity to go with the power. He's in the middle of one of the better power seasons of his career, and Rogers Centre's roof removes any of tonight's storm risk from this game entirely. At $6,300 DK and $4,000 FD, Schwarber offers both floor and ceiling in a Philadelphia lineup that projects to move the ball against Toronto.

MLB DFS Value Hitters

Cole Carrigg (1B, COL vs CHC)

At $2,500 on DraftKings, Carrigg is about as cheap as it gets while still buying into the Coors Field environment. He slots into Colorado's lineup on a clear, hot night at altitude against an Imanaga who's allowed plenty of hard contact this season. The appeal here is straightforward salary relief, the kind that lets a build reach Kurtz, Schwarber, and a Vegas stack piece without straining the budget.

Carlos Cortes (OF, ATH vs MIL)

Cortes has been a quietly productive bat against right-handed pitching, posting a 138.9 wRC+ with a .299 average, numbers that don't usually come with a $4,200 DK and $2,700 FD price tag. He shares a lineup with Kurtz tonight in the highest-total game on the slate, where the Vegas park factor and the heat are doing a lot of the heavy lifting regardless of who's at the plate. That combination of price and matchup makes him an easy include for cheap exposure to that game.

Braden Montgomery (OF, CWS vs ATL)

Montgomery sits near the minimum at $3,000 DK and $2,000 FD, occupying a bottom-of-the-order spot for a White Sox lineup facing Sale. This is purely a salary consideration rather than a matchup play, and at $2,000 FD specifically, he's the type of piece that allows a build to roster Ohtani in both the pitcher and hitter slots while still filling out a complete lineup. Treat him as the price point that makes other parts of the build work, nothing more.

MLB DFS Top Stacks

Top Contrarian Stack: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Max Scherzer

This is the headline contrarian play of the night. Scherzer is making a spot start for Toronto off a tiny 12.1-inning sample, and his numbers against left-handed batters are about as bad as it gets for a starting pitcher: a 9.27 FIP, a 7.16 xFIP, a 1.78 WHIP, and a walk rate over 10%. The Phillies lineup is built almost entirely around left-handed bats. Bryce Harper leads the way with a 167.2 wRC+ against right-handed pitching and a .576 slugging mark, one of the best individual production marks on this slate. Brandon Marsh adds a 150.4 wRC+ and Kyle Schwarber's .342 ISO gives this stack real over-the-fence power from three different spots in the order. Rogers Centre's roof eliminates any weather concern. Toronto is a +110 underdog at home, which should keep ownership on this side manageable relative to the upside Scherzer's split presents.

Players to Stack: Bryce Harper, Brandon Marsh, Kyle Schwarber, Bryson Stott.

Primary Stack: Athletics in Las Vegas vs Brandon Sproat / Brewers vs Jack Perkins

Why: Both teams carry implied totals of 7.4 runs, tied for the highest on the slate, and that's before factoring in that these two clubs combined for 11 home runs two nights ago and six more last night in this same ballpark. Las Vegas Ballpark sits at elevation, first pitch temperature is forecast at 99 degrees, and the wind is blowing out 5-10 mph. Sproat ranks in the 10th percentile in expected ERA and the 22nd percentile in barrel rate allowed, which sets up well for the Athletics side led by Kurtz, who's homered four times over his last week. On the Brewers side, Turang is hitting .311 with a 176.6 wRC+ against right-handed pitching, still among the better marks on this slate, and Jake Bauers has climbed to a 165.0 wRC+ of his own. Both sides of this game are in play.

Players to Stack: Nick Kurtz, Carlos Cortes, Brent Rooker, Brice Turang, Jake Bauers, Christian Yelich.

Primary Stack: Chicago Cubs vs Michael Lorenzen

Why: Lorenzen's overall FIP sits at 5.11 with an xFIP of 4.47, and the split against left-handed batters is where the matchup really opens up: a 7.21 FIP, an xFIP near 4.89, and a walk rate north of 4.8 per nine. The Cubs lineup is built to take advantage, led by Ian Happ's 163.7 wRC+ against right-handed pitching and a .552 slugging mark, one of the better power profiles on this slate, with Michael Busch adding a 130.4 wRC+ from the on-base side. Coors Field is clear and 90 degrees tonight, removing any weather concern. With Chicago as -173 favorites, this is the kind of matchup where a heavily favored offense can pull away in a hurry.

Players to Stack: Ian Happ, Michael Busch, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, Alex Bregman.

Contrarian Stack: Colorado Rockies vs Shota Imanaga

Why: The Rockies enter as -145 underdogs at home against the Cubs, and that line alone will keep most of the field off this side. But the matchup details matter more than the record here: it’s Coors Field, conditions are clear and hot, and Imanaga has been homer-prone all season. Hunter Goodman’s 130.9 wRC+ and .301 ISO against right-handed pitching fits this spot well, TJ Rumfield adds a 119.0 wRC+ at a low price point, and Cole Carrigg and Ezequiel Tovar round out a lineup that becomes dangerous the moment the ball is in the thin air, regardless of what the team’s record says. This is a textbook park-over-record GPP build.

Players to Stack: Hunter Goodman, TJ Rumfield, Cole Carrigg, Ezequiel Tovar, Jake McCarthy.

Contrarian Stack: Los Angeles Dodgers vs Jared Jones (FD Only)

Why: This stack is FanDuel-specific, built around the fact that Ohtani can occupy a pitcher slot and a hitting slot simultaneously, effectively giving a -207 favorite double representation in the same lineup. Jones is making a spot start off a tiny 9.1-inning sample, with an xFIP of 4.25 against right-handed batters that suggests he's still finding his footing at this level. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman headline the Dodgers lineup, with Freeman now up to a 153.2 wRC+ against right-handed pitching after a hot week, and the Dodgers as a team continue to grade out among the better offensive splits vs RHP on this slate. PNC Park carries some late-storm risk, but the forecast still calls for a dry nine. Between Ohtani's dual roster value and a heavily favored offense, this is the most salary-efficient build on FanDuel tonight.

Players to Stack: Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Andy Pages, Kyle Tucker.

MLB DFS Lineups: Core Hitters & Pitchers

The “Chalk” (Popular)The “Pivot” (Low Owned)The Winning Logic
Chris Sale (SP1)Jesus Luzardo (SP Pivot)Sale at $11,000 DK is the chalk arm on the slate, but Luzardo’s 9.86 K/9 and 3.40 xFIP at $8,500 DK gives a similar floor with $2,500 in extra salary to spend on the LVB stack.
Athletics/Brewers stack (LVB)Rockies vs Imanaga (contrarian)Vegas park factor plus 99 degree heat plus a pitching matchup (Sproat/Perkins) that already gave up 6 combined homers last night makes LVB the highest total on the slate at 7.4 runs each side. The Rockies get a discount on a Cubs offense that hasn’t been hitting and Coors always plays.
Nick Kurtz (chalk)Hunter Goodman (pivot)Kurtz is a $5,900 DK lock on a four-homer-in-six-games heater. Goodman, now up to a 130.9 wRC+ vs RHP, gives Coors-aided power for $5,400 DK with far less of the field on him.

The core DFS lineup foundation for DraftKings and FanDuel across today’s 11-game slate.

  1. Chris Sale 
  2. Jesus Luzardo
  3. Shohei Ohtani
  4. Nick Kurtz
  5. Kyle Schwarber
  6. Cole Carrigg
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