We have a 10-game MLB DFS main slate on Saturday, August 12, on DraftKings and a nine-game main slate on FanDuel as they’re excluding the Mets/Braves Game 2 of their doubleheader. DraftKings has that game on their slate and Spencer Strider takes the mound for the Braves, but if we’ve learned anything about Strider when facing the Mets, things don’t exactly always go well. He has a 7.23 ERA in seven career outings against them and has allowed 12 ER in 9 IP this year. There are other elite pitching options such as Zac Gallen and Brandon Woodruff. Teams such as the Houston Astros, St, Louis Cardinals, and Cincinnati Reds are some of the top offenses in play. Be sure to check out all of our tools including the MLB Lineups page, MLB DFS Projections – powered by FanJections –, MLB DFS Ownership, and all of the rest of our tools HERE! Let's dive into today's playbook, core plays, and top stacks of the day!

 

MLB DFS Weather Center

Cincinnati Reds @ Pittsburgh Pirates

This game has a delayed start and then fully play vibes. That’s the likeliest outcome.

Recommended DFS Starting Pitchers

Top Options for Strikeouts

Brandon Woodruff, Milwaukee Brewers: 7.5 Ks (+125)

Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks: 5.5 Ks (-145)

George Kirby, Seattle Mariners: 5.5 Ks (-145)

Jake Irvin, Washington Nationals: 5.5 (-120)

Best Odds for a Win

Tony Gonsolin, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Colorado Rockies (-330)

Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves vs. New York Mets (-221)

J.P. France, Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Angels (-190)

George Kirby, Seattle Mariners vs. Baltimore Orioles (-160)

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Favorite Starters to Use for DFS Lineups

Brandon Woodruff, Milwaukee Brewers

I understand it didn’t work out playing a Brewers stud against a White Sox offense on Friday, but back to the well, we go because more often than not, it WILL work out. Woodruff made his return to the mound six days ago and fired five innings while striking out nine. The key was he threw 85 pitches, so there’s no reason to think he’s limited very much here. The White Sox are 29th in OPS and 28th in wOBA since the All-Star break against right-handed pitchers. They also have a 24.3% K-rate and could be without Luis Robert Jr. once again.

George Kirby, Seattle Mariners

It’s definitely a little scary here to use Kirby because of the number of lefties Baltimore has, especially with Cedric Mullins back, but what we saw on Friday has largely been the case against righties since the break. Baltimore is 24th in wOBA and 18th in OPS and has really lived and died by the long ball. Kirby’s only allowed 15 homers this year and just twice has he been taken deep more than once. Six of the 15 came in two games. Kirby’s pitched to a 3.10 ERA over his last 10 starts and is averaging north of 20 DKP/game.

Andrew Heaney, Texas Rangers

The Giants have been an absolute ZERO against left-handed pitching since the All-Star break. They have a .569 OPS and a .252 wOBA, both are only better than the Cleveland Guardians. The difference between the Giants and Guardians is that San Fran has a 26% K-rate. Heaney has looked very sharp in his last two starts firing 11.2 scoreless innings with a 15:2 K:BB rate. The ONLY concern is how limited Texas is being with him not letting him go past 81 pitches in either start. There is a strikeout ceiling potential in this spot.

Tony Gonsolin, Los Angeles Dodgers

As the Dodgers rotation is getting healthier, Gonsolin finds himself in a spot he needs to start pitching better. He was shelled against the Padres his last time out, but this is a spot he could get back on track. The Rockies offense has been dreadful since the All-Star break and it obviously didn’t get any better when they traded Cron and Grichuk away. They’re 27th in OPS and wOBA with a 28.6% K-rate, which is the second-highest in the league since the break vs. RHP. I’m OK getting to Gonsolin today.

Brandon Williamson, Cincinnati Reds

We talked about it on Friday but Pittsburgh has been really bad against left-handed pitching and then we saw it rear its head again as Andrew Abbott fired 5.2 IP allowing just 2 ER while striking out nine. They’re 27th in both OPS and wOBA vs. LHP since the break. Williamson is coming off the best start of his season firing 6.2 IP allowing 1 ER and posting nine punchouts. Williamson has pitched better of late. Since July 1st, he’s pitched to a 3.19 ERA and has allowed opponents just a .203 BAA while posting a 24.8% K-rate. Solid ceiling at his price.

Honorable Mention: Jake Irvin, Washington Nationals

Recommended DFS Hitters

Highest Expected Run Totals 

Houston Astros - 5.24

St. Louis Cardinals - 5.2

Washington Nationals - 5.16

Cincinnati Reds - 5.14

Los Angeles Dodgers - 5.08

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Favorite Hitters to Use for DFS Lineups

Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers

I could see people avoiding Dodgers because they’ve largely disappointed to start this series but this match-up against Peter Lambert is another good one. Lefties have a .209 ISO and .425 wOBA against Lambert his year, so it feels like a good idea to use one of the best left-handed bats in the game, no? Freeman’s hitting .450 over his last 10 games and is hitting .426 since the All-Star break across a 26-game span. He has a .967 OPS and .407 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season.

Julio Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners

There’s a specific SZN in the air. I think some would call it JRod SZN. He’s had five multi-hit games over his last six contests and has two home runs and three stolen bases over his last eight. If Cole Irvin is going to be extended here, I like the Mariners as a contrarian stack. He has a .336 wOBA against lefties this year and a .505 wOBA over his last 30 days against them. Righties have a .188 ISO and .348 wOBA against Irvin this year.

Jeremy Pena, Houston Astros

Houston has one of the best-implied totals on the board today as they face lefty Tyler Anderson. Righties have knocked Anderson around this season posting a .187 ISO and .350 wOBA. Pena has not only been good lately hitting .333 over his last 10 games, but he’s hit left-handed pitching well all year long. He has a .369 wOBA against them this year and that’s following a .372 mark last year, so the body of work is telling. He sees lefties well.

Tyler O'Neill, St. Louis Cardinals

Look, Cole Ragans has been awesome. He’s a former first-round pick and could be figuring it out. He also had an awful 2022 and righties gave him fits. O’Neill has been fantastic lately and homered again yesterday. He has an .898 OPS, .258 ISO, and .383 wOBA since the All-Star break and has a .933 OPS against left-handed pitching. He’s had a .346 wOBA or better against lefties for three consecutive seasons.

Tommy Pham, Arizona Diamondbacks

Pham has definitely struggled a bit lately but is slowly turning things around notching a hit in three straight. He homered on Friday, too, and now gets to face a lefty which is his wheelhouse. Pham has a .260 ISO and .357 wOBA against southpaws, which has historically been the better split for Pham. Righties have a .212 ISO and .358 wOBA against Rich Hill this year.

Player Pool

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Stacks

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