We have just five games on tonight's MLB DFS main slate which means there will be some pretty high rostership numbers on the chalk plays. Finding the spots to be different when building your lineups will be key to the takedown today. 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 Playbook: May 25

MLB Weather Updates

No weather issues for tonight's slate.

DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

As I mentioned in the intro, with just five games on the slate tonight the rostership is going to be very concentrated on the chalk plays. On nights like this I would be OK going with a complete fade of the chalk in hopes that it's the day the chalk plays fail. On shorter slates I also suggest you play a bit less of your usual bankroll just due to the high rostership expected. 

 

Recommended DFS Starting Pitchers

Top Options for Strikeouts

Best Odds for a Win

Favorite Starters to Use for DFS Lineups

Logan Gilbert, Seattle Mariners

Listen, it's a five-game slate and he is the biggest favorite on the board. Much like we saw the other night with Luis Castillo on the mound, there is a legit chance that Gilbert is 60-70% rostered here today. If making multiple lineups tonight I think you can make a lineup to fade him incase the A's decide to wake up but odds are he dominates, just like Castillo did and not having him will keep you out of the cash line.

JP Sears, Oakland Athletics

But Jon, you just recommended Logan Gilbert. Yes, I did but, what if I told you that on a short slate you can play BOTH pitchers in the same game? Sears has actually been decent this season if you look past a blowout game against the Yankees in Yankee Stadium in which he was actually rolling for five innings before running into trouble and blowing up. From a strikeout standpoint he has been very good, owning a 25% strikeout rate with a 9.4 K/9. Tonight he matches up against a Mariners team that has the fourth highest strikeout rate against southpaws at 27.2% while ranking 24th in wOBA and 26th in average. Where this matchup COULD be a problem for Sears is the power. Seattle has a .161 ISO against south paws and Sears is allowing 1.8 HR/9. If he can keep the ball in the park then he should be able to limit the damage and his strikeout upside here could make him one of the higher scoring pitchers on the slate even if he doesn't get the win.

Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies

Ok, with Logan Webb now off the slate we look at the only other “good” starting pitcher available to us. If you want to be contrarian tonight then look towards Aaron Nola who is coming off a double-digit strikeout performance. The Braves offense is very scary, no doubt, but they also strike out at a high clip against right-handed pitching at 23.5%.

Recommended DFS Hitters

Highest Expected Run Totals 

Favorite Hitters to Use for DFS Lineups

Christopher Morel, Chicago Cubs

He's on the cover of the playbook so naturally he finds himself here in the “favorite hitters” section. The home run upside for Morel is so appealing on a small slate and today he has a great matchup against the Mets Carlos Carrasco who has been an absolute gas can this season. On the season Carrasco has allowed four home runs in four starts and right-handed hitters are mashing, having hit three of the four bombs off of him while batting .325 with a .625 slugging percentage and an OPS of 1.038. Morel is also mashing against right-handed pitching, batting .372 with a .977 slugging percentage (insanely high) and an OPS of 1.377. Of Morel's nine home runs, eight have come against right-handed pitching.

Anthony Rizzo, New York Yankees

Hey, another Jon MLB DFS Playbook and another appearance from Anthony Rizzo in the “favorite hitters” section. I've loved using Rizzo this season, especially when he is at home where he has absolutely raked. At home this season he is hitting .376 with eight home runs and an OPS of 1.112. Over his last 10 games he is hitting .326 with an OPS of .974. Tonight he runs up against Kyle Gibson who is allowing left-handed hitters to bat .325 with a .535 slugging percentage and a .393 wOBA.

Michael Conforto, San Francisco Giants

Can't have pay-ups at every position when building lineups and identifying the correct value plays on short slates can be the key to success. So, here we have the red hot Michael Conforto who is hitting .325 with an OPS of 1.024 over his last 10 games going up against what we believe to be the Brewers starting Julio Teheran who last pitched in the majors back in 2021 and really struggled in Triple-A this season prior to his release from the Padres organization. The Giants figure to be one of the highest rostered teams on the slate and outside of Thairo Estrada they are all very cheap options for your lineups.

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Player Pool

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