This article is part of our DFS MLB series.
Top DFS Pitching and Team Stacking Strategies for DraftKings
In this article, I'm going to take a deeper dive into pitching and team stacking options. Let's take a look at our optimizer's rankings of the pitchers for the DraftKings 12-game main slate, sorted by projected fantasy points.
Visit RotoWire's MLB Daily Lineups to find out where the hitters slot in!
*No postponements expected. The Rockies have also yet to name a starter for tonight.
DFS players will have no shortages of starters to choose from on this large slate that includes three pitchers priced in the $10k range: Garrett Crochet, Nathan Eovaldi and Carlos Rodon. Crochet is the only one I'd spend up on, and I like going into the next tier with Corbin Burnes. He has a 1.48 ERA over his last four starts and the Colorado offense away from Coors Field has been historically bad.
We've also starred Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley and Bowden Francis in our optimizer. Francis has GPP appeal due to his $5,700 salary - a $1,500 discount compared to FanDuel and matchup against the boom-or-bust Detroit lineup. Ryan is also a logical choice as he's gone for at least 22 DK points in five of his last six starts. Note that Chris Sale, MacKenzie Gore and Tylor Megill all rank well in the metrics below.
Here's how each pitcher ranks in key categories (stats are from 2025 season only):
| Pitcher | Fantasy Points | FIP | K% | Opponent K% |
| Garrett Crochet | 1 |
Top DFS Pitching and Team Stacking Strategies for DraftKings
In this article, I'm going to take a deeper dive into pitching and team stacking options. Let's take a look at our optimizer's rankings of the pitchers for the DraftKings 12-game main slate, sorted by projected fantasy points.
Visit RotoWire's MLB Daily Lineups to find out where the hitters slot in!
*No postponements expected. The Rockies have also yet to name a starter for tonight.
DFS players will have no shortages of starters to choose from on this large slate that includes three pitchers priced in the $10k range: Garrett Crochet, Nathan Eovaldi and Carlos Rodon. Crochet is the only one I'd spend up on, and I like going into the next tier with Corbin Burnes. He has a 1.48 ERA over his last four starts and the Colorado offense away from Coors Field has been historically bad.
We've also starred Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley and Bowden Francis in our optimizer. Francis has GPP appeal due to his $5,700 salary - a $1,500 discount compared to FanDuel and matchup against the boom-or-bust Detroit lineup. Ryan is also a logical choice as he's gone for at least 22 DK points in five of his last six starts. Note that Chris Sale, MacKenzie Gore and Tylor Megill all rank well in the metrics below.
Here's how each pitcher ranks in key categories (stats are from 2025 season only):
| Pitcher | Fantasy Points | FIP | K% | Opponent K% |
| Garrett Crochet | 1 | 5 | 8 | 11 |
| Chris Sale | 2 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Corbin Burnes | 3 | 16 | 16 | 2 |
| Cole Ragans | 4 | 3 | 1 | 19 |
| Logan Webb | 5 | 1 | 7 | 18 |
| Joe Ryan | 6 | 9 | 4 | 15 |
| MacKenzie Gore | 7 | 8 | 2 | 3 |
| Nathan Eovaldi | 8 | 2 | 10 | 17 |
| Taj Bradley | 9 | 18 | 18 | 7 |
| Carlos Rodon | 10 | 11 | 3 | 20 |
| Dustin May | 11 | 13 | 14 | 1 |
| Jack Flaherty | 12 | 15 | 9 | 21 |
| Tylor Megill | 13 | 7 | 6 | 5 |
| Max Meyer | 14 | 14 | 11 | 8 |
| Bowden Francis | 15 | 22 | 19 | 9 |
| Stephen Kolek | 16 | 4 | 12 | 10 |
| Chad Patrick | 17 | 12 | 13 | 12 |
| Cade Povich | 18 | 20 | 17 | 16 |
| Lance McCullers | 19 | 23 | 21 | 13 |
| JP Sears | 20 | 10 | 15 | 6 |
| Andre Pallante | 21 | 19 | 22 | 22 |
| Logan Evans | 22 | 17 | 20 | 23 |
| Jack Kochanowicz | 23 | 21 | 23 | 14 |
Analyzing Team Stack Rankings for Maximum DFS Impact
Here is how each team ranks in implied runs, BABIP (batting average on balls in play) and how popular we expect each team stack to be in GPPs:
| Team | Implied Runs | BABIP | Stack Popularity |
| Diamondbacks | 7.3 | 16 | High |
| Dodgers | 7.2 | 2 | High |
| Padres | 5.6 | 6 | Low |
| Yankees | 5.5 | 5 | Medium |
| Rangers | 5.4 | 23 | Medium |
| Royals | 5.1 | 16 | High |
| Orioles | 4.8 | 22 | High |
| Rays | 4.7 | 9 | High |
| Giants | 4.7 | 15 | Medium |
| Tigers | 4.6 | 1 | High |
| Blue Jays | 4.3 | 11 | Medium |
| Red Sox | 4.2 | 3 | Medium |
| Braves | 4.2 | 12 | Medium |
| Marlins | 4.2 | 8 | Low |
| Twins | 4.1 | 14 | Medium |
| Nationals | 4.0 | 18 | High |
| Mets | 3.9 | 13 | High |
| Mariners | 3.8 | 19 | Low |
| Cardinals | 3.8 | 4 | Medium |
| Brewers | 3.8 | 20 | Low |
| Astros | 3.0 | 7 | Low |
| Angels | 2.7 | 24 | Low |
| Athletics | 2.6 | 10 | Low |
| Rockies | 2.0 | 21 | Low |
My primary team stack targets
Dodgers vs. RHP Kochanowicz (5.56 FIP, 1.5 HR/9). Key pieces: Will Smith, Shohei Ohtani, Max Muncy, James Outman, Michael Conforto
Nationals vs. LHP Povich (5.03 FIP, 1.8 HR/9). Key pieces: Amed Rosario, CJ Abrams, Alex Call, James Wood, Nathaniel Lowe
Royals vs. RHP Pallante (5.01 FIP, 1.5 HR/9). Key pieces: Salvador Perez, Vinnie Pasquantino, Maikel Garcia, Bobby Witt, Jonathan India
Twins vs. RHP Patrick (3.68 FIP vs. 3.19 ERA). Key pieces: Brooks Lee, Willi Castro, Trevor Larnach, Ryan Jeffers, Ty France
Key Matchups and Batter vs. Pitcher Insights for DFS Success
Notable hitter matchups against the opposing starter today:
- Christian Walker: 4-for-5, 2 HR; .800 BA, 3.000 OPS
- Jose Altuve: 14-for-36, 7 HR; .389 BA, 1.433 OPS
- Jeremy Pena: 4-for-10, 1 HR; .400 BA, 1.255 OPS
- Marcus Semien: 7-for-19, 4 BB; .368 BA, .899 OPS
- Vladimir Guerrero: 2-for-10, 1 HR; .200 BA, .833 OPS
- Jonathan India: 3-for-11, 7 BB; .273 BA, .919 OPS
- Francisco Lindor: 10-for-35, 2 HR; .286 BA, .902 OPS
For up-to-the-minute updates on injuries, lineups, roster changes and more, head to RotoWire's Fantasy Baseball News & Latest MLB Updates or follow @RotoWireMLB on X.
