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 main slate, sorted by projected fantasy points.
First and foremost, this is a messy pitcher slate to dissect. At the time of this article, Toronto hasn't named a starter and the Mets are using Huascar Brazoban as an opener with Brandon Waddell to follow in bulk relief. On top of that, Noah Cameron and Chase Petty are making their MLB debuts while Lucas Giolito will make his first MLB start since 2023.
We've starred Nathan Eovaldi in our optimizer, and he's the only No. 1 team starter on the slate. We expect him to be the most rostered pitcher on about one-third of GPP lineups as he's shown a safe floor with 20 DK points in 4-of-6 starts.
We've also highlighted Cristopher Sanchez, Tobias Myers and Cameron in our optimizer. Cameron projects as the best point-per-dollar option as he comes in at the minimum SP salary of $4k. The 25-year-old is the third ranked prospect for the Royals and has a 3.22 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 27 K's in 22.1 IPs at Triple-A Omaha. Myers is making his second start of the season and gets a favorable matchup against the White Sox.
Here's how each pitcher ranks in key categories (stats are from 2025 season only):
| Pitcher | Fantasy Points | FIP |
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 main slate, sorted by projected fantasy points.
First and foremost, this is a messy pitcher slate to dissect. At the time of this article, Toronto hasn't named a starter and the Mets are using Huascar Brazoban as an opener with Brandon Waddell to follow in bulk relief. On top of that, Noah Cameron and Chase Petty are making their MLB debuts while Lucas Giolito will make his first MLB start since 2023.
We've starred Nathan Eovaldi in our optimizer, and he's the only No. 1 team starter on the slate. We expect him to be the most rostered pitcher on about one-third of GPP lineups as he's shown a safe floor with 20 DK points in 4-of-6 starts.
We've also highlighted Cristopher Sanchez, Tobias Myers and Cameron in our optimizer. Cameron projects as the best point-per-dollar option as he comes in at the minimum SP salary of $4k. The 25-year-old is the third ranked prospect for the Royals and has a 3.22 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 27 K's in 22.1 IPs at Triple-A Omaha. Myers is making his second start of the season and gets a favorable matchup against the White Sox.
Here's how each pitcher ranks in key categories (stats are from 2025 season only):
| Pitcher | Fantasy Points | FIP | K% | Opponent K% |
| Drew Rasmussen | 1 | 2 | 2 | 16 |
| Matthew Boyd | 2 | 8 | 8 | 2 |
| Nathan Eovaldi | 3 | 3 | 3 | 14 |
| Cristopher Sanchez | 4 | 5 | 1 | 12 |
| Corbin Burnes | 5 | 11 | 4 | 15 |
| Tobias Myers | 6 | 13 | 13 | 5 |
| Luis Severino | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 |
| Shane Smith | 8 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| Noah Cameron | 9 | N/A | N/A | 6 |
| Steven Matz | 10 | 1 | 10 | 4 |
| Brandon Waddell | 11 | N/A | N/A | 13 |
| Jake Irvin | 12 | 9 | 5 | 7 |
| Cade Povich | 13 | 10 | 7 | 1 |
| Chase Petty | 14 | N/A | N/A | 11 |
| Lucas Giolito | 15 | N/A | N/A | 17 |
| Carlos Carrasco | 16 | 12 | 12 | 3 |
| Carmen Mlodzinski | 17 | 6 | 11 | 8 |
Analyzing Team Stack Rankings for Maximum DFS Impact
Here is how each team ranks in implied runs, home run rate and how popular we expect each team stack to be in GPPs:
| Team | Implied Runs | HR Rate | Stack Popularity |
| Cubs | 5.3 | 2 | High |
| Phillies | 5.3 | 15 | Medium |
| Rangers | 5.2 | 10 | Medium |
| Orioles | 5.1 | 6 | High |
| Reds | 5.1 | 7 | High |
| Red Sox | 5.0 | 5 | High |
| Blue Jays | 4.9 | 17 | Medium |
| Yankees | 4.8 | 1 | High |
| Cardinals | 4.8 | 13 | Medium |
| Rays | 4.7 | 12 | High |
| Brewers | 4.6 | 11 | Medium |
| Diamondbacks | 4.5 | 3 | Medium |
| Mets | 4.4 | 9 | Low |
| Athletics | 3.7 | 4 | Low |
| Pirates | 3.5 | 16 | Low |
| White Sox | 3.2 | 14 | Low |
| Royals | 3.1 | 18 | Low |
| Nationals | 2.5 | 8 | Low |
My primary team stack targets
Rays vs. LHP Cameron (MLB debut). Key pieces: Danny Jansen, Yandy Diaz, Christopher Morel, Brandon Lowe, Junior Caminero
Yankees vs. LHP Cade Povich (5.04 ERA, 1.72 WHIP). Key pieces: Paul Goldschmidt, Pablo Reyes, Anthony Volpe, Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge.
Diamondbacks vs. RHP Brazoban/LHP Waddell (MLB debut). Key pieces: Gabriel Moreno, Randal Grichuk, Corbin Carroll, Eugenio Suarez, Josh Naylor
Reds vs. LHP Steven Matz (17.7 strikeout rate). Key pieces: Spencer Steer, Matt McLain, Noelvi Marte, Elly De La Cruz, TJ Friedl
Key Matchups and Batter vs. Pitcher Insights for DFS Success
Notable hitter matchups against the opposing starter today:
- Gunnar Henderson: 3-for-5, 1 HR; .600 BA, 1.800 OPS
- Alejandro Kirk: 4-for-11, 3 HR; .364 BA, 1.545 OPS
- Pete Alonso: 6-for-15, 3 HR; .400 BA, 1.504 OPS
- Jake Burger: 5-for-13, 2 HR; .385 BA, 1.500 OPS
- Bryson Stott: 5-for-14, 2 HR; .357 BA, 1.257 OPS
- J.T. Realmuto: 5-for-12, 1 HR; .417 BA, 1.083 OPS
- Bo Bichette: 5-for-14, 1 HR; .357 BA, 1.114 OPS
- Trea Turner: 4-for-12, 1 HR; .333 BA, 1.000 OPS
- Gio Urshela: 7-for-21, 1 HR; .333 BA, .887 OPS
- Francisco Lindor: 6-for-18, 3 XBH; .333 BA, .889 OPS
