MLB DFS Picks & Playbook For Today’s Games: Monday, June 3rd
![MLB DFS Playbook June 3 Yordan Alvarez Houston Astros](https://d29m18w01sxjzp.cloudfront.net/thumbnails/source/fatest/MLB_DFS_Playbook_June_3_Yordan_Alvarez_Houston_Astros-1000x600.jpg)
Published: Jun 03, 2024
Happy Monday! The first full week of June is here already. It's hard to believe we are already two full months into the MLB season. So far, it’s been a great one, and we still have plenty of season left, which means plenty more winning MLB DFS lineups to make. Let’s keep that going today with another strong Monday.
No day games today, as is the usual for Mondays, so we have plenty of time to prep for our 8-game main slate this evening, starting at 6:40 PM ET on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Some exciting matchups today, with some great pitchers taking the mound and some offenses who are clicking to look at. There will be plenty of different ways to construct your lineup today, so let’s dive right into today’s MLB DFS playbook and my best MLB DFS picks of the day.
MLB DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, June 3
MLB Weather Today, 6/3
It looks like we should be clear on the weather front today.
MLB DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts
We have some really good pitching options today. I think most of the top pitchers are viable, and while Tarik Skubal gets the nod as my favorite top-end pitcher today, all of Zack Wheeler, Grayson Rodriguez, MacKenzie Gore, Justin Verlander, and Kevin Gausman are solid options today as well.
On the offensive side, some of my favorite lineups to target today include the Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, and Philadelphia Phillies.
Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers
Top Options For Strikeouts
- Zack Wheeler vs. Milwaukee Brewers
- Tarik Skubal vs. Los Angeles Angels
- Justin Verlander vs. St. Louis Cardinals
- MacKenzie Gore vs. New York Mets
Best Odds For A Win
- Zack Wheeler vs. Milwaukee Brewers
- Justin Verlander vs. St. Louis Cardinals
- Tarik Skubal vs. Los Angeles Angels
- Matt Waldron vs. Tyler Anderson
Core MLB DFS Pitchers
Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
Tarik Skubal continues to be one of the best strikeout pitchers in baseball. He is coming off a gem against the Pittsburgh Pirates, in which he threw 7 scoreless innings with 8 strikeouts, giving up only 3 hits.
The Texas Rangers have a solid offense, but they have been quite bad against lefties this season. They have an almost 23% strikeout rate against them, but worse than that, they have only a .655 OPS against them. This team shouldn’t pose much of a threat to Tarik Skubal, and a quality start with 6 strikeouts feels like the floor for him today with much more possible.
Matt Waldron, San Diego Padres
I’m not one to go after a knuckleballer often; they are very volatile and can get crushed at any time, but Matt Waldron is performing too well right now to ignore. Over his last 4 starts, he has 31 strikeouts in 23 innings with a 1.96 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Three of those starts were against the Dodgers, Braves in Atlanta, and the Reds in Cincinnati, which are not easy matchups. He had an easier one last outing against the Marlins, but he delivered with 7 scoreless innings with 8 strikeouts.
The wheels will probably fall off eventually, but I am willing to wager it won’t be against the Angels, and these results have been too great not to be taking the chance with Matt Waldron right now.
Tylor Megill, New York Mets
Tylor Megill has looked fantastic in his first two outings back from the IL, where he landed after his first start of the season. He just shut down the Dodgers for 7 innings, giving up no runs and only 3 hits while striking out 9. While I doubt he is going to continue being that good, I think Megill is a solid pitcher and should be able to keep things rolling against the Nationals today.
The Nationals strike out almost as much against lefties as the Dodgers do, who Megill just struck out 9 of, and they do a whole lot less damage, so I am not so worried about the Nationals limiting the strikeouts too much today.
Recommended MLB DFS Hitters
Highest Expected Run Totals
- Cincinnati Reds vs. Ryan Feltner
- Philadelphia Phillies vs. Bryse Wilson
- Colorado Rockies vs. Andrew Abbott
- Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Spencer Howard
Core MLB DFS Hitters
*Note: Will Be Updated As Official Starting Lineups Are Released
Christian Walker, 1B Arizona Diamondbacks
Spencer Howard survived his first start against the Phillies last week. He only made it 4 innings but didn’t give up a run and struck out 4. I don’t think he will be as lucky this time out.
Christian Walker has hits in 10 of his last 11 games. Over that stretch, he has 4 homers (including 2 in his last 3) and a 1.004 OPS. I am a fan of the Diamondbacks today, and Walker is my favorite first-base option in this matchup.
Jonathan India, 2B Cincinnati Reds
I don’t love the top end of second base today, with a lot of the top guys either in slumps or in tough matchups. If you are paying up, you might as well stick with the Diamondbacks and Ketel Marte, who just hit two homers, but if you want to save some money at this position, Jonathan India is a great option.
The Reds should be able to score plenty of runs in Coors against Ryan Feltner and Jonathan India provides a cheap part of their lineup. He has a 1.063 OPS over his last 9 games and should keep that production going today.
Ezequiel Tovar, SS Colorado Rockies
As has been the norm lately, there are a lot of good shortstop options, but Tovar is my favorite of them all today. Tovar has been excellent lately. Through the month of May, he has slashed .322/.339/.554, along with 13 multi-hit games and 5 homers. A fair number of those games happened outside of Coors as well, and even in pitcher’s parks.
Andrew Abbott has been having a decent season but just gave up 6 earned runs to the Cardinals, including 2 homers (something he struggles with, holding a 1.57 HR/9 this season). The Rockies offense has been performing better lately, and even if you aren’t confident enough to stack many of them, you should certainly consider Tovar at SS.
Yordan Alvarez, OF Houston Astros
I have been clear about my distrust of Kyle Gibson in the past, and that certainly continues today against the Astros. While I still love Kyle Tucker, he is $1,200 more expensive than Yordan Alvarez, who feels like a must-start at this price and in this matchup.
Since May 9th, Yordan only has 3 games without a hit, meanwhile he has had 10 multi-hit games. Over that stretch, he has slashed .348/.408/.562 and just had himself a two-homer game over the weekend. If you can afford it, I would roster both Alvarez and Tucker today, but if you can’t, I am still making sure I find a way to get Yordan in my lineup.
Player Pool
$ Tier | {{pos.alias}} |
---|---|
{{tier.name}} | {{ pos[i-1].player.team.name }} {{ pos[i-1].player.name }} |
Stacks
{{stack.team.name}} | {{player.name}} |
![]() | {{player.fantasy.price.value[8]}}- |
![]() | {{player.fantasy.price.value[6]}}- |