Welcome to another day of MLB DFS here at Fantasy Alarm. We get a great 9-game early slate on DraftKings kicking off at 4:05 PM EST.

 

 

This slate has a bunch of pitchers in tough matchups, and then there’s Chris Sale who gets Oakland as my favorite option. Nine games should give us enough value options to spend up at pitching, but I find myself gravitating to Robert Gasser in the value tier.

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MLB DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook 

MLB Weather: Today, 6/1

Oakland Athletics vs Atlanta Braves

Light showers are expected to land around the first pitch. There is a chance the game will see a late start but it should be played.

MLB DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

Chris Sale is far and away my favorite arm on the board and is in most of my builds today. Robert Gasser against the White Sox is my favorite value option and he helps relieve a lot of the salary being spent on Sale.

For stacking, my favorite team is the Guardians, followed by the Diamondbacks and Braves. Atlanta has been cold and are without Ronald Acuna, but Aaron Brooks has been giving up a lot of hits and this team eventually has to start hitting better. The Padres are interesting as well with Alec Marsh pitching, who has been solid, but is expected to see some regression based on his projected stats.

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers

Top Options for Strikeouts

Best Odds for a Win

Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves

Chris Sale is the most expensive pitcher on the slate, and for good reason. Almost any pitcher is going to warrant consideration when facing Oakland so Sale is an auto play with his 2.12 ERA and .85 WHIP. He’s struck out at least eight batters in five straight games and allowed only two runs. He’s 8-1 on the season and has huge win equity in this matchup despite the struggles of Atlanta’s offense.

Oakland ranks near the bottom in most offensive categories as has been the case for years. Their .211 average against southpaws ranks 29th in baseball while their 25.4% strikeout rate is the fifth-highest. Sale may be due for a little bit of regression at some point but he was lights out in May and Oakland’s offense is anything but scary.

Garrett Crochet, Chicago White Sox

Garrett Crochet has been the only bright spot in the White Sox organization this year and has been even better lately. He holds a 3.68 ERA and an impressive .93 WHIP on the year while averaging 12.02 K/9. He’s had three starts with double-digit strikeouts this year, including his most recent 11-strikeout game against the tough Orioles team. His real downfall is he plays for the White Sox where he doesn’t have much win equity, but he is 4-1 in his last five games.

The Brewers are a bit of a tough matchup, but they are a heavily left-handed roster and do way more damage against righties. They hold a 23% strikeout rate against lefties while most of their other offensive categories rank in the middle of the league. If he can keep the ball in the park, he could be in line for another solid performance.

Kyle Bradish, Baltimore Orioles

Kyle Bradish has been pretty good through his five starts this year, holding a 1.75 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. He’s coming off his best start of the year with an 11-strikeout no-hitter through seven innings against the White Sox. He should have win equity in this matchup against the Rays who sit near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories and hold a 23..5% strikeout rate against right-handed arms this season. 

Robert Gasser, Milwaukee Brewers

While I do like Garrett Crochet on the other side of this game, Robert Gasser is in the value tier and gets the better side of the matchup against the weak White Sox lineup. Outside of his start against the Marlins, he’s been a solid pitcher and he should be in line for another solid outing against this White Sox team that ranks at the bottom of the league in most categories. He’s going to need his team to get to Garrett Crochet to find a win, but the price and matchup make him a great way to fit in Chris Sale and some big bats.

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

Highest Expected Run Totals  

Core MLB DFS Hitters

Note: Will Be Updated as Official Starting Lineups Are Released

Steven Kwan, OF, Cleveland Guardians

UPDATE: Steven Kwan is out of the lineup.

With Steven Kwan out of the lineup, Tyler Freeman is hitting leadoff, luckily at the same salary on DraftKings. Freeman has three RBIs, two steals, and two multi-hit games over his last five. He can be swapped in to replace Kwan while the Guardians remain in a good matchup here against Mitchell Parker.

It’s a smaller sample size as Steven Kwan missed most of May, but he is slashing .425/.465/.525 against left-handed pitching this season. He hasn’t missed a step either, going 3-4 with an RBI and two runs scored in his first game back. He hits in the leadoff spot for a Guardians team that ranks in the top five in most offensive categories and Mitchell Parker is allowing a .313 BA and .458 SLG to lefties on the season. Kwan comes in at a fair price tag and can fit into some Cleveland mini stacks.

Francisco Lindor, SS, New York Mets

Over his last 10 games, Lindor is slashing .341/.370/.568 with two home runs, four doubles, and two steals. This slate has plenty of options at SS, but I like the price tag on Lindor considering how well he’s been playing. Not to mention the Diamondbacks have recalled Slade Cecconi who has given up 6 runs in three of his last four starts. Lindor now has hits in 10 straight games and will look to make it 11.

David Fry, OF, Cleveland Guardians

David Fry was the cover of Friday’s playbook and if he’s going to keep hitting like this, I’m just going to keep playing him.  He’s hit four home runs over his last 10 games, including one on Friday night. He’s slashing .322/.478/.598 against left-handed pitching and continues to produce. His price tag keeps climbing but with another lefty in Mitchell Parker on the mound, who has allowed a home run in four straight games and at least three runs in four of his last five starts, I have no problem going right back to Fry.

Christian Walker, 1B, Ketel Marte, 2B, Arizona Diamondbacks

Earlier in the season, Ketel Marte and Christian Walker were the bread and butter for many of our DFS builds in matchups against left-handed pitchers. Marte has been on a cold streak, hitting .167 over his last 10,  but Walker has been hitting .306 with a .913 OPS. Both of these guys have crushed lefties all year, Marte with a .341 ISO and Walker with a .210 while both are hitting .300. Sean Manaea has had himself a decent year for the Mets but I do not have much faith in him as a pitcher. I have no issue stacking both hitters but if you want to pick one, Walker has been more consistent of late.

 

 

Player Pool

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Stacks

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