This is going to be a fun slate. There are 11 pitchers that will be spread throughout my lineups, and it could lead to a low-scoring day. Many of these stud pitchers are in great matchups, but only a handful made the cut for the write-ups. With that in mind, let’s kick things off with the greatest pitcher I’ve ever seen.
Starting Pitcher Rankings
This is going to be a fun slate. There are 11 pitchers that will be spread throughout my lineups, and it could lead to a low-scoring day. Many of these stud pitchers are in great matchups, but only a handful made the cut for the write-ups. With that in mind, let’s kick things off with the greatest pitcher I’ve ever seen.
Starting Pitcher Rankings
Starting Pitcher Strategy
This is a fantastic slate for pitching. There are 11 pitchers that we like, and many studs didn’t even make the cut for our recommendations. Some of those studs include Carlos Carrasco, Robbie Ray, Kyle Wright, Alek Manoah, Carlos Rodon, Yu Darvish, and Framber Valdez. Those guys are in fantastic spots, but our top four recommendations are in even better spots! That will make the hitting pool tough to navigate, but we’ll discuss that later!
Cash Game Recommendations
Clayton Kershaw (LAD) vs. CHC
Kershaw is the best pitcher of my generation, and he’s amid another fantastic season. The perennial Cy Young candidate has a 2.57 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, allowing two runs or fewer in eight of his 10 starts. That’s no surprise when looking at his home splits, posting a 2.35 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 10.9 K/9 rate at Dodger Stadium this season. That’s why he’s a -300 favorite, with the Cubbies projected for only 3.5 runs!
Brandon Woodruff (MIL) vs. PIT
Woodruff got off to a terrible start this season, but this is one of the best pitchers in our sport. The right-hander still has a 2.93 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 30 percent K rate since 2020, scoring at least 48 FanDuel points in his two starts since coming off the IL. That’s the stud we’ve been waiting for, and it should continue against a Pittsburgh team that sits bottom-three in runs scored, OBP, OPS, K rate, and wOBA. That has him entering this matchup as a -250 favorite.
GPP Recommendations
Triston McKenzie (CLE) at KC
McKenzie has really struggled against Minnesota this season, but he’s been unhittable against everyone else. In fact, the skinny slinger has a 2.69 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and 7.9 K/9 rate in his other 12 starts this year. That obviously makes him challenging to fade against Kansas City, with the Royals ranked 22nd in OPS, 27th in runs scored and 24th in wOBA.
Patrick Sandoval (LAA) at BAL
Sandoval has hit a regression wall over the last month, but he should thrive in a matchup like this. We say that because Baltimore ranks 21st in runs scored, 25th in OPS, 26th in OBP, and 27th in wOBA. This lefty should be able to maintain a lineup like that, generating a 3.05 ERA and 9.4 K/9 rate this season. In his last start against the O’s, Sandoval surrendered just two hits across five innings.
Top Lineup Stacks
Stacking hitters against Corbin has been printing money for years. This guy is coming off his two best starts of the season but still has a 5.68 ERA and 1.67 WHIP. That’s concerning against a righty-heavy lineup like this, especially since Atlanta has a Top-5 offense over the last month.
Los Angeles Dodgers (vs. Drew Smyly)
It looks like Smyly will fill in for Justin Steele (paternity leave), which should put a smile on these Dodgers’ faces. The 33-year-old has been a journeyman for years, providing a 4.92 ERA and 1.36 WHIP since 2016. That’s a long run of horrid pitching, and it certainly won’t go over well against the best lineup in baseball.
The Royals have some of the worst pitching in baseball, and Heasley is one of their worst arms. The right-hander has a 4.76 ERA and 1.43 WHIP this season, thanks to a 6.75 ERA and 1.55 WHIP over his last four starts. Cleveland’s offense is nothing to write home about, but their contact ways should force Heasley into a rough start.
Core Studs
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| OF |
Ronald Acuna (ATL) |
$6,100 |
$4,100 |
| 3B |
Jose Ramirez (CLE) |
$5,400 |
$4,000 |
| OF |
Mookie Betts (LAD) |
$5,600 |
$4,000 |
| 1B |
Pete Alonso (NYM) |
$5,500 |
$3,800 |
| DH |
Yordan Alvarez (HOU) |
$6,500 |
$4,500 |
- If we stack the Braves, we have to ride their best hitter. Acuna has had a down season by his standards, but this guy is one of the best producers in fantasy. We really like him against lefties, providing a .419 OBP and .962 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor since 2020.
- Ramirez is always one of the safest options in DFS. He’s on pace for 30 homers, 25 steals, and 125 RBI in the heart of this Cleveland lineup. He’s also much better against right-handers, registering a .392 OBP, .627 SLG, and 1.020 OPS against them this year.
- Mook hits atop the best lineup in baseball, and he needs to be part of your Dodgers stack if you want to take that route. The MVP candidate has a .297 AVG, .630 SLG, and .997 OPS since the end of April. That’s a large sample size of dominance, and we obviously don’t mind that he gets the platoon advantage against a subpar southpaw like Smyly.
- Alonso has developed into one of the best power hitters in baseball, carrying this Mets offense on his back. He’s got a .542 SLG and .890 OPS since his call-up, which are nearly identical to his season averages. Getting to face a weak lefty like Braxton Garrett is the icing on the cake, though, with the southpaw slinging a 4.79 ERA and 1.65 WHIP for his career.
- Yordan could be an option on every slate. The MVP candidate has been the hottest hitter in baseball for a month now, tallying a .391 AVG, .485 OBP, .845 SLG, and 1.330 OPS over his last 31 games. We don’t know who will suit up for Oakland, but that doesn’t matter since it’s one of the worst pitching staffs in our sport.
Value Plays/Punts
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| OF |
Marcell Ozuna (ATL) |
$4,000 |
$3,200 |
| OF |
Franmil Reyes (CLE) |
$3,200 |
$2,500 |
| 2B/3B |
Hanser Alberto (LAD) |
$3,000 |
$2,000 |
| OF |
Jordan Luplow (ARI) |
$2,800 |
$2,300 |
| SS |
Isaac Paredes (TB) |
$4,400 |
$3,700 |
- Ozuna is the best value play of this Braves stack. He’s been one of the best power hitters throughout his career, and he gets the platoon advantage against a crappy lefty. We love that with his recent form, obtaining a .350 OBP, .895 SLG, and 1.245 OPS over his last five games.
- Reyes and Ozuna are very similar players. Both guys have been terrible this season, but their hard-hit numbers tell us that positive regression is right around the corner. It could already be starting for Reyes, registering a .667 SLG and .917 OPS over his last seven games. That makes this pricing laughable because most players in this price range don’t get off the bench, let alone bat cleanup for one of the best offenses on the slate!
- Alberto is risky, but he’s a fantastic option if he finds his way into the Dodgers lineup. This is one of the best stacks out there, and he’s one of the only players you can find for cheap. We love that when looking at his career splits, compiling a .324 AVG and .790 OPS against lefties throughout his career.
- Luplow is another guy who’s been crushing lefties throughout his career. He always hits leadoff for Arizona in these spots, and it’s easy to see why since he has a .567 SLG and .887 OPS against them this year. That’s right on par with his career averages, and it makes him way too cheap against a pitcher with a 4.43 ERA and 1.37 WHIP.
- Hunter Greene has allowed more homers than any pitcher in baseball this season, and he could surrender another dinger to Paredes. We say that because this Tamps bat has been mashing recently, producing a .373 AVG, .429 OBP, .902 SLG, and 1.331 OPS over his last 13 games.
Hitter Strategy
We’ve already discussed how many good pitchers there are on this slate, so we’re lucky to have so much value. Many of the hitters in the punt section can be paired together, and using those guys will allow you to do whatever you want from a pitching perspective. That should make lineup construction easy on us, which is a massive bonus since there are so many pitchers to pick between. I love getting in Franmil Reyes, Jordan Luplow, and your two pitchers and then building from there!
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
Whether you’re new to fantasy baseball or a seasoned pro, our Fantasy Baseball 101: Strategy Tips & Advice page is for you. You can get started with our Sabermetrics Glossary or head to a more advanced strategy – like Maximizing Your Potential in Multi-Lineup Contests – to learn more.
Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
