Tonight, we have a short three-game slate, which is going to make winning a GPP tournament even more difficult than usual. Lineup construction will have to get extremely unique, and I think the best way to do that is to be well below the salary cap.
MLB DFS Strategy 6/1
Core Pitchers
Every pitcher on the slate is going to be in play since there are only going to be six. You can mix and match any of the six, just beware, Chris Sale BOS (DK: $7,900 | FD: $9,700), and Framber Valdez HOU (DK: $9,800 | FD: $11,200) are going to be extremely popular, and you have to play a ton of low- priced hitters to have a unique lineup with them. Playing the lower-priced pitchers allows you to be a bit more flexible with your lineup.
Core Hitters
The game plan tonight is quite simple. Play only a couple of good hitters and then load up on off-the-grid players. Here are the top options I like, plus the sneaky plays I like with each of them.
SS Carlos Correa, MIN vs. CLE (DK: $4,000 | FD: $2,900)
Correa has been slumping, but when he is on, he can get you a ton of points. He won’t have high ownership and is at a good value price. You can play him as a one-off or stack him with players like 1B/OF Joey Gallo (DK: $3,900 | FD: $3,000), OF Max Kepler (DK: $3,500 | FD: $2,800), 1B/OF Alex Kirilloff (DK: $3,100| FD: $2,900), C Ryan Jeffers (DK: $2,500| FD: $2,600) or 3B/SS Royce Lewis (DK: $2,900 | FD: $2,800)
2B Jonathan India, CIN vs. BOS (DK: $5,600 | FD: $3,700)
With most players on SP Chris Sale, India’s ownership will be a lot lower, along with the rest of the Reds. It wasn’t long ago when we were questioning if Sale was droppable in seasonal leagues, so some regression could happen after some great starts. Players to stack with him are 3B Nick Senzel (DK: $4,400 | FD: $3,000), C Tyler Stephenson (DK: $4,300 | FD: $2,600), and 1B Spencer Steer (DK: $3,700 | FD: $3,200)
OF Mike Trout, LAA vs. HOU (DK: $5,900 | FD: $3,700)
Trout will be low-owned vs. SP Framber Valdez, and this could be a great time to play him. People often shy away from great hitters against top-notch pitchers, and I am guilty of that as well. But I will take Trout against anyone, especially in a three-game slate. I won’t stack him with Shohei Ohtani, but OF Hunter Renfroe (DK: $3,700 | FD: $2,900) will be extremely low-owned.
Value Plays
My favorite value plays for today are listed in the stacks and/or paired with individual core players above.
Top Stacks
Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Angels
The Astros will be the darling tonight, but I am thinking about stacking the lower half of their batting order and maybe playing 2B Jose Altuve (DK: $5,200 | FD: $3,900) or 3B Alex Bregman (DK: $5,100 | FD: $3,300) as my higher priced players in the stack. I will not be playing OF Kyle Tucker or Yordan Alvarez.
Players to Target:
- OF Jake Meyers (DK: $2,500 | FD: $2,600)
- OF Corey Julks (DK: $2,800 | FD: $2,700)
- 1B José Abreu (DK: $3,000 | FD: $2,400)
- SS Jeremy Peña (DK: $4,700 | FD: $3,000)
Cleveland Guardians vs. Minnesota Twins
Twins SP Pablo López has not been as sharp lately as he was to start the season. I expect the Guardians to plate a few, and I can play all three of these outfielders or play two along with Mike Trout.
Players to Target:
- OF Miles Straw (DK: $2,100 | FD: $2,500)
- OF Will Brennan (DK: $2,400 | FD: $2,500)
- OF Steven Kwan (DK: $3,800 | FD: $2,900)
