The FantasyLabs MLB Player Models house numerous data points to help you construct your MLB DFS rosters.
They house our floor, median, and ceiling projections for each player, but that’s just the beginning of what you’ll find inside. You’ll also find our Trends tool, stacking tool, and more.
Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups, or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your teams for cash games or small-field tournaments.
Let’s dive into some MLB plays that stand out in our Player Models for today’s slate.
Bargain Rating Picks
You might be asking: what is Bargain Rating, and why should I care?
Bargain Rating shows how much of a bargain a player is on one DFS site versus others. If a player is significantly cheaper on one site than the other, they will have a favorable Bargain Rating on the site where they’re more affordable and a poor Bargain Rating on the site where they’re more expensive. It’s a straightforward metric, but targeting players at reduced price tags is almost always a strong strategy in DFS.
Bargain Rating strongly correlates with player value, which you can quickly see with our predictive projected Plus/Minus metric.
Seeing how Plus/Minus helps you project how many points a player is expected to score compared to what their salary implies them to score, this is a good company for Bargain Rating.
MLB DFS DraftKings Bargain Value
Keibert Ruiz ($2,400): Catcher, Washington Nationals
The model sees value in catcher Keibert Ruiz on the main slate. His season-long numbers are not eye-popping, but the 25-year-old has a +2.52 average Plus/Minus over the last 10 games with four double-digit DraftKings point results in that span.
Ruiz is batting .205/.240/.303 on the season with three home runs and 11 RBI in 35 games. He managed just three hits in 37 at-bats in April, but he has fared much better in May with a .582 OPS.
The ceiling is relatively low for Ruiz, but he is an interesting low ownership dart throw against Spencer Schwellenbach. The Braves’ second rounder in 2021 makes his major league debut today. He had a 9-3 career minor league record with a 2.21 ERA in 24 starts.
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MLB DFS Ceiling Projection Picks
Pitcher
Luis Gil ($10,300) at Los Angeles Angels
What a breakout so far in 2024 for Luis Gil. In his first full big league season, Gil has impressed with a 6-1 record and 2.11 ERA. He currently sits second in the American League in wins and seventh in strikeouts with 70 in 55.1 innings.
Gil’s DraftKings salary has jumped more than $3,000 since opening day. Despite the price hikes, he has responded with a +1.70 average Plus/Minus on the season. He has posted at least 30 DraftKings points in each of his last two starts with 22 strikeouts and just one run allowed in 12.1 innings.
Using PlateIQ, the projected Angels lineup has a .157 ISO and .304 wOBA against right-handed pitching. Gil allows a .230 wOBA and .090 ISO on the season. He has a strong 31.7 K% with a 25.9% whiff rate.
Hitter
Jose Ramirez ($6,400) at Colorado Rockies
Jose Ramirez continues to lead the ceiling projections during the Guardians trip to Coors Field. He earned that stature with an incredible +7.11 average Plus/Minus over his last 10 games. He has seven games with double-digit DraftKings points in that span and four games over 20 points.
Overall, Ramirez is swatting .272/.328/.558 on the season with a .296/.375/.704 batting line so far in May. Eleven of his 16 home runs have come in the month, and he is averaging better than an RBI per game with 32.
The Guardians play their last game in Colorado today and take on left-hander Ty Blach. Blach is 1-2 with a 4.55 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. He has been in and out of the rotation with four starts and seven appearances.
More DraftKings MLB DFS Hitters and Pitchers
One of the great features of being a FantasyLabs Pro member is the option to purchase additional items in the FantasyLabs Marketplace.
A new addition to our MLB projections is THE BAT X from Derek Carty of RotoGrinders. With this purchase, you can use his projections alone or create aggregate projections within our Player Models.
For this example, we created a 50/50 blend with THE BAT X and the FantasyLabs projections to pinpoint some hitters standing out with this blend.
MLB DFS Pitcher
Justin Verlander ($8,800) at Seattle Mariners
The consistency of future Hall of Fame pitcher Justin Verlander is underrated. His current 3.60 ERA would be his highest season-ending ERA since 2014. In his 19-year major league career, Verlander has just three losing records and an overall 3.24 ERA and 1.12 WHIP.
Verlander is still getting it done in 2024 with a 3-2 record in seven starts. He struck out nine in his last start against Oakland on May 24. He is near league leaders, with a 30.2 hard hit % as he continues to find ways to keep hitters off balance.
The model expects Verlander to have a strong outing today in Seattle with low park ratings for hitters on both sides of the plate. The Mariners struggle against right-handed pitching, with a .141 ISO and .276 wOBA this season.
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MLB DFS Hitter
Andres Gimenez ($5,400) at Colorado Rockies
Expect lots of attention on the Guardians for one last game tonight in Colorado. Outside of Jose Ramirez, the model loves both Tyler Freeman and Andres Gimenez as excellent stack plays tonight.
Gimenez is batting .273/.336/.380 on the season, with four home runs and 33 RBI. He’s added nine stolen bases this year and has a knack for crowding the plate and leaning in to pitches. He leads the league with 10 hit by pitches already this season after posting 20 and 25 over the last two years.
In the last 10 games, Gimenez has four multi-hit games and 10 RBI for a +3.88 average Plus/Minus. The Guardians have one of the highest implied run totals on the slate against Rockies hurler Ty Blach.
Ezequiel Tovar ($4,600) vs. Cleveland Guardians
On the other side of the diamond is another model favorite today in Ezequiel Tovar. The 22-year-old Rockies shortstop is fifth in the National League with 64 hits and and second with 17 doubles on the season.
Tovar is batting .286/.318/.464 on the season with seven home runs and 23 RBI. He excels at Coors Field with a .336/.371/.491 home batting line, but five of his seven home runs have come on the road.
The Guardians trot out Logan Allen to the mound today. His 6-2 record is better than his overall numbers, with a 4.89 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 11 starts. He has allowed 11 home runs on the season and visits the best hitters park in the league today.
