The FantasyLabs MLB Player Models have 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 150 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 main 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
Michael A. Taylor ($2,600): Outfielder, Kansas City Royals
Taylor has come alive over the last week for the Royals. He has six double-digit DraftKings performances over his last seven games, including 26 and 30-point onslaughts on August 28 and 30.
Overall, the veteran is having his best season at the plate with a .271 batting average and .722 OPS.
His salary has risen from the $2,000 minimum to $2,600, but his recent performance is worth a higher price tag. He could provide value against the Guardians’ Triston McKenzie.
MLB DFS FanDuel Bargain
Will Smith ($3,000): Catcher, Los Angeles Dodgers
In his second full season with the Dodgers, Smith has provided some pop at the plate from the catcher spot. He has 21 home runs and 23 doubles on the year, both second in the league for the position.
He’s hit the ball out of the park each of the last two nights to produce a couple of lineup-winning performances for fantasy owners. He tends to be streaky with his power numbers, and right now, the streak is on the buy side.
Smith is an interesting low-ownership bargain play tonight against Giants right-hander Logan Webb. Webb is 11-8 with a 2.89 ERA on the season.
MLB DFS Ceiling Projection Picks
Pitcher
Blake Snell ($10,200 DraftKings, $10,300 FanDuel) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
On the short main slate, Snell stands out as the top-rated ceiling option at home against Arizona, despite his sub-.500 record.
The 29-year-old lefty is still looking to recapture the magic from his 2018 Cy Young Award-winning campaign. He is 6-7 with a 3.87 ERA so far in 2022.
He has provided some fantasy success in the last couple of months, with seven positive Plus/Minus games in his previous 10 starts. The Diamondbacks have the lowest implied run total on the slate, making Snell a good option tonight in your lineup.
Hitter
Jose Altuve ($5,700 DraftKings, $4,100 FanDuel) vs. Texas Rangers
The former MVP and eight-time All-Star is having another solid season for the Astros with his versatile talents. Altuve is batting .292 on the season with 23 homers and 14 stolen bases.
Over the last two weeks, Altuve has stepped things up with a .419 average and stellar 1.270 OPS. Even better, he has a +4.79 Plus/Minus rating over his last seven games.
Tonight, the Astros come home to welcome their cross-state foes. Martin Perez takes the mound for the Rangers with a respectable 10-5 record and 2.89 ERA. This could be a contrarian spot for Altuve to produce big numbers against a solid starter.
Top Stacking Pick from THE BAT X
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 from Derek Carty of RotoGrinders. With this purchase, you can use his projections alone or create aggregate projections within our Player Models.
The top five-man DraftKings stack from THE BAT using projected points in our stacking tool belongs to the Angels.
When you load them into our Lineup Builder, you’ll have the option to hand-build the rest of your team or optimize the rest of it.
The Tigers come to town for an early-week series against the Angels. Tyler Alexander takes the mound for the Tigers with a 3-8 record and 4.76 ERA on the year. Expect some main slate fireworks from the home squad tonight.
Shohei Ohtani continues to impress with a new major league record seemingly every time he takes the field. The most versatile player in the game, Ohtani will stay in the batter’s box tonight to extend his recent hot streak. In his last six non-pitching games, Ohtani has five double-digit DraftKings results, including three long bombs.
All-world outfielder Mike Trout has been hit-or-miss in the fantasy scorebook since returning to the lineup on August 19 from injury. In those 15 games, he has scored over 10 DraftKings points in only the five games he has homered. At .270, he is on pace for the worst batting average of his career.
After a significant salary drop, we find the next stack member in second baseman Luis Rengifo. He is excited to see a lefty on the mound with his .379 wOBA and .212 ISO against left-handed pitching.
The stack rounds out with two clearance aisle lineup fillers in Taylor Ward and Jo Adell. Ward has struggled with just two double-digit DraftKings games since August 14. Meanwhile, Adell had a breakout performance on August 28 with two home runs and 38 DraftKings points but has just two hits since.
This stack is exceptionally top-heavy, with Trout and Ohtani leading the way. There is potential in the lower-priced hitters tonight with a plus matchup against Alexander.
