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
Jake Lamb ($2,100): Outfielder, Los Angeles Dodgers
Looking for a cheap way to get some Coors Field exposure? Lamb fits that bill perfectly.
The 31-year-old veteran is batting just .222 this season but does hit better against right-handed pitching. He has a .192 ISO against righties and .302 wOBA. He faces right-hander Chad Kuhl tonight for Colorado.
The Dodgers have by far the highest implied run total on the slate. Lamb may not be lighting it up at the plate this year, but he should get plenty of opportunities to drive in runs tonight as a cheap lineup filler.
MLB DFS FanDuel Bargain
Xander Bogaerts ($2,900): Shortstop, Boston Red Sox
Bogaerts had his best fantasy game of the season last night, scoring 43.70 FanDuel points with a home run, two stolen bases, and two walks.
His versatility at the plate to produce both power and speed gives him a lot of upside potential. The four-time All-Star is batting .318 this season and with a .393 OBP.
After struggling immediately after the All-Star break, Bogaerts has three positive Plus/Minus games in a row, including yesterday’s monster outing. Stay in the flames with him tonight as a bargain play against Brandon Woodruff and the Brewers.
MLB DFS Ceiling Projection Picks
Pitcher
Gerrit Cole ($10,400 DraftKings, $11,000 FanDuel) vs. Kansas City Royals
Cole has the second-highest pitching salary on the slate behind Justin Verlander but the highest ceiling potential. The Yankees ace is 9-3 with a 3.09 ERA in 20 starts.
Since April 24, Cole has lasted at least six innings in all but one of his 17 starts. Combine that with his high 32.3 strikeout rate, and you have consistent strong fantasy potential every time he takes the mound.
Cole has a +4.24 Plus/Minus this year and faces a Royals squad with a very low implied run total this evening. He is a strong fantasy option if you are willing to pay up for a stud hurler.
Hitter
Ronald Acuna Jr. ($4,900 DraftKings, $4,100 FanDuel) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Acuna Jr. is the only non-Dodger to crack the top-five ceiling projections tonight at the plate. Incredibly, his DraftKings salary has fallen $1,600 since the All-Star break.
In the last 10 games, Acuna Jr. has a -2.55 Plus/Minus rating, but the young Braves phenom is still among league leaders with a .372 xwOBA and 48.4 hard hit % on the season.
Tonight, he faces veteran left-hander Madison Bumgarner who is 6-9 with a 3.71 ERA. Acuna Jr. has a .200 ISO against left-handers and a .387 wOBA. At his current price, he is a strong value option with lots of upside in fantasy lineups.
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 Dodgers. 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.
Note: There is precipitation projected in the forecast for this game. Be sure to monitor the status of this game leading up to lock.
The Dodgers try to continue their offensive onslaught in the thin Coors Field air tonight as they face Chad Kuhl and the Rockies. Kuhl is 6-5 with a 4.48 ERA on the year in 18 starts.
Freddie Freeman anchors the stack with a plus matchup. He has a .402 wOBA against righties and is on a roll with a +2.27 Plus/Minus rating over the last 10 games.
Since the All-Star break, Mookie Betts has produced five double-digit DraftKings point performances in nine games. He is among league leaders with a .376 wOBA on the year.
NC State product Trea Turner extended his hitting streak to 16 games last night with a three-hit, three RBI outing. His fantasy totals have been somewhat hit-or-miss lately, but the big games are worth the gamble.
The stack rounds out with catcher Will Smith and third baseman Max Muncy, both looking to rebound from recent struggles. Smith’s salary has dropped $700 in the last week, and Muncy is trying to hold onto his spot in the Dodgers lineup by improving his .158 season batting average.
It may look like a juicy matchup on paper, but be careful. The last time the Dodgers faced Kuhl in Colorado, he disappointed fantasy managers by throwing a three-hit shutout.
