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
Trayce Thompson ($2,000): Outfielder, Los Angeles Dodgers
Thompson was traded to the Dodgers from Detroit just last week to fill the outfield hole left by Mookie Betts‘ injury.
In parts of six big league seasons, Thompson has a career .206 average with a .690 OPS.
He hasn’t produced much in his first 20 plate appearances with his new team, but it’s hard to pass up a minimum-priced option at Coors Field for a team with a 6.7-run implied team total.
MLB DFS FanDuel Bargain
Gary Sanchez ($2,400): Catcher, Minnesota Twins
The former Yankees catcher is batting .227 with nine home runs in his first season as the Twins signal-caller.
His power is unquestionable, ranking among league leaders in hard-hit percentage and max EV. Sanchez showed that explosiveness last night against the Guardians by posting 38.40 FanDuel points in his first three-hit game since May 27.
Give him another chance in your lineups against Guardians’ right-hander Zach Plesac. Plesac is 2-5 with a 4.17 ERA in 13 starts this season.
MLB DFS Ceiling Projection Picks
Pitcher
Carlos Rodon ($10,400 DraftKings, $10,600 FanDuel) vs. Detroit Tigers
Looking for a stud pitching option tonight with boom potential?
Rodon fits that bill against a struggling Tigers team near the bottom of the league in batting average and dead-last in home runs. The Yankees (121) have exactly three times more long balls this season than the Tigers (41).
In his last three starts, Rodon has scored over 30 DraftKings points in each outing with a combined 26 strikeouts in 21 innings. He is in the top 10% of pitchers in K% this season, according to Baseball Savant.
It’s all systems go for Rodon as a top lineup option tonight, even at an elevated price point.
Hitter
Jose Ramirez ($5,600 DraftKings, $4,200 FanDuel) vs. Minnesota Twins
One of the best contact hitters in the game, Ramirez ranks in the top 1% of the league with a 7.5 K% this season. That consistent contact has produced an impressive .418 xwOBA this season and an American League-leading 63 RBI.
His salary has dropped by $600 since June 16 due to a slow stretch and a thumb injury that cost him a couple of starts.
Tonight, Ramirez faces rookie right-hander Josh Winder of the Twins in a spot start. Winder is 2-2 with a 3.68 in three starts and seven appearances. This is an excellent buy-low opportunity.
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.
Let’s try this again. The Dodgers managed just three hits last night in Colorado as Chad Kuhl pitched an impressive complete-game shutout despite the visitors having one of the highest implied run totals of the season from Vegas oddsmakers.
Expectations for the Dodgers bats will be high again tonight as left-hander Kyle Freeland attempts to match his teammate’s pitching gem. Freeland is 3-5 with a 4.29 ERA this season in 14 starts. June has been his best month of the season, with a 2-0 record and an even 3.00 ERA.
Trea Turner leads the stack tonight with the highest median projection of any hitter on the slate. Despite a hitless game last night, he’s still produced a +2.70 Plus/Minus rating over his last 10 games.
Even better, Freddie Freeman is +4.49 over his last 10 outings and is in the top 5% of hitters in xwOBA and xSLG in his first season with the Dodgers.
Will Smith remains the highest-priced catching option on the slate. That price tag comes with the highest median, ceiling, and floor at the position, and he’ll look to rebound off his first scoreless DraftKings performance since May 30.
Max Muncy and Chris Taylor round out the stack. Muncy has struggled in June, batting .182, but should have opportunities tonight in the clean-up spot to drive in runs. Then again, we said that yesterday too.
If Taylor can make contact and put the ball in play, he should also see RBI opportunities. He is near the bottom of the league with a 34.3 K%.
After last night’s disappointment, the Dodgers will be chomping at the bit. Expect high ownership on these stack options, but the upside is massive.
