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MLB DFS: Model Picks, Value Plays and Top Stack for August 26

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.

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Lineup builder and optimizer

Real-time DFS models & projections

Data-driven analysis & tutorials

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

Albert Pujols ($2,400): First Baseman, St. Louis Cardinals

The future Hall of Famer may be taking some of his last swings in the big leagues, but those swings have produced some big results as of late. Since August 10, Pujols has seven home runs in just 35 at-bats.

In that same time frame, Pujols has four 25+ DraftKings point performances and a +5.99 Plus/Minus rating in his last 10 games.

Double check that he’s in the starting lineup, but Pujols is a solid bargain option if you need a cheap one-off contrarian play for tonight’s slate.


MLB DFS FanDuel Bargain

Amed Rosario ($2,900): Shortstop/Outfielder, Cleveland Guardians

In his second season in Cleveland, Rosario leads the majors in triples and has added double-digit stolen bases for the fourth time in his career.

Rosario is batting .283 on the year and a solid +1.25 Plus/Minus rating. For the cheaper price, Rosario is a versatile option that can score points in a variety of ways.

He faces right-hander Logan Gilbert on the mound for the Mariners tonight. Gilbert is 10-5 with a 3.52 ERA in 25 starts. Give Rosario a chance at the end of your fantasy lineups.

MLB DFS Ceiling Projection Picks

Pitcher

Chris Bassitt ($9,900 DraftKings, $10,400 FanDuel) vs. Colorado Rockies

In his first season in Queens, Bassitt has continued a solid pitching career with an 11-7 record and 3.26 ERA.

In his last 10 starts, Bassitt has seven 20+ points DraftKings totals, including three starts above the 30-point threshold.

The Rockies have one of the lowest implied run totals on the slate, despite having the highest batting average in the league. Away from the mile-high air, the Rockies lineup is nothing to fear for Bassitt tonight. He’s worth the price tag as a high-confidence play in fantasy lineups.


Hitter

Randy Arozarena ($5,300 DraftKings, $3,800 FanDuel) at Boston Red Sox

Coming off his Rookie of the Year season in 2021, Arozarena has found some late-season success in August.

He has a +2.33 Plus/Minus rating over his last 10 games with 12 double-digit DraftKings point performances since August 4.

The Rays face Boston’s Michael Wacha tonight on the road. Wacha is 8-1 with a 2.28 ERA in 15 starts. Arozarena is a low-ownership upside play tonight.

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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 Phillies.

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 Phillies start a weekend series with their cross-state rivals tonight. Right-hander Bryse Wilson takes the mound for Pittsburgh with a 2-7 record and 5.74 ERA on the year.

The stack features three high-end options between $5,700 and $5,800. Kyle Schwarber has excelled against right-handed pitching this season with a .373 wOBA and .318 ISO. He leads the National League with both 34 home runs and 156 strikeouts.

Bryce Harper returns to the Phillies lineup tonight after hitting the injured list with a broken thumb. In two AAA rehab games, Harper went 5-8 with two home runs, two doubles, and six RBI. He looks ready to be back in a big league batter’s box.

On the salary uptrend is standout catcher J.R. Realmuto, who also prefers to face righties with a .346 wOBA and .169 ISO. Realmuto has a +0.80 Plus/Minus over the last month, including three straight double-digit DraftKings point performances.

Rounding out the stack are Rhys Hoskins and Nick Castellanos. Hoskins is due for a strong game with seven negative Plus/Minus results out of his last eight games. On the other hand, Castellanos has produced a +1.51 Plus/Minus rating over his last 10 games.

Fire up your Phillies tonight as Harper brings electricity back to Citizens Bank Park.

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.

Start Your PRO Trial Today

Lineup builder and optimizer

Real-time DFS models & projections

Data-driven analysis & tutorials

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

Albert Pujols ($2,400): First Baseman, St. Louis Cardinals

The future Hall of Famer may be taking some of his last swings in the big leagues, but those swings have produced some big results as of late. Since August 10, Pujols has seven home runs in just 35 at-bats.

In that same time frame, Pujols has four 25+ DraftKings point performances and a +5.99 Plus/Minus rating in his last 10 games.

Double check that he’s in the starting lineup, but Pujols is a solid bargain option if you need a cheap one-off contrarian play for tonight’s slate.


MLB DFS FanDuel Bargain

Amed Rosario ($2,900): Shortstop/Outfielder, Cleveland Guardians

In his second season in Cleveland, Rosario leads the majors in triples and has added double-digit stolen bases for the fourth time in his career.

Rosario is batting .283 on the year and a solid +1.25 Plus/Minus rating. For the cheaper price, Rosario is a versatile option that can score points in a variety of ways.

He faces right-hander Logan Gilbert on the mound for the Mariners tonight. Gilbert is 10-5 with a 3.52 ERA in 25 starts. Give Rosario a chance at the end of your fantasy lineups.

MLB DFS Ceiling Projection Picks

Pitcher

Chris Bassitt ($9,900 DraftKings, $10,400 FanDuel) vs. Colorado Rockies

In his first season in Queens, Bassitt has continued a solid pitching career with an 11-7 record and 3.26 ERA.

In his last 10 starts, Bassitt has seven 20+ points DraftKings totals, including three starts above the 30-point threshold.

The Rockies have one of the lowest implied run totals on the slate, despite having the highest batting average in the league. Away from the mile-high air, the Rockies lineup is nothing to fear for Bassitt tonight. He’s worth the price tag as a high-confidence play in fantasy lineups.


Hitter

Randy Arozarena ($5,300 DraftKings, $3,800 FanDuel) at Boston Red Sox

Coming off his Rookie of the Year season in 2021, Arozarena has found some late-season success in August.

He has a +2.33 Plus/Minus rating over his last 10 games with 12 double-digit DraftKings point performances since August 4.

The Rays face Boston’s Michael Wacha tonight on the road. Wacha is 8-1 with a 2.28 ERA in 15 starts. Arozarena is a low-ownership upside play tonight.

Get Your First Deposit Matched Up to $100!

Sign up and deposit up to $100

Your deposit will be fully matched

New users only

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 Phillies.

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 Phillies start a weekend series with their cross-state rivals tonight. Right-hander Bryse Wilson takes the mound for Pittsburgh with a 2-7 record and 5.74 ERA on the year.

The stack features three high-end options between $5,700 and $5,800. Kyle Schwarber has excelled against right-handed pitching this season with a .373 wOBA and .318 ISO. He leads the National League with both 34 home runs and 156 strikeouts.

Bryce Harper returns to the Phillies lineup tonight after hitting the injured list with a broken thumb. In two AAA rehab games, Harper went 5-8 with two home runs, two doubles, and six RBI. He looks ready to be back in a big league batter’s box.

On the salary uptrend is standout catcher J.R. Realmuto, who also prefers to face righties with a .346 wOBA and .169 ISO. Realmuto has a +0.80 Plus/Minus over the last month, including three straight double-digit DraftKings point performances.

Rounding out the stack are Rhys Hoskins and Nick Castellanos. Hoskins is due for a strong game with seven negative Plus/Minus results out of his last eight games. On the other hand, Castellanos has produced a +1.51 Plus/Minus rating over his last 10 games.

Fire up your Phillies tonight as Harper brings electricity back to Citizens Bank Park.

About the Author

Ben Strunk writes MLB and NFL DFS content for FantasyLabs. He earned bachelor's degrees in journalism and sports management at Ohio University and a masters in sport management from the University of Florida. Strunk has written for a variety of media outlets, including The Gainesville Sun over his career. He has more than a decade of fantasy sports experience and aims to provide data-driven analysis in a clear, efficient voice. Outside of fantasy sports, Strunk is a long time sports card collector, high school sports official, and ultrarunner.