MLB DFS Picks: Top Stacks for Monday (August 28)

Keith Eyster (eys819)

Keith Eyster walks you through the top stacks for the upcoming MLB main slate. Should we eat the chalk? Which team is a good pivot? Where can we find leverage? Find out below!

MLB DFS is complex. Most articles on MLB DFS picks are about the individual players most likely to succeed on any given day, but the MLB DFS picks most likely to succeed aren’t always the MLB DFS picks we should be most likely to play.

In this space, we will look at the MLB DFS process over the MLB DFS picks. And we’re looking at teams over individual players, using the features of the RotoGrinders Top Stacks tool. We’ll still look at the player projections available in LineupHQ. Still, we’ll be more focused on collective ownership, optimal scores, and matchups of full stacks within the context of game selection and leverage.

We have a big 12-game slate to kick off the week for us on Monday, and it includes everything you could possibly want. The best offense in baseball is in Coors Field, three Cy Young contenders will take the mound, and so will two of the top young pitching prospects in the game. Let’s break down some of the offenses we may be targeting for our lineups today.

It remains to be seen how popular the Braves will get as the sites have done a good job of pricing them up as they head to Coors Field for a three-game set with the Rockies.

Ronald Acuna is $7,000 on DK, and he is $5,100 on FD. Matt Olson and Austin Riley join him above $6,000 on and above $4,000 on FD. It is the most aggressive pricing we have seen all season long.

Austin Gomber gets the difficult task of trying to slow down the best offense in baseball, in the best hitters park in the league. He owns a 5.21 SIERA and just a 14.6% strikeout rate on the season. He has allowed an 8.7% barrel rate, 45.3% hard-hit rate, and 1.65 HR/9.

The Braves rank among the top stacks on nearly every slate they are on, and that certainly is going to be the case today. They own the best wRC+ (124), wOBA (.358), and ISO (.224) in the league, and their numbers have been even better against lefties.

Every hitter in the projected lineup (except for Michael Harris) owns an ISO above .200 versus left-handed pitching this season.

Kevin Pillar is the only thing resembling salary relief in the projected lineup, and he comes with 36% pinch hit risk according to THE BAT. Orlando Arcia is the next cheapest option at $4,600 on DK and $3,400 on FD.

Ozzie Albies has a chance to return from a hamstring injury that has sidelined him for the last two weeks.

Whatever nine hitters the Braves end up rolling out there today, all of them will be in play.

Despite their gaudy season numbers, fantastic matchup, and elite park, the Braves are still projecting for just over 9% OWN% on DK and just under 11% OWN% on FD. The big slate and sky high prices are certainly contributing factors there.

Those factors are also holding down their OPTO%, which sits just above 4% on DK and just under 6% on FD. The Braves are currently not projected among the top 5 teams in terms of their chances of being the optimal stack on either site today.

That doesn’t mean you should automatically fade them in single-entry and small-field tournaments, but it is certainly something that can be considered, as we have other great options on the slate.

The Padres have been disappointing this season, but they find themselves in an elite spot today against Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals.

Wainwright is in the twilight of his career and has had a really rough go of it this season. He owns a 5.74 SIERA and a miniscule 11.6% strikeout rate. He has allowed an 11.6% barrel rate and 1.86 HR/9, while allowing at least 3 runs in 15 of his 17 starts this season.

Despite the disappointing season overall, San Diego still ranks as an above average offense with a 105 wRC+ that ranks just outside the top 10.

The Padres pricing on FD jumps off the page at first glance, with Fernando Tatis being the highest-priced player at just $3,700. Manny Machado, Juan Soto and Ha-Seong Kim are all in the low-$3K range, and everyone else is under $3,000. They are more appropriately priced on DK, but still significantly cheaper than the Braves.

We are currently seeing an OWN% of around 8% on both sites. Their OPTO% checks in at about 9% on FD and 8% on DK.

The Mariners might have the most ideal blend of matchup and pricing on the entire slate.

They get a home matchup with Kyle Muller and the Oakland A’s. Muller has struggled to a 5.40 SIERA and has posted just a 15.1% strikeout rate. He has allowed an 11.5% barrel rate and 1.67 HR/9. His 49% hard-hit rate is among the highest allowed in all of MLB.

The Mariners have been red hot, winning 9 of their last 10 games and moving into first place in the AL West.

Julio Rodriguez has been one of the best hitters in baseball in the month of August, with a .477 wOBA and 215 wRC+. Fellow outfielder Teoscar Hernandez has not been far behind, as he has posted a .439 wOBA and 189 wRC+ for the month. J-Rod is appropriately priced up on both sites, but Teoscar is just $3,100 on FD and $4,300 on DK.

The lineup thins out a bit beyond those two, but Cal Raleigh has posted strong numbers versus lefties (.186 ISO), and Dylan Moore has raked in a small sample. Eugenio Suarez has uncharacteristically struggled versus lefties this season but owns solid numbers in his career.

The Mariners own the top OPTO% on this slate, sitting around 10% on both sites. They are projected for around 7% OWN% on both sites, making them a solid leverage play.

The Astros head into Fenway Park to take on Chris Sale and the Red Sox today.

Sale has dealt with injuries again this season and has been far from the dominant ace he was during the prime of his career. He still owns a healthy 29.4% strikeout rate, but he has been touched up for a 4.68 ERA. His 7.9% barrel rate allowed does not scream that we need to run in the other direction, especially when we factor in the ballpark.

Fenway remains one of the best hitter’s parks in baseball, and the Astros project for barely any OWN% at all. They are sitting around just 4% on FD and under 3% on DK. They have an 8.5% OPTO% on FD and 5% on DK, making them a strong leverage play on both sites.

Keith Eyster walks you through the top stacks for the upcoming MLB main slate. Should we eat the chalk? Which team is a good pivot? Where can we find leverage? Find out below!

MLB DFS is complex. Most articles on MLB DFS picks are about the individual players most likely to succeed on any given day, but the MLB DFS picks most likely to succeed aren’t always the MLB DFS picks we should be most likely to play.

In this space, we will look at the MLB DFS process over the MLB DFS picks. And we’re looking at teams over individual players, using the features of the RotoGrinders Top Stacks tool. We’ll still look at the player projections available in LineupHQ. Still, we’ll be more focused on collective ownership, optimal scores, and matchups of full stacks within the context of game selection and leverage.

We have a big 12-game slate to kick off the week for us on Monday, and it includes everything you could possibly want. The best offense in baseball is in Coors Field, three Cy Young contenders will take the mound, and so will two of the top young pitching prospects in the game. Let’s break down some of the offenses we may be targeting for our lineups today.

It remains to be seen how popular the Braves will get as the sites have done a good job of pricing them up as they head to Coors Field for a three-game set with the Rockies.

Ronald Acuna is $7,000 on DK, and he is $5,100 on FD. Matt Olson and Austin Riley join him above $6,000 on and above $4,000 on FD. It is the most aggressive pricing we have seen all season long.

Austin Gomber gets the difficult task of trying to slow down the best offense in baseball, in the best hitters park in the league. He owns a 5.21 SIERA and just a 14.6% strikeout rate on the season. He has allowed an 8.7% barrel rate, 45.3% hard hit rate, and 1.65 HR/9.

The Braves rank among the top stacks on nearly every slate they are on, and that certainly is going to be the case today. They own the best wRC+ (124), wOBA (.358), and ISO (.224) in the league, and their numbers have been even better against lefties.

Every hitter in the projected lineup (except for Michael Harris) owns an ISO above .200 versus left-handed pitching this season.

Kevin Pillar is the only thing resembling salary relief in the projected lineup, and he comes with 36% pinch hit risk according to THE BAT. Orlando Arcia is the next cheapest option at $4,600 on DK and $3,400 on FD.

Ozzie Albies has a chance to return from a hamstring injury that has sidelined him for the last two weeks.

Whatever nine hitters the Braves end up rolling out there today, all of them will be in play.

Despite their gaudy season numbers, fantastic matchup, and elite park, the Braves are still projecting for just over 9% OWN% on DK and just under 11% OWN% on FD. The big slate and sky high prices are certainly contributing factors there.

Those factors are also holding down their OPTO%, which sits just above 4% on DK and just under 6% on FD. The Braves are currently not projected among the top 5 teams in terms of their chances of being the optimal stack on either site today.

That doesn’t mean you should automatically fade them in single-entry and small-field tournaments, but it is certainly something that can be considered as we have other great options on the slate.