MLB DFS: DraftKings & FanDuel Slate Notes & Live Show Link – Sunday 6/25/23

With FanDuel opting for an inexplicable 12:10 ET start to capture a game that was moved up because of inclement weather, we are in extreme hurry-up mode and opting for a show as the primary thought delivery mechanism for today. A few overview notes are presented below for the readers.

Don’t miss our new Stack Suggestions feature and our Power Index for more on the top opportunities at the plate tonight.

Join us at 10:15 am ET on our YouTube Channel for the MLB DFS Lineup Card LIVE:

Note: All analysis is written utilizing available projected lineups as of the early morning, pay close attention to confirmed lineups and adjust accordingly. This article is posted and updated as it is written, so if a game has not been filled in, check back in a few minutes. Update notes are provided as lineups are confirmed to the best of our ability. Still, lineup changes are not typically updated as lock approaches, so stay tuned to official news for any late changes.

MLB DFS: Game by Game Main Slate Notes – 6/25/23

Minnesota Twins (-145/4.41) @ Detroit Tigers (+120/3.80)

This game had better be incredible after FanDuel’s absurd time-switch.

• Bailey Ober is one of the slate-leading pitchers in our projections in a fantastic matchup, he has a 23.2% strikeout rate and 4.47 xFIP for the season and is very playable at $9,700
• Michael Lorenzen is not a good FanDuel option, he picks up a bit of bonus projection from the Twins’ strikeouts but $8,200 is not cheap enough; very thin path to success
• The Twins bats are in play but Byron Buxton is hurt again. This is a low-priority stack, the top four names are obvious, Kyle Farmer is underrated and Willi Castro has been good, Michael A. Taylor is a fun tournament bolt-on for power from the ninth spot
• The Tigers are a low-end option, maybe a few hedge shares. Kerry Carpenter has a good home run mark, he is in play with Zach McKinstry, Spencer Torkelson, and Nick Maton, as well as Javier Baez

Play: Bailey Ober, minor shares of bats on either side

Update Notes:

Texas Rangers (+101/3.74) @ New York Yankees (-110/3.85)

• Gerrit Cole is somewhat all over the map but the power has been mostly under control and the runs are typically OK at worst, his strikeouts are down but improving, he is a highly-projected expensive starter in a terrible matchup in a bad ballpark for pitching, but the upside is clear
• Nathan Eovaldi has lost velocity over his last four starts and came out of the last game early, there are significant red flags in rostering him for $10,400/$10,600, if he were fully healthy this would be a prime spot against the weak Yankees lineup
• The Rangers are always playable but this is more an individual home run upside spot than it is one in which we expect significant run-scoring or sequencing. The Rangers lineup plays 1-9 every day, Duran and Taveras are good wraparound options to the elite top-6
• The Yankees are not a great option for stacking, the core hitters would be Torres, Bader, Rizzo, and Stanton, they are very cheap on both sites for the Yankees, but they are playing down to their pricing

Play: Gerrit Cole, Rangers bats/stacks in small doses

Update Notes:

Seattle Mariners (-111/4.37) @ Baltimore Orioles (+102/4.23)

• George Kirby has a 21.4% strikeout rate and 3.53 xFIP with a 1.7% walk rate, he is an outstanding control-command specialist who is capable of finding more strikeouts, he projects well against the tough Orioles lineup and is a good option at $8,200/$10,200, the DraftKings price is very low.
• Kyle Bradish has a chance to find some strikeouts against the Mariners, but he is only a mid-board option in our pitching projections. Bradish has been effective with a 22% strikeout rate and 4.00 xFIP in 65 innings and 13 starts, for $6,100/$6,400 he is at least a value dart with a bit of potential
• The Mariners have a ton of power in the lineup, they can be played against Bradish but their 4.37-run total and all of their strikeouts make them just a mid-level priority. Focus hitters are Julio Rodriguez, a cheap Ty France, Teoscar Hernandez, and Jarred Kelenic
• The Orioles have upside and they got Cedric Mullins back on top of the lineup yesterday which is a power and speed boost in the top spot. The team can be stacked with a focus on Mullins-Adley Rutschman–Anthony Santander–Austin Hays-Gunnar Henderson with options like Ryan O’Hearn and the bottom of the lineup as bolt-on pieces. This is another mid-level priority stack at 4.23 implied runs.

Play: George Kirby, Kyle Bradish value in small doses, either side of bats as a mid/low-priority

Update Notes:

New York Mets (+164/4.11) @ Philadelphia Phillies (-179/5.51)

• Zach Wheeler is on the mound for the Phillies which has a limiting impact on the Mets’ home run potential and fantasy scoring upside. Wheeler has a 3.68 xFIP and 26.6% strikeout rate in 88 innings over 15 starts, he is a good buy at $9,500/$10,500
• Carlos Carrasco does not have the same impact on the Phillies, he is not a good option
• The Phillies are a big source of upside on this slate with a 5.51-run total, Kyle Schwarber is our home run pick of the day and the loaded lineup can typically be played from 1-9 with several stars in the first four spots.
• The Mets have limited upside against Wheeler, Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso remain elite top-four options with Francisco Lindor adding a struggling star to the mix, but they are low-priority against Wheeler

Play: Zack Wheeler, Phillies bats/stacks

Update Notes:

Oakland Athletics (+253/.3.37) @ Toronto Blue Jays (-285/5.76)

• Yusei Kikuchi is a lefty with a 23.8% strikeout rate and 3.97 ERA with a 4.12 xFIP but he has a 5.86% home run rate on 11.2% barrels and a 44.4% hard-hit rate with 90.8 mph of exit velocity. Kikuchi has upside against the lousy Athletics, he projects fairly well but below the top of the board and he comes at a good $7,100/$8.800 price. We have zero faith in this pitcher and will roster hedge shares of Athletics bats against him, but he is playable in this situation.
• Luis Medina is a target for Blue Jays bats, he has a 7.01 ERA and 4.62 xFIP with a 5.13% home run rate
• Key Athletics bats include Esteury Ruiz and his 39 stolen bases, Ryan Noda, Brent Rooker, and Seth Brown with Shea Langeliers as a late-lineup sneaky catcher play for power, and others as mix-in options
• The Blue Jays should be stacked aggressively from 1-9 in this matchup, the focus is on the stars up top with George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Brandon Belt, and Matt Chapman making up the top-6

Play: Blue Jays bats/stacks aggressively, Athletics bats/stacks in small doses, minor shares of Kikuchi value for the masochistic

Update Notes:

Milwaukee Brewers (-103/4.03) @ Cleveland Guardians (-105/4.05

• Aaron Civale is better than he gets credit for, he pitches effectively and typically works deep into ball games to chase win and quality start bonuses. Civale has a 4.41 xFIP under his 2.67 ERA and a 19.9% strikeout rate, he is in a good matchup against the Brewers but is pushing a bit of power toward the key hitters in the lineup, making this a both-sided situation. At $7,700/$8,700, Civale is easily playable on both sites and he is arguably a good DraftKings SP2 option.
• Corbin Burnes has been a mess in several starts this season, overall he has a 3.96 ERA and 4.11 xFIP with strikeouts way down at 23.5% for the season. Burnes had a rough first inning in his last start that cost MLB DFS gamers out of the gate and may stick in their memories, he is facing a very low-end Guardians team that limits strikeouts but does not threaten for much else, there is a fair amount of potential for the former ace in this matchup.
• Brewers key hitters include today’s overall home run pick Rowdy Tellez, as well as Christian Yelich, Willy Adames, and Luis Urias, with functional mix-and-match options throughout the lineup
• Guardians key hitters are Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor everyone else has been playing like a mix-in option all season, this is a very low-priority option that ranks at the bottom of our stacks board

Play: Aaron Civale, Corbin Burnes, Brewers bats/stacks

Update Notes: 

Atlanta Braves (-164/6.53) @ Cincinnati Reds (+150/5.11)

• This game is going to be a launching pad once again, the Braves have Charlie Morton on the mound however, which warrants consideration. Morton will not be popular in this spot and he has more than enough to beat the Reds and the ballpark. The righty has a 3.71 ERA and 3.95 xFIP in 14 starts and 80 innings while striking out 26.2% but walking 10.1%. At $9,300/$9,800, Morton has potential but not a ton of salary-based value, there is not a discount in play for the situation.
• The Reds have Levi Stroudt on the mound, he is a target for Braves bats
• Stack Braves 1-9, everyone is in play every day and particularly when they have a slate-leading 6.53-run total, they are justifiably popular
• Stack Reds, TJ Friedl, Matt McLain, Jonathan India, Elly De La Cruz, Jake Fraley, Joey Votto, and Spencer Steer are names to look for when the lineup is confirmed

Play: bats bats bats, and maybe a bit of Charlie Morton

Update Notes:

Kansas City Royals (+226/3.31) @ Tampa Bay Rays (-251/5.31)

• Tyler Glasnow is pulling in a dominant projection in our model against the Royals, he has big upside for strikeouts and has been pitching to form with a 30.3% strikeout rate and 11.9% walk rate for the season. Glasnow is in no way flawless on the mound, but he projects at the top of the board for $8,900/$10,000, the DraftKings price is downright cheap for this pitcher in this spot.
• Daniel Lynch is not bereft of talent, but there is not a good reason to throw many shares of a league-average pitcher at the Rays when they have a 5.31-run total
• The Royals top-end can be played for a bit of power and run potential, but Glasnow has the advantage over names like Nick Pratto, Bobby Witt Jr., Sal Perez, and MJ Melendez
• The Rays play from 1-9 on a daily basis, key names to look for in the confirmed lineup include Yandy Diaz, Wander Franco, Randy Arozarena, and Isaac Paredes but everyone is in play in this spot

Play: Tyler Glasnow aggressively, Rays bats/stacks

Update Notes:

Pittsburgh Pirates (+153/3.09) @ Miami Marlins (-167/3.99)

• Eury Perez is almost definitely going to be shut down for a stretch to protect his precious right arm, with that in mind it is difficult to anticipate more than five innings for the excellent starter who costs $8,500/$10,100. Perez has a 27.8% strikeout rate in 41 innings and eight starts with a 13.7% swinging-strike rate, he is excellent but the price is high on the blue site with a possible lack of depth.
• Johan Oviedo has been OK this season, he has a 4.30 ERA and 4.60 xFIP with a 20.2% strikeout rate but does not put up major MLB DFS numbers. In a matchup against the Marlins, Oviedo is pulling in a bit of a projection and is in play at $6,300/$8,500 for a value option, particularly as an SP2 on DraftKings
• The Marlins lineup is top-heavy with Luis Arraez and Jorge Soler as a dynamic duo followed by Bryan De La Cruz and Jesus Sanchez, with the rest of the lineup as mix-in players
• The Pirates lineup is lower-end and will be facing Perez for at least a few innings, this is not a great spot for them, Andrew McCutchen, Jack Suwinski, and Ke’Bryan Hayes are their key hitters

Play: minor shares of anything, Perez has big upside if we know he is getting six innings, Oviedo value as an SP2 on DraftKings is good

Update Notes:

Boston Red Sox (-120/4.20) @ Chicago White Sox (+111/3.88)

• Kutter Crawford is not bad, he has a 3.74 ERA and 3.76 xFIP with a 24.6% strikeout rate over 45.2 innings and six starts, he is a tournament dart at $5,700/$6,900
• The White Sox are opting for a bullpen game, their pitching is not in play
• The Red Sox are pushing strong projection totals against the bullpen arms, Jarren Duran, Justin Turner, Masataka Yoshida, and Rafael Devers are the key bats with Adam Duvall and Triston Casas providing power upside from the heart of the lineup
• The White Sox have potential but not a great run total, which is a theme this season. Andrew Benintendi and Tim Anderson are good but not playing like it, Luis Robert Jr. and Eloy Jimenez are stars with power in the middle of the batting order, and Andrew Vaughn is a good option for production and correlated scoring

Play: Red Sox bats/stacks, White Sox bats/stacks, Kutter Crawford value

Update Notes:

Follow Us on Twitter. Join us in Discord. Subscribe to the YouTube Channel.