Because you must roster two starting pitchers at DraftKings, MLB DFS players can take a stand in a limited player pool. Most users like to play it safe and roster the chalkiest pitchers in hopes of their bats being the main focal point of their lineup. In theory, this strategy is a great one, but it limits your lineup’s ability to stand out from the rest and ultimately land in the top-5 of a large-field GPP. Our goal in this article is find which MLB DFS pivots at pitcher can give our lineups the chance to return massive ROI.
Using Stokastic’s Top Pitchers Tool, we can determine the pitchers that are expected to be chalk, along with the pitchers that are projected for high leverage in contests. The correlation of high leverage but low ownership is a crucial piece to unlocking a lineup’s potential. Let’s dive into which pitchers stand out in both of these categories to find our favorite MLB DFS pivots for tonight.
Best MLB DFS Pivots Today: Michael Wacha & More (April 6)
MLB DFS Pivot: Michael Wacha ($8,800)
Wacha gets to face a depleted White Sox lineup, as Luis Robert Jr. was placed on the 10-Day IL list today. The $8,000 range is stacked for pitchers today with guys like $8,600 Garrett Whitlock, $8,400 Michael King, and $8,200 Reid Detmers, all of whom are pulling 20% ownership or more. Wacha is the fifth-highest leverage percentage pitcher at 5.6% and is projected for 10% ownership, half the ownership of all the pitchers in the $8,000 range.
This turns into a great pivot spot for us as we are essentially betting on one of the three $8,000 pitchers to get blown up. Even if none of the other $8,000 pitchers get knocked around, we still have the security in Wacha’s soft matchup versus the White Sox, who are projected for only four runs tonight, the third lowest on the slate. Getting to a high-leverage Wacha with 10% ownership makes the most sense in the $8,000 range.Â
MLB DFS Pivot: Bryce Miller ($9,300)
We’re going back to the Mariners’ pitching staff here in a matchup versus the Brewers. Miller is one of three pitchers above $9,000 on this slate but is projected to pull 4% ownership, five times less than a 21.6% Kevin Gausman and a 21.8% Max Fried.
Though Gausman and Fried are both very respectable pitchers, their matchups can quickly turn into a blowup spot, with Gausman facing the Yankees coming off a shutout, and Fried facing a tough Diamondbacks lineup who just knocked Spencer Strider around for five runs on seven hits. Miller’s first start was a bit of a shaky one against the Red Sox where he gave up four runs, but he still recorded six strikeouts with a 27.3% strikeout rate.
With Miller being the highest leverage percentage pitcher in our Top Pitchers Tool at 8.6%, he creates for a great pivot in a limited selection of pay-up options.Â
Get started finding the best MLB DFS pivots by using Stokastic tools today! Check out all we have to offer here!
