MLB DFS Live Before Lock: 12-Game Sunday Mega-Slate
July 26, 2026
Sunday's slate is 12 games on both DraftKings and FanDuel, and Eric MacPherson opens MLB DFS Live Before Lock by admitting there's no clean way to shrink it: too many good arms, too many good stacks, and no single pitcher who should run away with the field. His answer is to build a real core four instead of one true ace, spread ownership across it, and let two matchups at the bottom of the pitcher pool fund the stacks he actually wants. That pricing-relief idea comes up again by the end of the show, once the roster's cheapest arms turn into the reason two of the board's best offenses are affordable at all.
Jacob Misiorowski — one of the featured players on today's slate.
In Summary
- The Core Four: Jacob Misiorowski (MIL) against Colorado, Logan Gilbert (SEA) at Texas, Jacob deGrom (TEX) against Seattle and Emmet Sheehan (LAD) against a struggling Freddy Peralta (NYM) headline the pitcher pool, with Misiorowski exposure capped at 60% in the Sims build despite the talent gap.
- Washington's Lineup Is The Slate's Biggest Offensive Mismatch. Every hitter in the Nationals' order is in play against Arizona rookie left-hander Kohl Drake (ARI), led by James Wood (WSH), CJ Abrams (WSH) and a $2,600 Andres Chaparro (WSH) that grades as a straight steal at the price.
- Value Arms Fund The Pool: Kyle Leahy (STL) against a strikeout-prone Cincinnati Reds lineup and Ronel Blanco (HOU) against the Chicago White Sox are the cheaper pitchers who free up salary once the top of the pool is paid for.
- Kody Clemens (MIN) is a lefty-masher who should still see plenty of right-handed relief once Jeffrey Springs (ATH) exits, and Nick Kurtz (ATH) confirmed back in Oakland's lineup batting second is a huge lift with Brent Rooker (ATH) done for the season.
- The Prop Of The Night: one book has Brady House (WSH) at just +773 to steal a base, well off the +1,000 to +1,200 the rest of the market is offering, a gap worth $3 to $5 on principle.
Watch The Video
Eric MacPherson runs the full DraftKings-to-FanDuel build live below, mega-slate sizing and all, right up to Sunday's first pitch.
The Core Four: Spreading Ownership Instead Of Chasing One Arm
Jacob Misiorowski (MIL) is coming off a planned rest before the All-Star break for arm fatigue and threw only about 65 pitches in his last outing, so expect something closer to 80-90 pitches tonight against Colorado rather than a full workload. His own outs prop sits at just 14.5, barely past the fifth inning, juiced for the under even though the matchup and stuff are still elite. Logan Gilbert (SEA) is the preferred arm at Texas: the back of the Rangers' order (Nicky Lopez, Josh Smith and Elias Diaz) carries a combined isolated power of roughly .070, which reads as free ground-ball outs for a pitcher who doesn't need saving. Jacob deGrom (TEX) gets a Seattle Mariners lineup averaging just 3.5 runs a game since the All-Star break and on pace to finish last in the majors in runs scored, and he's priced roughly $900 cheaper than Gilbert on FanDuel for barely less production. Emmet Sheehan (LAD) is the discount option, backed by the Dodgers' own offense against Freddy Peralta (NYM), whose ERA has been over 6.00 in each of his last two months and is nearing 7.00 this month.
| Pitcher | Team | Salary (DK) | Matchup | The read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Misiorowski | MIL | Five-figure | vs. Colorado Rockies | Elite stuff, but 14.5-out prop signals a short workload after the rest |
| Logan Gilbert | SEA | $200 above deGrom (DK) | at Texas Rangers | The preferred arm; Rangers' bottom-of-order ISO .070 |
| Jacob deGrom | TEX | $900 below Gilbert (FD) | vs. Seattle Mariners | Mariners averaging 3.5 runs/game since the break |
| Emmet Sheehan | LAD | Cheapest of the four | vs. New York Mets (Peralta) | Backed by LA's offense against a near-7.00 ERA arm |
That table's real tension is Gilbert versus deGrom: Gilbert is the preferred arm on both sites, but the DraftKings gap is only about $200, while FanDuel's factory-default build leans deGrom because the cheaper price and a similar projected point total make him the value play there. Either way, both arms clear the bar over paying full retail for Misiorowski, whose workload risk is real even if the raw talent isn't in question.
Build tonight's board before you lock anything — see where the field is landing on Misiorowski, Gilbert, deGrom and Sheehan in the Stokastic MLB DataHub, the same projections and ownership data the show uses live.
Get 15% off any DFS or Props package with code MLBLBL.
Washington's Whole Lineup Is In Play Against Kohl Drake
This is the slate's single biggest mismatch. Kohl Drake (ARI), a left-hander making just his second big-league start, gives Arizona a look at a fringe rotation arm they're auditioning while their own bullpen sorts itself out, and every hitter in the Nationals' lineup is playable as a result. James Wood (WSH) at $6,700 and CJ Abrams (WSH) at $6,200 anchor it on DraftKings, Brady House (WSH), back up from the minors and batting fifth, and Jacob Young (WSH) both sit in the $2,900-$3,100 range as salary savers, and Andres Chaparro (WSH) at just $2,600 is the value name to know: he'd normally be a platoon risk against a right-hander, but Drake's handedness keeps him in the lineup for a full game. Luis Garcia Jr. (WSH), for the same reason, carries no pinch-hit risk tonight. Washington leads the majors in runs, home runs, RBI and stolen bases this season, an offense that simply doesn't have the pitching to match, which is exactly why this matchup is the one to pay up for.
On the other side of the same game, Arizona's own stack still holds up: Corbin Carroll (ARI) leads off, Ketel Marte (ARI) bats cleanup, and Geraldo Perdomo (ARI), Gabriel Moreno (ARI) and a returning Max Kepler (ARI) fill out a lineup that's scored six or more runs in six of its last 12 games. Nolan Arenado (ARI) and a $3,100 Tim Tawa (ARI) round out the group, and on FanDuel, Arizona is the top team in over a third of the Sims' simulations, an even heavier lean than DraftKings shows.
The Value Pitchers Funding The Rest Of The Pool
Two cheaper arms are doing the real work of freeing up salary for those stacks. Kyle Leahy (STL) doesn't rack up strikeouts himself, but he gets to face a Cincinnati Reds lineup running five regulars at a 24%-or-higher strikeout rate against right-handed pitching: Elly De La Cruz (CIN) at 26%, Spencer Steer (CIN) at 25%, Eugenio Suarez (CIN) near 33%, Nathaniel Lowe (CIN) at 26% and Dane Myers (CIN) at 24%, all stacked toward the top of the order. Ronel Blanco (HOU) at $7,800 struck out eight over 86 pitches in his last start and takes on a Chicago White Sox lineup with power from both sides of the plate, not a clean matchup, but affordable enough to be worth a couple of exposure clicks in a 150-lineup build. Framber Valdez (DET), by contrast, gets a pass: his strikeouts have disappeared and his walk rate is climbing, so exposure stays to a single click even though the field's popularity numbers still like him on name value alone.
Minnesota-Athletics: A Lefty Masher And A Confirmed Lineup Spot
Kody Clemens (MIN) starts today's lefty-lefty matchup against Jeffrey Springs (ATH) with a strong .211 isolated-power mark against left-handed pitching, even though he doesn't make contact as often as he does against right-handers. The Athletics have already burned through relievers the last two days and are unlikely to turn to lefty Hogan Harris (ATH) unless it's a save situation, which should push Clemens into right-handed relief for the back half of the game once Springs exits. On the other side, Nick Kurtz (ATH) is confirmed batting second, a huge lift for Oakland's lineup with Brent Rooker (ATH) out for the season. Minnesota's own lineup, Byron Buxton (MIN), Ryan Jeffers (MIN), Royce Lewis (MIN) and a leadoff Austin Martin (MIN), runs almost entirely right-handed against Springs.
Reader Q&A
DeGrom-Chourio or Ashcraft-Buxton? DeGrom and Jackson Chourio (MIL) is the lean, roughly 57-43, with Chourio's over on 2.5 total bases against Kyle Freeland (COL) staying a lean, not a fired play. Braxton Ashcraft (PIT) at $9,000 is priced too close to the studs for the matchup he's getting against the Chicago Cubs' contact-first lineup.
Fading Misiorowski and Gilbert? That's fine, and since the field is only about half as heavy on Gilbert as it is on deGrom, fading both arms should push you toward deGrom over Sheehan for pitching. If you're avoiding both arms entirely, pay up for hitting instead: Wood, Abrams, Carroll and Marte as nothing but top shelf, with Leahy or Blanco as the pitching savings.
James Wood or CJ Abrams if you can only roster one? Wood, without hesitation. Abrams remains one of the more talented players in the sport, but he projects to keep sliding toward below-average range defensively at shortstop long-term, a long-term evaluation, not a tonight-specific concern.
Gary Sanchez or William Contreras at catcher for the Brewers stack? Either is fine. Sanchez (MIL) has more raw power against left-handed pitching and a near-20% walk rate, while Contreras (MIL) is the more complete hitter and catches more often, a legitimate salary-save either way.
Worked Example: Building The 150-Lineup Pool
With a 12-game slate this deep, the Sims stay on factory settings tonight, with the unallocated percentage pushed toward stacking instead, on the reasoning that a lineup needs at least two of the top four pitchers and four or five home runs to have a real shot at the top of a 150-lineup, 10%-max-exposure build. Misiorowski still gets capped near 60% despite the talent gap, purely on workload risk; Gilbert and deGrom get tightened to roughly 35% apiece with a slight tilt toward deGrom; and Peralta himself gets pushed down to one click. The lineup exported at lock: a five-man Milwaukee stack behind Misiorowski, paired with deGrom.
The Prop Angle: Brady House's Stolen-Base Price
One more spot before lock: a book pricing Brady House (WSH) at +773 to steal a base, well off the +1,000 to +1,200 the rest of the market is offering. House has only four combined stolen bases across his major- and minor-league time this year, so it isn't a high-probability outcome either way, but the size of the gap between books is enough to be worth $3 to $5 on principle. Teammate Dylan Crews (WSH) drew a similar mention as a stolen-base possibility in the same game.
The Through-Line: Pay For Conviction, Let Price Fund The Rest
Every read tonight traces back to one idea: on a 12-game slate with no clean No. 1 pitcher, the edge is in how the pool gets divided, not in finding one arm to jam. Misiorowski's talent is real, but his capped workload prop is why he's 60%, not 90%, of the build. Gilbert and deGrom split the rest of the studs almost evenly. And the salary that gets freed up by leaning on Leahy and Blanco instead of Valdez or a full-price Ashcraft is exactly what pays for the Washington-at-Arizona game running as the slate's clearest offensive mismatch on both DraftKings and FanDuel. For more on turning pitcher-pool math like this into a repeatable process, see our MLB DFS stacking guide, our MLB DFS correlation strategy guide and our guide to using the Stokastic MLB DFS Sims. For the prior board, see the July 21 Live Before Lock recap, and for building more than one lineup off this same slate, our MLB DFS multi-entry strategy guide and MLB DFS contrarian strategy guide cover sizing a build like this one.
FAQ
Who are the top MLB DFS pitchers for July 26? Jacob Misiorowski (MIL), Logan Gilbert (SEA), Jacob deGrom (TEX) and Emmet Sheehan (LAD) make up the core four, with Kyle Leahy (STL) and Ronel Blanco (HOU) as the cheaper pivots.
What is the best MLB DFS stack on July 26? Washington's entire lineup against Arizona rookie left-hander Kohl Drake (ARI), led by James Wood (WSH), CJ Abrams (WSH) and a $2,600 Andres Chaparro (WSH), grades as the slate's biggest mismatch.
Why is Nick Kurtz important for the Athletics tonight? Kurtz (ATH) is confirmed batting second with Brent Rooker (ATH) out for the season, a significant boost to Oakland's lineup.
Where can I build these MLB DFS lineups myself? The Stokastic MLB DFS Sims, Top Stacks and ownership projections live in the Stokastic MLB DataHub, the same tools used on the show. Our MLB DFS glossary covers the terms used throughout this recap.
Build Your Own Lineups
Everything on today's show, run live by Eric MacPherson, ran through the Stokastic MLB DFS Sims: build the player pool, filter to your pitchers, see which stacks the Sims keep building around, and grade your lineup before lock. Try it on tonight's board with code MLBLBL for 15% off any DFS or Props package.