MLB DFS Top Stacks & Top Pitchers: July 17, 2026

Eric MacPherson is back with his daily card, breaking down the hitting stacks and starting pitchers he's targeting on this slate. Take his picks into the Stokastic MLB Sims and build by win probability across thousands of simulated contests.

Top Stacks 7/17 ⚾️🎇

Temperatures will be in the upper-80s, further enhancing the offensive environment for the Coors Field Extravaganza. Similarly it is warming up in West Sacramento and while both RHP Cade Cavalli and LHP Gage Jump have been decent pitchers, the Nationals are incredibly productive against southpaws and the injury decimated A's still have capable contact hitters, even though the power options are limited.

Wrigley Field should see the mercury in the mid-80s for most of the game, with a 10-14mph breeze to left. The Cubbies with power are promising against RHP Bailey Ober, who has three multi-home run games in his last four outings. In turn the Twinkies get RHP Collin Rea, who has handed out multiple walks in 8 of the last 9 games, with a paucity of strikeouts and preponderance of baserunners.

ATL vs RHP Cal Quantrill 4.5 runs: The power for the Braves is concentrated in the top-four, which is the foundation of the stack. The team is without Ronald Acuna, Mike Yastrzemski, Ha-Seong Kim and Sean Murphy, which does weaken the latter half of the lineup, though there are not many easy outs, just mediocre bats.

STL at RHP Merrill Kelly 4.6 runs: Lefties have been enjoying Kelly's generosity for the last couple of seasons, but they have now been joined by right-handed batsmen. The roof will be closed at Chase Field tonight, but even a souped up humidor is unlikely to save Kelly or rookie RHP Michael McGreevy.

Pitchers 7/17 ⚾️💪

Chris Sale vs BOS 3.5 runs: Coming off his third consecutive All-Star nomination (10th overall), Sale should be rested after not pitching in the Midsummer Classic. The Rangers have been better over the last month, ranking 14th in runs scored, though they are still in the bottom-10 for the full season. There is some risk as Texas ranks third on the season with a 113 wRC+ against southpaws, though there should be four high strikeout candidates (HKCs) in the starting lineup.

Gavin Williams vs PIT 3.7 runs: We have seen Williams continue his upward trajectory, with nearly a 4% increase in his strikeout rate to 29.1% over last year. There are some solid bats in the Bucs lineup, though with Oneil Cruz and Spencer Horwitz on the IL, the lineup gets pretty shallow after the top-six.

Jared Jones at CLE 4.0 runs: It appears that the team is content to not overwork Jones, he is a fine SP2 on DK against a weak Guardians offense, even with 75-80 pitches and it would not be a shock if he reaches 85 as he is further removed from elbow surgery.

Troy Melton at LAA 4.1 runs: There is power in the Halos lineup, but also 6 HKCs, giving Melton tournament appeal.

Bryce Miller vs SFG 3.2 runs: Ideally T-Mobile Park continues to be pitcher friendly as summer has finally reached the PNW. The Giants have plenty of pesky LHBs, but there should also be 4 HKCs in tonight's lineup.

Landen Roupp at SEA 4.1 runs: The M's are better suited to face RHPs, though we know offense is tough to come by in Seattle. There are a trio of hitters with a 30+ K% against RHPs this season, plus Julio Rodriguez remains out.

Build it with the Stokastic MLB Sims. Build EMac's stacks and pitchers with the Stokastic MLB Sims. Simulate the slate up to 10,000 times to find the highest-upside lineups, then use code EMAC15 for 15% off Stokastic Sims. Get Stokastic Sims →