MLB DFS Top Stacks & Top Pitchers: August 22, 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.

EARLY Pitchers 8/22 ⚾️ 🏖️

There are only three games on the afternoon slate, though next Saturday there are only five evening games. Pitching in plentiful, so mixing and matching will be very much in play on DK.

Dylan Cease at NYY 3.5 runs: Easily the highest median fantasy point projection, though he will need to continue to make his magic at the plate. Fortunately the Yankees projected lineup has six high-strikeout candidates, which bodes well for Cease who is behind only Jacob Misiorowski.

Logan Henderson vs ATL 3.6: It looks like the Brewers have minted yet another mid-rotation caliber starter in Henderson, who has a 31.8 K% across 340 MLB batters faced. He had a couple of stints in the minors this year, but should be up to stay. The Braves are far from pushovers, with only 3 HKCs in the projected lineup, but the bottom-third of the lineup card is where Henderson should find his DFS advantage.

Eury Perez vs WAS 3.5 runs: Since the start of last year, Perez has a 27.0 K% and if CJ Abrams (knee) remains out, the Nationals will be without four of their key hitters who propelled the offense to lofty heights for the first two-thirds of the season.

Ryan Weathers vs TOR 3.6 runs: Vladimir Guerro Jr. (concussion) is expected to return, though the Jays will likely have 3-4 HKCs in today's lineup. This looks like a low-scoring game, so the win bonus should not be counted on, though the NYY southpaw is a find DKSP2 ($7.9k).

EARLY Top Stacks 8/22 ⚾️🎇

MIA vs RHP Jake Irvin 4.4 runs: In his four games back after missing 10 weeks with a strained shoulder, Irvin has struggled with a 7.32 ERA in 19.2 IP, with a 5.45 xERA and 5.57 xFIP. He has 9 BBs and 4 HRs in this timeframe and we need to remember he led the league in round-trippers last year. Look to the lefties first with Jacob Marsee, Griffin Conine, Xavier Edwards and punt catcher Joe Mack as the core four clicks.

MIL vs LHP Martin Perez 4.4 runs: Perez allowed four runs in his last start, though only three in the preceding five outings spanning 25 innings. Though he limits home runs, his specialty is timely ground ball outs and double plays which save him as he constantly flirts on the edge of disaster. There should be at least four right-handed Brewers in the top-6 of the lineup, but that bottom third is ripe for a 3-up, 3-down scenario that would crush rally momentum for a big inning.

One-Offs/Mini-Stacks (in order of player preference)

ATL: Olson, Baldwin, Albies, Yastrzemski, Harris, Acuna

NYY: Rice, Grisham, Garcia, Chisholm, Jones

TOR: Okamoto, Springer, Guerrero, Kirk, Cameron

WAS: Abrams, Lile, Abimelec, Ruiz

Pitchers 8/22 ⚾️ 🚀

Patrick Sandoval vs SFG 3.6 runs: Quick name a Giant in the top-five of the projected order tonight, other than Rafael Devers. If you got one, can you add a second? Yeah, me either. That, along with the salary and a Coors Field Extravaganza is making Sandoval a DK priority play. Sandoval was just finding his footing with the Angles, when he suffered a UCL injury in June '24, which cost him all of last year. He is now in his age-29 season, but should have a couple more years as an effective back of the rotation starter.

Tarik Skubal vs PIT 3.2 runs: Skubal is coming off a 109 pitch outing, which was his first of the season and only the 8th since he started his Cy Young Award run two-plus seasons ago (81 starts). Now that the Dodgers are back on track with four wins, trailing MIL by two games, there is less urgency to push Skubal too hard, with the real prize being a 3-peat. Skubal is the bucks-deluxe option and "cash game" anchor, but his hefty 5-figure salary and whopping $11.5k cap hit on DK is a tall hurdle to clear with his tournament rostership in the 40%-50% range.

Hunter Brown vs ATH 3.4 runs: The A's are missing nearly every relevant hitter, scoring more than 4 runs in just 8 of the last 20 games. Brown has 22 Ks in his last four starts, though he also has 12 walks and 4 HRs in these 21.1 innings. This discount to Skubal is very enticing and he projects for less than half the rostership of the two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner.

Top Stacks 8/22 ⚾️🎇

Fire up both sides of the Coors Field Extravaganza, which should see temperatures around 80 degrees for the first handful of innings.

TEX vs RHP Ryan Johnson 4.7 runs: Walks and home runs have been an issue for the young righty, with 16 HRs in his 60.1 IP and a disastrous 29 BBs. Hitters of either-handedness with power have given him fits, which puts the top-7 Rangers in play.

BOS vs RHP Blade Tidewell 4.8 runs: The former Met now has 254 Triple-A innings under his belt, so based on his time in The Show, he may unfortunately be a "Quad-A" arm, who is best used one time through a big league batting order. The BoSox are booming again with 32 runs in the last four games. Focus on the lefties first, though there is no need to avoid Ceddanne Rafaela or Willson Contreras.

DET at RHP Michael Wacha 5.5 runs: Shoutout to the 34-year-old for earning his second ASG nod, with his other being all the way back in 2015. In the four-plus campaigns, from his age-30 season to now, he has a 3.49 ERA and 1.17 WHIP with just 1.01 HR/9. In these 132 starts he has allowed more than four runs 17 (13%) times, making a full-stack against him tonight more futile than fruitful. Sprinkle the top-6 as duos and trios across your tournament portfolio.

SDP vs RHP Dean Kremer 4.7 runs: After missing most of the season with a quad injury, Kremer has managed to lower his ERA from 6.50 in seven starts with BAL to 5.40 in three starts for MIN. Mixing the top-6 Friars looks good as a main-slate mini-stack, with full-stack becoming more appealing on the four-game late-slate.

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