DFS Stacks

Here are my four favorite stacks for the early main slate today.

Washington: Jose Urena has a 5.08 road ERA with a .309 BAA. You can get good platoon advantages against him with Adam Eaton and Matt Adams, as both are $4100 on DraftKings. I will also be willing to spend the 55400 for Juan Soto.

Kansas City: The term “gas can” is all the rage in DFS vernacular right now, and no one represents it better than Nova, with his 16.36 home ERA and .436 BAA, He has been brutal against hitters from both sides. Alex Gordon (5000) and Adalberto Mondesi (5,700) are my favorites here, while  I am also strongly considering Whit Merrifield (5,300) , Hunter Dozier (4,900) and Jorge Soler (4,200), plus Nicky Lopez (3,600) at the top of the lineup.  My preferred way to go would be with Gordon and Mondesi to start with Dozier and Lopez providing some salary relief. But get exposure to all of these guys with multiple lineups.

Cincinnati: Nick Kingham has a 8.76 ERA and lefties have all four HRs against him. So Joey Votto will make a rare appearance in my DFS lineups for just 3700 and I will lock Jesse Winker (4000) in. Derek Dietrich (4900) will surely be good for some pop here, and I will also get pitcher Luis Castillo (10,700) in there for a rebound start.

Oakland: Trevor Cahill has a 6.81 ERA overall, and it is 8.71 in day games. Lefties have been particularly hard on Cahill, so Matt Olson is a definite play, and Jurickson Profar does his best work against LHPs. If Stephen Piscotty is back in the lineup, he is a must-play, as he has been crushing LHPs,, All three of these guys are 4000 and under, making this a very price friendly stack.

The main slate on Thursday only has five games, but that doesn’t mean we can’t go stacking.

Minnesota Twins

The Mariners’ Erik Swanson is a guy we want to attack when he takes the bump for Seattle. The right-handed pitcher has the highest ERA on the slate with a robust 6.35 mark. And his peripheral numbers don’t support any sort of upcoming rebound to his season. Swanson has a 4.68 SIERA and is allowing 2.22 HR/9, while owning the second lowest whiff rate of tonight’s starting pitchers. Combine that with the fact that the Twins’ offense has produced a .234 ISO versus right-handed pitching this season and Minnesota looks like a juicy stacking option for Thursday.

The Twinkies’ build should start with some righty-on-righty crime, as Swanson is allowing 2.84 HR/9 to righties in 2019. So the building blocks would be Willians Astudillo (FanDuel: $2,700 DraftKings: $3,900), Jonathan Schoop (FanDuel: $3,000 DraftKings: $3,900) and Byron Buxton (FanDuel: $3,200 DraftKings: $4,000). All three of these right-handed bats have over .200 ISOs against righties in 2019. And while he has been out a few days with a wrist injury, Nelson Cruz (FanDuel: $3,800 DraftKings: $4,200) certainly is in play if he makes the Twins’ lineup on Thursday. He has a .243 ISO and a .373 wOBA versus righties this season.

While Seattle’s Swanson has been bad against right-handed bats, you don’t have to ignore the lefty sluggers on Minnesota. Jorge Polanco (FanDuel: $4,300 DraftKings: $5,000), Jason Castro (FanDuel: $3,100 DraftKings: $3,700), Max Kepler (FanDuel: $3,300 DraftKings: $3,900) and Eddie Rosario (FanDuel: $4,200 DraftKings: $4,700) all have ISOs over .257 versus righties.

Seattle Mariners

The Minnesota Twins’ Michael Pineda is a great stacking target on Thursday. The right-handed starter has a 5.85 ERA this season as well a 4.71 xFIP. Look for the Seattle offense to take advantage of this opportunity against a weak pitcher, as the Mariners have a team ISO of .226 against righties in 2019.

As you piece together your Seattle stacks, start with the right-handed bats of the Mariners. Pineda has allowed a .397 wOBA, 2.39 HR/9 and a 49.4% hard contact rate to right-handed hitters this season. Edwin Encarnacion (FanDuel: $3,800 DraftKings: $4,700), Mitch Haniger (FanDuel: $4,000 DraftKings: $4,700), Ryon Healy (FanDuel:  $2,800 DraftKings: $3,700) and Tim Beckham (FanDuel: $2,900 DraftKings: $3,600), are all right-handed batters that have excelled against right-handed pitching this season. Each of these hitters have ISOs over .200 in those type of match ups.

And while he is not a righty stick, Daniel Vogelbach (FanDuel: $3,700 DraftKings: $4,800), has to make your list of Mariners. He has a monstrous .370 ISO and 181 wRC+ against righties in 2019.

Atlanta Braves                                                                                           

The Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright has really struggled with lefties this season. The veteran starter has given up a .406 wOBA, 2.55 HR/9 and a 46.2% hard contact rate to batters from the left side. So feel free to stack up with Brian McCann (FanDuel: $2,900 DraftKings: $3,600), Nick Markakis (FanDuel: $3,500 DraftKings: $3,900), Matt Joyce (FanDuel: $2,100 DraftKings: $3,500) and Freddie Freeman (FanDuel: $4,000 DraftKings: $4,500) in this one. Not only do all four of these guys have a plus matchup, they also provide plenty of salary relief as well.                                                       

Good luckand happy stacking!

Let’s jumpright in with the top teams for the May 15^th DFS main slate:

Houston Astros

Over the last seven games, no offense has been hotter than the Houston Astros. Over that span, they have blasted 15 home runs, while maintaining a .333 batting average. Ride the heater again on Wednesday.

To build your Houston stack you will want to start with George Springer (FanDuel: $4,600, DraftKings: $5,800). The outfielder has a .519 average and a 308 wRC+ in that time. You will also want to target Michael Brantley (FanDuel: $4,100, DraftKings: $5,200) and Alex Bregman (FanDuel: $4,400, DraftKings: $5,300). They both have ISOs over .400 over the last week.

Texas Rangers

The Royals’ Jorge Lopez is a pitcher you want to target as evidenced by his 6.07 ERA this season. He is allowing a slate high 2.09 HR/9. As you build your Rangers’ stack against Lopez, you will want to build with lefty bats. Lopez is allowing a .432 wOBA to lefties, while the Texas’ offense has a .203 ISO versus right-handed pitchers.

So start your Rangers’ stack with Shin-Soo Choo. He (FanDuel: $3,400, DraftKings: $4,700) has a .216 ISO and a .396 wOBA against right-handed pitching. Pair the Rangers’ outfielder with Asdrubal Cabrera (FanDuel: $3,000, DraftKings: $4,200). The Texas infielder has a .250 ISO versus right-handed pitching in 2019.

Atlanta Braves

The Cardinals’ Michael Wacha has struggled this season. The St. Louis starter has a 5.16 SIERA and a 4.91 xFIP. He is also allowing 1.7 HR/9 in 2019. When building your Atlanta stacks, you will want to target right-handed bats. Wacha is allowing a .374 wOBA to righty hitters.

With that in mind start your Braves’ builds with Tyler Flowers (FanDuel: $2,500, DraftKings: $3,400) and Josh Donaldson (FanDuel: $3,400, DraftKings: $4,200). Both Atlanta bats have .200-plus ISOs versus right-handed pitching this season.                                                                                                                

Good luckand happy stacking!

Red Sox: David Hess is not a good pitcher. The bullpen behind him is even worse. Oriole Park at Camden Yards is one of the easiest parks to hit home runs in. The weather looks mild. The Red Sox offense is coming alive. John Means is an unusual pitcher that the league is struggling to adjust to because of all the changeups he throws. Look for the Sox to redeem themselves from a blip against Means tonight.

Astros: The Astros, much like the Red Sox, are loaded offensively. And much like the Sox, they struggled to begin the year. And (do you sense a theme here?) like the Sox they have come alive offensively. They torched the Angel pitching staff in Mexico. Next up is the Royals mediocre at best bullpen and their starting pitcher Danny Duffy. Did I mention that the Astros light up lefties? And Minute Maid is a great park for hitters? Seems like these first two stacks will be very popular in the DFS community and for good reasons. You may have to get creative to take down a GPP, though, and so I give you:

Giants: This team hit well over the four game wrap-around weekend series in Cincinnati. The series was obviously highlighted by their amazing comeback from a 8-0 deficit. They now go to Coors, the best park for offense in all of baseball, and face Antonio Senzatela. Guys with some pop in their bats on San Francisco’s squad, such as Steven Duggar, Evan Longoria, Brandon Belt and old friend Buster Posey could be in store for a good game.

Rockies: We don’t have to go far to see my next stack (just across the diamond actually). The Giants are starting a lefty in Madison Bumgarner. He is lefty who has seen better days, mind you. Lefty on the mound means fire up the right handed bats on the Rockies, especially Trevor Story and Nolan Arenado. Don’t forget Charlie Blackmon, though, as his bat has come alive and he will get at least two ABs against the Giants bullpen.

Athletics: The Reds are a bad baseball team, especially in terms of pitching. The Athletics like home cooking. This seems like a good recipe to me. Just look at what the team across the Bay was able to do the Reds. Do you think the Athletics can’t repeat that?

Mariners: Surprisingly, the Mariners are the best offensive team in all of MLB on the road. Masahiro Tanaka is known for the occasional clunker. Why not roll the dice here in one of the easiest parks for left-handed bats to hit a home run in?

Saturday is here, with a slate that features a lot of good hitting situations, and a lot of good sleepers. I will do what I can to identify those players for you. All prices are based off FanDuel.

FIRST BASE – ALBERT PUJOLS ($3000) vs. WADE MILEY

The matchup looks great on paper, against the soft Wade Miley, who throws nothing but hanging sliders, to the MACHINE in Albert Pujols. Pujols is coming off of a couple of doubles in his last game, and when the MACHINE is locked and loaded, the results still come when he faces soft lefties.

FIRST BASE – JUSTIN SMOAK ($3600) @ LANCE LYNN

Lance Lynn may have shown life in his last start, but going back to Texas to face the big swinging Justin Smoak is exactly what the doctor ordered. Smoak has been on the cold side of life as of late, but this matchup against the non overpowering Lynn should open the door for Smoak to rake up those hits.

SECOND BASE – JOSE ALTUVE ($3800) @ TREVOR CAHILL

Altuve is having a nice season, quietly returning to MVP form, going up against Trevor Cahill, who has not pitched well in a number of years, should keep that momentum going. Altuve will rack up the stats and be a fantasy contributor for many years to come. Matchups like these will help that momentum continue.

THIRD BASE – TODD FRAZIER ($2800) @ GIO GONZALEZ

The Todd Father, going up against Gio Gonzalez sounds like a matchup straight from 2016, but we are in the future and both of these players are on the down swing of their careers. Frazier does not do much anymore these days, but this matchup here can help us remember the good days. Gio is not overpowering anyone anymore.

SHORTSTOP – CARLOS CORREA ($4000) @ TREVOR CAHILL

Correa may not be the next A-Rod like everyone said he would be, but he is still an All-Star and Trevor Cahill is the furthest from that. Correa is not having a bad season, hitting .296 with six bombs on the year. The matchup is good, the ballpark in Mexico can help, so I like Correa to keep it going.

OUTFIELD – CHARLIE BLACKMON ($4200) vs. LUKE WEAVER

Blackmon is one of the hotter Rockies on the squad, and going up against Luke Weaver who is good, but not good enough for Coors field, can prove to bring offense. To expect Weaver to throw a shutout is not realistic, and if you expect the Rockies to score runs at home, it is on Blackmon to set the table.

OUTFIELD – J.D. MARTINEZ ($4100) @ MANNY BANUELOS

Martinez may not have the power yet this season, but he is hitting above .300 and a tasty matchup against a soft lefty can be just what the doctor prescribed. Martinez is definitely confident at the plate, racking up six hits in the last two games! If I am Banuelos, I would not dare pitch to Martinez.

OUTFIELD – MIKE TROUT ($5000) vs. WADE MILEY

Any chance you can get to play the Hall of Fame talent in Trout against a weak lefty like Miley, you play him. Trout should be able to get some very hittable pitches that he can launch to another dimension. Trout is hot coming off of a HR in his last game, expect the momentum to continue.

OUTFIELD – GEORGE SPRINGER ($4400) @ TREVOR CAHILL

Playing in Mexico where the elements help the hitters, expect Springer to be very aggressive in the first at-bat against Cahill and can easily lead this game with one of his patented HRs. Springer has shown some pop this week with a HR, and this matchup can easily keep that momentum rolling.

STACKS OF THE DAY

COLORADO

No matter who is pitching, any Rockies hitter at home can make a huge impact. Luke Weaver has been strong as of late, but that front of the lineup for the Rockies (Blackmon-Story-Dhal-Arenado) is one of the best power stack to live and die by as of late.

ARIZONA

Any time any team travels to Colorado, they become a squad you need to consider stacking. Arizona’s offense is hot, scoring in double digits against the Rockies to open the series. They can easily continue that momentum against Kyle Freeland, who does not overpower anyone.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS

Wade Miley’s numbers are not horrible yet, but they eventually will be. The Angels have a lot of power from the right side in that lineup (Trout-Simmons-Pujols). Those three hitters should be able to produce runs throughout the game.

HOUSTON ASTROS

Trevor Cahill is never a reliable pitcher to depend on, and the Astros have one of the best front of lineups in baseball (Springer-Altuve-Bregman-Brantley-Correa). All of those guys can launch big hits.