Major League Baseball has a limited four-game slate on Saturday night, but there are still plenty of good options for DFS lineups. The first games start at 7:10 p.m. ET with a late-night hammer from the West Coast, where the Giants visit the Angels. Let’s take a look at Saturday’s four-game slate and find some top matchups to attack for MLB stacks.
In case you’re new to the term “stacking,” let’s talk about how the strategy works. Stacking creates a positive correlation in your lineup by including multiple players from the same MLB team. Ideal stacks include players from the same section of the lineup, so that they can work together to boost each other’s run production. While stacking lowers the floor of your lineup if that team struggles, the boost to your lineup’s ceiling is often worth the added risk. The key to succusfful MLB stacks is usually in finding the right matchup to attack. In examining the four games on Saturday night’s slate, here are the three that stand out for today’sMLB stacks.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $80K Relay Throw [$20K to 1st] (Night)
1. Atlanta Braves
Austin Riley ($4,900)
Ozzie Albies ($4,800)
Matt Olson ($4,700)
Michael Harris II ($4,400)
Alex Verdugo ($3,000)
The Braves rallied past the Twins on Friday and face Simeon Woods Richardson ($6,500) on Saturday night. Woods Richardson gave up seven runs on 18 hits in 14 2/3 innings over his first three outings. He has been hit hard, with opponents posting a 50% hard-hit rate and 22.7% barrel rate against him this season. He has given up multiple barrels in each of his starts and has been especially vulnerable against left-handed hitters, who have hit .423 with a .475 wOBA against him this year.
Verdugo made his season debut on Friday night but went 0-for-5 from the leadoff spot. He and Michael Harris II are good lefty options to stack against Richardson, along with Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies, who will swing around to bat from the left. Ablies has been heating up a little bit latley and has at least nine fantasy points in six of his last seven games. If Drake Baldwin ($2,500) gets the start at the plate or at DH, he’ll also be a strong value. While the Braves offense has been a disappointment overall this season, they are a strong option for MLB stacks on Saturday.
2. San Francisco Giants
Jung Hoo Lee ($4,600)
Willy Adames ($4,000)
Mike Yastrzemski ($3,900)
Heliot Ramos ($3,800)
Tyler Fitzgerald ($3,100)
The Giants didn’t get a run on Friday night in the series opener against the Angels, managing just four hits in a 2-0 defeat at the hands of lefty Tyler Anderson. They should be able to bounce back against the Halos on Saturday since they’ll get an easier matchup against righty Kyle Hendricks ($6,000). Hendricks gave up five runs on four hits for -3.2 fantasy points in his last start against the Astros and has a 4.20 ERA coming into his outing on Saturday.
Since it’s a right-handed starting pitcher, the lefties in the Giants’ lineup should be back in their normal spots with Yastrzemski at leadoff and Lee on the strong side of his splits in the third spot. Lee has been excellent this season, producing 11.6 fantasy points per game by going 26-for-72 (.361) with 10 doubles, one triple and three home runs, giving him a robust .455 wOBA. Adames usually hits between Yaz and Lee, or you can look at the wraparound stack by saving some salary with Tyler Fitzgerald, who usually hits ninth but spends lits of time on base in front of the top of the order.
3. Athletics
Brent Rooker ($5,800)
Tyler Soderstrom ($5,300)
Lawrence Butler ($5,100)
JJ Bleday ($4,100)
Jacob Wilson ($3,800)
The Athletics have been much better on offense this season, whether on the road or at Sutter Health Park. They have hit .276 over the last week with seven homers and a .337 wOBA, ranking in the top 10 teams in the MLB in each of those categories. On Saturday night, they’ll face Brewers righty Chad Patrick ($7,800). Patrick has allowed a lot of traffic on the bases this season with a 1.37 WHIP, but he has worked around trouble to post a 1.76 ERA. Patrick has a 4.79 FIP due to his unsustainable 98.9% strand rate (league average is around 72%). He has given up a 42.9% hard-hit rate, so the A’s should be able to get some production against him on Saturday.
Soderstrom is the anchor of the A’s lineup right now and can also be the centerpiece of the stack. I highlighted him as one of my top targets for Saturday. Butler has been heating up as well with 11+ fantasy points in four straight before cooling off on Friday with just seven fantasy points. He had a pair of stolen bases during that stretch, which helps him have a high ceiling while hitting in front of Soderstrom and Rooker. Rooker has multiple hits and at least 12 fantasy points in three of his last four games. Wilson and Bleday can round out the stack, and even Miguel Andujar ($3,400) can be in the mix as a cheap outfield option since he is averaging 7.1 fantasy points over his last 10 games.
