Friday night’s fantasy baseball slate is stacked with 12 games on the board, even after the Chicago White Sox vs Baltimore Orioles game was moved to the afternoon off the main slate. With 24 matchups to break down, there are plenty of options to consider as you build your team for Friday’s contests, which begin at 7:07 p.m. ET. A few matchups stand out as the strongest for Friday’s MLB stacks, so let’s take a look at where offense could come in bunches based on the expected matchups and team’s current form.
In case you’re new to the idea, “stacking” is an MLB DFS strategy that puts multiple players from the same team in your lineup. Since multiple players usually earn points when runs are scored, including multiple players from productive lineups can create a positive correlation. If you can find the right matchup, MLB stacks can be extremely effective because high-scoring teams usually have multiple players near the top of the overall leaderboard. Even though they raise the risk of your roster being shut down, they can also carry you all the way to the top of the leaderboard if they hit.
Here are my top three MLB stacks for this Friday.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Rally Cap [$50K to 1st]
1. Toronto Blue Jays
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($4,800)
George Springer ($4,300)
Bo Bichette ($4,100)
Alejandro Kirk ($3,200)
Jonatan Clase ($2,500)
The Blue Jays came back from their road trip and didn’t get much recovery time before taking on the Athletics on Thursday night. They didn’t seem weary from the travel, scoring 11 runs in the first three innings and finishing with 12 runs on 18 hits in their series-opening win over the Athletics.
The A’s have dropped 14 of their last 15 games overall and allowed at least nine runs in five of their last eight games. On Friday, they’ll look to Jeffrey Springs ($6,500) to turn the tide or at least give them some quality innings. He has not been great, though, with a seven homers allowed in his last four starts to go with a 4.37 FIP and 11.1% barrel rate. That should set the Blue Jays up for some more power potential on Friday night.
Guerrero and Bichette both went yard on Thursday and have been productive lately. Guerrero has four homers in his last 14 games, averaging 8.1 fantasy points per contest, while Bichette has averaged 8.2 fantasy points per game over his last nine. Kirk had three hits in the win, while Springer also added a home run. Against lefties this season, Springer has a .441 wOBA and Guerrero has a .426 wOBA, so they can be solid options from the heart of the Blue Jays’ order. If you build around them in today’s MLB stacks, you can keep the option more affordable by going with Clase or Ernie Clement ($2,400) as bargain options. I highlighted how much of a high ceiling Clase brings in my top value plays of the day.
2. New York Mets
Francisco Lindor ($5,400)
Pete Alonso ($5,300)
Luisangel Acuna ($3,400)
Mark Vientos ($3,200)
Starling Marte ($2,900)
There could be some minor weather issues in New York, but when it’s not raining, the wind is expected to be blowing out to left field. They’ll have a good matchup against lefty Kyle Freeland ($5,000), who has a 0-7 record in 11 starts with a 5.86 ERA, 3.42 FIP and 1.68 WHIP. Most of his struggles have been at home at Coors Field (which is why the disparity between his ERA and FIP is so high). He has allowed an average of 4.8 runs per start over his last nine outings, though, with 69 hits allowed over that stretch. You can definitely see why the Mets have one of the highest implied run totals on the board as they take on Freeland.
Freeland has held lefties to a .250 average and .286 wOBA, but righties have hit .360 against him, which is why I’m stacking righties like Vientos, Alonso and Marte. Vientos has hit safely in three straight games and hit his sixth homer of the season on Wednesday. Marte has also been a little more productive lately and should start against the lefty in his platoon. Lindor had a frustrating finish to the series on Wednesday against the White Sox, but had at least five fantasy points in six of seven games before that, averaging 10.6 fantasy points per game over that stretch.
3. Atlanta Braves
Ronald Acuna Jr. ($6,200)
Matt Olson ($5,000)
Drake Baldwin ($4,400)
Marcell Ozuna ($4,200)
Michael Harris II ($3,500)
The Braves split a doubleheader with the Phillies on Thursday, and they’ll host the struggling Red Sox this weekend in Atlanta. They’ll take on Lucas Giolito ($6,300) for the second time this season, after roughing him up for three homers and six runs in four innings in Boston earlier this month. Giolito has alternated great starts and disappointing outings since returning from the IL, but overall, he has a 5.27 ERA and 4.65 FIP. His volatile results make him a boom-or-bust option to target for MLB stacks, but the Braves’ recent success makes them an attractive option with a high ceiling.
Acuna has a pair of homers and is averaging 9.8 fantasy points over his six games since returning from the IL. Olson has been heating up lately, and I included him as one of my top home run props based on his past success against Giolito. He and Ozuna both homered off Giolito in their last meeting, and Ozuna has averaged 10.8 fantasy points per game over his last 10 contests, including three home runs. Baldwin has emerged as a solid bat from behind the plate, hitting .324 in his 35 games with five homers in his rookie season. Harris still hasn’t quite found his stride, but he has a good combo of power and speed that always gives him potential value upside.
