Major League Baseball has a full day of action, highlighted by a six-game main MLB DFS slate for Wednesday night that starts at 7:10 p.m. ET. While there are a few good pitchers in play, it mostly shapes up to be an offense-heavy slate, especially with Coors Field hosting the final matchup of the night. With 12 teams in play, a couple of nice matchups stand out as effective options for MLB stacks on Wednesday night based on environment, matchup and current form.
In case the term’s new for you, “stacking” is an MLB DFS strategy that relies on multiple players from the same team boosting each other’s production in a favorable matchup. Since multiple players earn points in most run-scoring plays and runs can add up quickly in favorable spots, building around several options from the same lineup creates a potential positive correlation for your squad. If you can find the right matchup, stacking can be extremely effective because high-scoring teams usually have multiple players near the top of the overall leaderboard. Despite raising the risk of your lineup being held in check by one good pitcher, the right team as one of your MLB Stacks can propel you to the top of the leaderboard.
Here are my top two MLB DFS stacks for this Wednesday.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $175K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
1. Tampa Bay Rays
Brandon Lowe ($4,900)
Josh Lowe ($4,800)
Jonathan Aranda ($4,600)
Junior Caminero ($4,400)
Kameron Misner ($3,300)
Even with the Giants at Coors Field, their offense isn’t quite powerful enough to land them in my top spot (although they’re covered below). Instead, I’m leading off my MLB stacks with the Rays at Fenway Park against the suddenly struggling Walker Buehler ($6,900). Buehler went 3-1 in six starts with a 2.56 ERA, but in his last two starts, he has given up 17 hits and 12 runs in 7 2/3 innings against the Braves and Yankees. He has given up a 56.3% hard-hit rate and 15.6% barrel rate in those two outings and looked extremely hittable.
Lefties have hit .318 with a .381 wOBA against Buehler overall this season and have a .395 wOBA against him at Fenway. It makes sense to load up on Rays lefties with Lowe, Lowe, Aranda and Misner on that side of the split. Caminero is averaging 12.5 fantasy points per game over his last 10 contests, so even though he’s a righty, he is a strong option to include as well.
Over the last two weeks, the Rays have scored the second-most runs in the majors with a .249 batting average, 19 homers, 22 stolen bases and a .331 team wOBA. Aranda has been a key to that run, with double-digit fantasy points in seven of his last 15 games. Josh Lowe has also stepped up out of the leadoff spot against righties, going 13-for-52 (.250) over his last 14 games with three stolen bases, three doubles and a home run.
2. San Francisco Giants
Heliot Ramos ($4,900)
Wilmer Flores ($4,800)
Willy Adames ($4,400)
Tyler Fitzgerald ($3,900)
Jerar Encarnacion ($3,500)
The Giants are at Coors Field, but they don’t have lots of power options in their lineup, which limits their upside as a stack. They’ll be taking on sinker-baller Kyle Freeland ($5,000), who has done a decent job keeping the ball in the ballpark but has a 1-8 record in 13 starts with a 5.19 ERA, 3.55 FIP and 41.9% hard-hit rate against. The lefty has allowed righties to hit .332 against him with a .368 wOBA. At home, opponents have a .400 batting average and .430 wOBA against Freeland.
I included Flores in my top home run props of the night, and I also like Ramos as a core piece to build around. Ramos doesn’t particularly excel against lefties, but he has been hot lately, going 16-for-47 (.340) with a double, a triple, a home run and a .416 wOBA over his last 12 games. Adames had been struggling before homering on Tuesday at Coors, so he’s affordable even though he brings a high ceiling. Fitzgerald has two homers in just five career at-bats against Freeland, while Encarnacion brings a ton of raw power potential even though he hasn’t quite found his groove since coming off the IL.
Overall, the Giants are a strong option for MLB stacks to build around, but there is some risk since they don’t usually hit a ton of home runs and all come at inflated salaries due to the location.
