Monday night’s main fantasy baseball slate gets rolling at 7:07 p.m. ET and includes the six games under the lights. It’s a solid group of starting pitchers, overall, but there are still a few strong MLB DFS stacks to consider. While we may not get huge nights of offense, there are a few matchups that are definitely more favorable than others, and those options give us good cores to build MLB DFS stacks around on Monday night.
In case you’re new to the term, a “stack” is a fantasy lineup that includes multiple players from the same MLB lineup. The strategy can pay off big-time if you catch the right team in the right spot, since most run-scoring plays score fantasy points for more than one player. Teams that rack up runs create a strong positive correlation between players in the same section of the lineup and usually land several players near the top of the overall leaderboard. Using multiple players from the same lineup raises the connectedness of your scoring. While that does increase the risk of a bust, it also can lift your lineup to the top of the leaderboard. The key to a successful stack is finding the right matchup to attack.
Here are the three spots I like the most for MLB DFS stacks this Monday.
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1. New York Yankees
Aaron Judge ($6,500)
Jazz Chisholm Jr. ($5,000)
Ben Rice ($4,200)
Anthony Volpe ($3,900)
Giancarlo Stanton ($3,500)
The Yankees are headed to Toronto after breaking out for 12 runs on Sunday to secure the series win over the Athletics. They’ll look to keep rolling but will have a fascinating matchup against Max Scherzer ($6,500) who is making just his third start for the Jays after battling injuries. He gave up three runs on six hits over five innings in his last start, which was his return from the IL. The 40-year-old has a 5.63 ERA and 6.21 FIP with a 40% hard-hit rate in that very small sample size. He looked strong in his rehab starts, but his form is definitely still a big unknown coming into this division matchup against the Yankees.
I highlighted Judge and Chisholm in my top MLB DFS Targets for the day, and they form the core of a Yankees stack against Scherzer. Judge is 4-for-14 with a homer against Scherzer in their past meetings, and both he and Chisholm have been making lots of strong contact lately. Rice also makes sense after averaging 7.7 fantasy points per game over his last 10.
Volpe and Stanton can fill out the stack from under $4,000. Volpe has bounced back from his slow start and has produced 7.8 fantasy points per game over his last eight. Stanton is still looking for his first dinger of the year but is 7-for-25 (.280) with four homers in his career against Scherzer. He’s 8-for-34 (.235) since returning but has a solid 52.2% hard-hit rate.
2. Athletics
Jacob Wilson ($4,800)
Brent Rooker ($4,700)
Lawrence Butler ($4,500)
Tyler Soderstrom ($4,400)
Nick Kurtz ($3,700)
The Athletics are on the road, but they should feel comfortable playing in a Triple-A park in Tampa. George M. Steinbrenner Field is one of the most hitter-friendly parks on the slate, and the A’s have a decent matchup against Drew Rasmussen ($7,500) and the Rays. Rasmussen has been solid with a 2.45 ERA and 3.47 FIP, but he has been very fortunate with an 84% LOB%. Opponents have a 44.1% hard-hit rate against him, and lefties have a .303 wOBA against him.
Based on the splits, I’m leaning to the left on this stack with Butler, Soderstrom and Kurtz. I highlighted Kurtz in my MLB DFS Targets and in my top home run props, and he’s a great value at his salary under $4,000. Wilson is having a breakthrough season, and Rooker has been rolling, averaging 9.9 fantasy points per game over his last eight contests. Soderstrom has cooled off after his blistering start but still brings good power potential and can slide to the outfield if you include Kurtz in your stack as well.
3. Baltimore Orioles
Gunnar Henderson ($4,300)
Jackson Holliday ($4,100)
Jordan Westburg ($4,000)
Ramon Laureano ($3,900)
Gary Sanchez ($3,000)
The Orioles are facing Patrick Corbin ($6,000) for a second straight start after reaching him for five runs on nine hits in five innings last Monday. Corbin was a great option to attack with MLB DFS stacks over the last few years, but had been much better this season through his first few starts. Things have gotten a little loose lately for the lefty, though, who has given up 12 runs on 21 hits across 15 innings in his last three starts. Corbin has given up a 44.9% hard-hit rate in those three games along with a pair of homers.
If Corbin wasn’t so good against lefties this season, the Orioles would likely be higher in my MLB DFS stacks for this slate, but he has held lefties to a .218 batting average with a .300 wOBA this year. That’s why, for the most part, I’m looking to the Orioles’ few right-handed bats
The two exceptions are Holliday and Henderson, who make sense despite the matchup. Holliday homered off him in their last matchup and has been playing well overall lately, averaging 8.9 fantasy points over his last 10 contests. Westburg has been out of the lineup because of a left index finger injury but could be back in the mix Monday. If he does play, he’ll be a solid option with good upside.
Sanchez has double-digit fantasy points in three of his last five starts and has boom-or-bust upside as a cheap play at catcher. Laureano is another solid play under $4,000 and has double-digit fantasy points in four of his last five games with a five-game hitting streak during which he averaged 15.2 fantasy point sper game.
