If you’re a fan of massive MLB slates, this Friday night is literally as good as it gets with all 30 teams on the schedule, weather permitting. While there are some aces to avoid going against with your hitter picks, there are also some very attractive spots for offense, and some places that have awesome potential for MLB DFS stacks.
In case you’re new to the concept, “stacking” is an MLB DFS strategy that relies on multiple players from the same MLB lineup. Ideally, MLB DFS stacks are focused on players from the same part of the lineup to allow a positive correlation as a team goes off and piles up runs and fantasy points. Since most run-scoring plays produce fantasy points for multiple players, the team scoring plenty of runs can vault your entry to the top of the leaderboard. It does increase the connectedness of your lineup, which can be a good or a bad thing, raising the risk and the ceiling of your entry. The key to a successful strategy for MLB DFS stacks is finding the right matchup to attack.
With that foundation in place, here are the three spots I like the most for MLB DFS stacks this Friday.
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1. Toronto Blue Jays
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($5,500)
George Springer ($5,300)
Bo Bichette ($4,800)
Addison Barger ($4,400)
Nathan Lukes ($3,700)
The Blue Jays have stormed to the top of the AL East, and now they’re on the West Coast to head into the All-Star break with a matchup against the Athletics. Sutter Health Park is an extremely offense-friendly environment, and it should be hot with the winds blowing out, setting up the Blue Jays to soar in a favorable matchup against Luis Severino ($5,700).
Severino has been especially bad at home, with a 7.04 ERA and 1.17 HR/9, where righties have a .328 batting average and .384 wOBA against him. He has surrendered 17 runs and five homers in his last three starts.
I highlighted Springer in my top home run props of the day and he brings good power potential along with Bichette and Guerrero from the right side. Barger continues to be a breakout performer for the Jays with 9+ fantasy points in five of his last eight games and an average of 11.9 fantasy points per game over that stretch. He also averaged 16 fantasy points per game in his four games earlier this year against the Athletics.
Lukes has stepped into the leadoff spot in place of Bichette for the last few games and has been very productive, averaging 8.7 fantasy points per game in his last 10 contests after going 12-for-30. He’s a nice, affordable play with good upside at the top of the stack for a team that should have no trouble putting up runs on Friday night.
2. Cincinnati Reds
Elly De La Cruz ($5,700)
Austin Hays ($4,700)
TJ Friedl ($4,200)
Noelvi Marte ($4,000)
Gavin Lux ($3,500)
Another hitter-friendly stadium in play on Friday night is Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, and the hometown Reds have a good matchup against German Marquez ($5,200) and the Rockies. The Rockies have an ugly 6.69 ERA as a team over the last two weeks and have gone just 3-9 over that stretch. Marquez has a 5.84 ERA and 4.38 FIP in his 18 starts this year, and he’s been even worse on the road than at Coors Field. He has a 6.48 road ERA with a 1.72 WHIP and .381 wOBA against him away from home.
While most of his homers allowed this year have been hit by lefties, righties are hitting .312 with a .382 wOBA, so players on both sides of the plate are in play. De La Cruz hasn’t homered in a while, but he has been hitting the ball hard in his last few games and posted 15+ fantasy points in his last two games. He always brings a high ceiling, and can be stacked with lefties Friedl and Hays, who is averaging 9.0 fantasy points per game this season.
Lux is 4-for-15 against Marquez with two doubles and a triple, and he can be a nice value play in the outfield. Marte has good potential at 3B has seems to have shaken off a little mini-slump with a few good games and four hits, including a home run, in his last four contests.
3. Texas Rangers
Corey Seager ($4,600)
Evan Carter ($4,400)
Josh Smith ($4,100)
Wyatt Langford ($4,000)
Adolis Garcia ($3,800)
The Rangers are in Houston in a Texas-sized rivalry this weekend. They’ll start the series with a favorable matchup against Lance McCullers Jr. ($6,600), who looks hittable as he returns from injury. McCullers is 2-3 in his nine starts with a 5.82 ERA, 5.67 FIP and a 46.8% hard-hit rate against. McCullers was a little better in his last start, giving up just one run, but he still handed out four walks and was fortunate enough to have a 100 LOB%. At home, he has an 11.37 ERA and 7.56 FIP with a 2.05 WHIP.
Righties like Langford and Garcia have hit .303 against McCullers this season with five homers and a .434 wOBA. He has allowed seven homers in 19 innings at Daikin Park this year, and four of those were hit by righties.
Seager has at least 12 fantasy points in four straight games and has averaged 12.5 fantasy points per game over his last 10. Carter has also been productive since returning from the minor leagues, posting double-digit fantasy points in five of his last eight games. Garcia had been struggling, but he homered on Thursday and will look to get on a hot streak heading into the break.
