Major League Baseball has 11 games on a beautiful Saturday slate, which gives managers plenty of options as they build their rosters. With 22 teams to pick from on the board, some matchups need to be avoided while others are great spots to attack for MLB DFS stacks. Let’s take a look at the best offensive matchups to build around this Saturday night.
In case you’re new to the concept, “stacking” is an MLB DFS strategy that relies on multiple players from the same team’s lineup. Ideally, MLB DFS stacks focus on players who are back-to-back or at least from the same part of the lineup to allow plenty of positive correlation if that team piles up runs and fantasy points. Since most run-scoring plays produce fantasy points for multiple players, stacking a high-scoring team can carry you to the top of the leaderboard. In what can either be positive or negative, stacking increases the connectedness of your lineup, raising both the risk and the ceiling of your entry. The key to MLB DFS stacks paying off is finding the perfect matchup to attack, so let’s take a look at this Monday’s top spots.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
1. Seattle Mariners
Cal Raleigh ($6,300)
Julio Rodriguez ($5,000)
Randy Arozarena ($4,700)
Jorge Polanco ($3,600)
Mitch Garver ($3,200)
The Mariners surged into the break but split the first two games of this four-game set in Anaheim. They’ll take on lefty Tyler Anderson ($6,500) on Saturday night, who is 2-6 in 20 starts with a 4.43 ERA and 4.98 FIP. He’s given up a 9.4% barrel rate and 34.2% hard-hit rate, which has resulted in a 5.15 xFIP. Anderson has given up 3+ runs and at least one home run in each of his last three starts. The Mariners also got three runs against him on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings when they faced him in early June.
I highlighted Raleigh and Rodriguez in my top MLB DFS picks for the day, and Rodriguez is extremely hot after going yard three times in his last two games. He looks ready for his typical second-half surge and has a good history against Anderson in the past. Polanco and Arozarena have good power potential, which they showed coming into the break.
Garver has also been a good cheap option, although obviously he can’t be stacked in MLB DFS lineups with Raleigh since they both play the same position. He has hit safely in six straight starts, going 7-for-25 (.280) with a double and a pair of home runs. He’s done most of his damage against lefties, so facing Anderson should work well for him.
2. St. Louis Cardinals
Ivan Herrera ($4,700)
Brendan Donovan ($4,200)
Willson Contreras ($4,100)
Nolan Arenado ($3,900)
Jordan Walker ($2,500)
The Cardinals are home against the Padres, and the weather should be very conducive to offense as long as the rain doesn’t postpone the game. The Padres will start Randy Vasquez ($5,300) in the matchup after the Cards took the first two games of the series, scoring a total of 12 runs. Vasquez has given up 24 hits and 10 walks in his last four starts, giving up nine runs in 19 innings. On the road, he has a 4.34 ERA and 5.98 xFIP with a 1.53 WHIP.
I highlighted Contreras in my top home run props for the day, and he has produced 16.8 fantasy points per game in his last five contests. I also highlighted Walker as a bargain play in my top MLB DFS picks, since he has looked locked in since returning from his appendicitis.
Donovan has double-digit fantasy points in three of his last five games, and he brings a high ceiling from the leadoff spot with Herrera behind him and Contreras hitting cleanup. Arenado has averaged 7.3 fantasy points per game at home this year and can also keep the lineup moving from the middle of the order.
3. Minnesota Twins
Byron Buxton ($6,000)
Willi Castro ($4,100)
Carlos Correa ($3,400)
Royce Lewis ($3,000)
Harrison Bader ($3,000)
The Twins are in D.C., taking on Mitchell Parker ($6,400) and the Nationals. Parker has been better at home than on the road this season but has been fairly hittable overall. He’s 6-10 in his 20 starts with a 5.00 ERA and 4.58 FIP. He has 49 hits and has given up 31 runs in his last seven starts with a 50.4% hard-hit rate against and 13.1% barrel rate.
Buxton and Lewis were in my top MLB DFS plays of the day. Buxton has averaged 11.6 fantasy points per game over his last 10 while Lewis has averaged 16 fantasy points per game over his last five.
Correa and Bader are righties, and Castro will bat righty against Parker. Castro is hitting .274 against lefties with a .357 wOBA. Bader has hit five of his 12 homers this year against lefties with a .348 wOBA in the split.
Based on his recent results, Parker should be hittable, and the Twins should be able to get hits and runs in Washington after eking out a 1-0 win in the series opener on Friday.
