We are headed into the third weekend of the MLB season, and Friday night features a fabulous 13-game slate of action. While a few aces are scheduled to take the mound, there are also some great matchups to attack for MLB stacks. Many teams are at the back end of the rotation, setting up some favorable matchups for offenses to produce some fireworks headed into the weekend.
Stacking is a strong MLB DFS strategy that creates a strong positive correlation on your roster by including multiple players from the same lineup, especially the same section of the lineup. Lining up multiple hitters can produce great results if the opposing starting pitcher struggles. Since players get points for every run scored, hit, and RBI, multiple players on your roster can produce during the same play and rake in big-time points. Stacking also raises the risk of your lineup, but the added ceiling is worth it if you can find the right matchup to attack. Even more so than in other sports, baseball lineups are interdependent, so getting one of your MLB stacks that goes off can catapult you to victory in your contest.
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1. Arizona Diamondbacks
Corbin Carroll ($5,900)
Josh Naylor ($4,900)
Geraldo Perdomo ($4,400)
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. ($4,000)
Gabriel Moreno ($3,400)
The Diamondbacks took two of three from the Orioles to start the week before getting Thursday off. They’ll return to action on Friday with a matchup against the visiting Brewers, who are calling up veteran lefty Jose Quintana ($7,000) for his first start of the year. The Brew Crew’s rotation has been depleted by injury, so Quintana will jump into action. He went 10-10 in 31 starts for the Mets last season with a 3.75 ERA, 4.56 FIP and 7.1 K/9. He actually had reverse splits last year, so lefties don’t have to be ruled out of the options available for Arizona.
As a team, Arizona ranks in the top five in the MLB in batting average, wOBA and wRC+ through their first 13 games of the season. Against the lefty, Perdomo could slot into the leadoff spot or stay hitting second behind Carroll. Both have been very productive at the top of the order lately. Perdomo had 24 fantasy points on Wednesday and is averaging 10.5 fantasy points over his last 10 games with two homers and two stolen bases. Naylor has also been heating up, going 10-for-25 (.400) over his last seven games with double-digit fantasy points in four of those contests.
2. Tampa Bay Rays
Brandon Lowe ($4,900)
Jake Mangum ($4,100)
Christopher Morel ($3,900)
Jonathan Aranda ($3,800)
Kameron Misner ($3,000)
The Rays are at home at George Steinbrenner Field with winds expected to be blowing out and some possible passing showers on Friday night. It should be a favorable hitting environment as they face Bryce Elder ($7,500). Elder gave up two home runs in his first start of the year, allowing three runs on three hits in four innings. Last year, he gave up 37 runs and eight home runs in 10 starts. In spring training, he gave up seven runs in 12 2/3 innings. Elder does have good stuff, but also gives up lots of hard contact and is prone to allowing home runs, making the Rays one of my top MLB stacks.
Lefties have a .334 wOBA against Elder in his career with 20 home runs against him. As a result, the lefties in the Rays’ lineups are strong plays. Lowe, Aranda and Misner all have good power potential and are not extremely expensive. Misner is hitting .357 on the season with five of his nine hits going for extra bases. Aranda has hit safely in four straight games and is hitting .367 with six doubles. Lowe has a longer track record than Aranda and Misner and is off to a strong start as well with three home runs already this season.
3. Boston Red Sox
Jarren Duran ($5,300)
Alex Bregman ($5,000)
Wilyer Abreu ($4,800)
Kristian Campbell ($4,200)
Trevor Story ($4,100)
The Red Sox are headed to Chicago to start their weekend series against the White Sox, which should be a good place for their offense to get going. On Friday, they’ll face Davis Martin ($7,200), who started Opening Day for the White Sox. He had a good outing in that first game but struggled against the Tigers last Saturday. Detroit lit him up for seven runs on nine hits in five innings with home runs from lefty Kerry Carpenter and righty Spencer Torkelson. Martin has given up 15 home runs in his 27 games over three seasons with a 4.42 career FIP and 4.71 ERA.
Bregman has been Boston’s best bat lately, going 13-for-42 (.310) over his last 10 games to average 10.7 fantasy points per game. At the top of the order, Duran is only hitting .250 on the season but does have five stolen bases including one in each of his last two games to help him reach double-digit fantasy points. Story has also been active on the bases and had two stolen bases, 18 fantasy points and the walk-off groundout on Thursday against the Blue Jays. Abreu and Campbell have cooled off a little bit in the last few games but still have great averages after their outstanding starts to the season.
