3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for Friday 7/29/22
Stacks are an integral part of daily fantasy baseball. They can push a team to the top of a GPP by driving upside. However, they're also viable in cash games, namely smaller (two-person or three-person) stacks that mitigate the volatility of a full four-person stack.
This article is your home throughout the 2022 Major League Baseball season for the day's top stacks. The primary goal is to identify the highest-scoring upside stack. Still, game theory will play a role in contrarian stacks making the cut as GPP options. Nevertheless, chalky stacks will make appearances in this space, too.
Beyond my analysis in this space, I strongly suggest numberFire premium members using our DFS Sharpstack tool and hitting heat map tool. The DFS Sharpstack helps plug stacks into optimized lineups, allowing you to change parameters and lock or exclude players and teams. Meanwhile, the heat map offers a one-stop-shop for the opposing starting pitcher, implied total, park factor, and other notable goodies.
Now, let's look at the top stacks on today's main slate.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers hung 13 runs on the Colorado Rockies last night. They're probably not done beating up their inferior National League West foes, either, as Chad Kuhl is unlikely to slow them down.
According to FanGraphs, the veteran righty has a 4.48 ERA and 4.85 xFIP in 18 starts (94 and 1/3 innings). Kuhl also sports a below-average strikeout rate (16.8 percent) and walk rate (9.5 percent). Banking on batted balls to find gloves at Coors Field is a good way to get drubbed.
Additionally, Colorado's bullpen is unlikely to clean up Kuhl's mess. The Rockies' bullpen has the second-highest ERA (4.66) this year. As a result, everything comes up roses for the high-powered Dodgers tonight, and LA sports a gaudy 7.02-run implied total for this one.
They can be stacked from top to bottom. I'm going right to the heart. The third hitter, Freddie Freeman ($4,400), and cleanup bopper, Will Smith (3,400), are excellent picks.
Since last year, Freeman has crushed righties for a .414 OBP, .220 ISO, and 156 wRC+. He will own the platoon advantage against Kuhl, and Kuhl has given up a .366 wOBA to lefties this year. Smith has teed off on righties, ripping them for a .360 OBP, .229 ISO, and 132 wRC+ since the start of last season.
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins aren't a risk-free stack. The lefty they're opposing, Blake Snell, is an enigma, pitching like an elite hurler at times and struggling to find the strike zone on other occasions. The 2018 American League Cy Young Award winner has a 4.75 ERA and 3.94 xFIP in 11 starts.
He's struck out an impressive 29.1 percent of batters. However, Snell has also walked hitters at a 13.5 percent clip. Snell's unreliable control has resulted in four starts in which he allowed at least four runs in fewer than six innings and one start in which he allowed three runs in just 3 and 2/3 innings.
The Twins are a tricky matchup for Snell, even if he is sharp. Eight of Minnesota's projected starters have had at least a 99 wRC+ against lefties since 2019, and Gary Sanchez's ($2,300) 94 wRC+ isn't dreadful. The backstop also possesses a homer threat, amassing a .236 ISO against lefties in that time.
Byron Buxton ($3,700) and Carlos Correa ($2,900) are two top-shelf picks for this stack. Since 2019, Buxton has a .306 ISO and 153 wRC+ against lefties, and Correa has a .394 OBP and 138 wRC+. Finally, Jose Miranda ($2,400) has a dreamy combination of excellent numbers against lefties and a cap-friendly salary. The rookie has a .258 ISO and 141 wRC+ in 64 plate appearances against southpaws.
Atlanta Braves
If you don't want to eat the chalk at Coors Field, consider stacking the Atlanta Braves, who show a solid 5.25 implied total and might go overlooked. Further, if you are willing to take a chance on a low-salary GPP dart hurler like Lance Lynn or Bailey Falter, stacking the Braves with the Dodgers is an option, too. Basically, the Braves have a sky-high ceiling.
Atlanta crushes lefties and loves home cooking. The Braves are fifth in wRC+ (117) against southpaws and hammer opponents for the sixth-highest wOBA (.332) at home. As a result, they can help Madison Bumgarner with the regression he's been dodging this year. Bumgarner has a 3.71 ERA. That's not a number to get excited about stacking against.
However, Bumgarner's 4.70 xFIP is more alluring. The same is true for his 4.61 SIERA. Bumgarner has coughed up a .334 wOBA to righties, and Atlanta's lineup is jam-packed with righties.
Predictably, my favorite options are studs Ronald Acuna ($4,100) and Austin Riley ($4,200). Whether you're fading the Dodgers in favor of the Braves or stacking the offenses together with a risky pitcher, chasing a high ceiling is the name of the game. In his career, Acuna has a .376 OBP, .317 ISO, and 145 wRC+ at home against lefties. Riley has been even better, sporting a .371 OBP, .301 ISO, and 150 wRC+ in the split.
Joshua Shepardson is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Joshua Shepardson also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username bchad50. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
