This series uses the FantasyLabs Tools to analyze MLB stacks in the day’s slate. The series does not provide play or fade recommendations. It provides analysis.
St. Louis Cardinals
With the Lineup Builder, it’s easy to incorporate stacks into DFS rosters. In this seven game slate, the top five-man DraftKings stack in the Bales Player Model belongs to the St. Louis Cardinals, one of three teams currently with an implied team total of 4.9 runs (per our Vegas Dashboard):
The Cardinals have the pleasure of facing Reds righty Asher Wojciechowski, who has some of the slate’s worst Statcast data with a recent batted ball distance of 277 feet, exit velocity of 95 miles per hour, hard hit rate of 53 percent, and massive fly ball rate of 66 percent. On top of his putrid Statcast data, Wojciechowski owns a slate-worst 3.699 HR/9.
Matt Carpenter stands out as one of the highest-rated batters in the slate with strong Statcast data and a Recent Batted Ball Luck score of +41. Historically (per our Trends tool), batters with comparable lineup spots, implied team totals, and Statcast data have produced a Plus/Minus of +2.36 — and similar Recent Batted Ball Luck scores boost the Plus/Minus to +3.58.
Houston Astros
The top four-man FanDuel Pro Trends stack belongs to the Houston Astros, who are currently implied for 4.9 runs and taking on Royals righty Ian Kennedy, who has recent Statcast data almost as terrible as Wojciechowski’s:
In addition to having a strong .352 wOBA versus righties, the Houston stack features four players with recent batted ball distance averages between 219 and 229 feet and the slate’s second-best Weather Rating.
One player who could differentiate Houston stacks is Yulieski Gurriel, projected to hit eighth (per our Lineups page). He has strong Statcast data and a Recent Batted Ball Luck score of +20. Historically, similarly unlucky FanDuel batters with comparable lineup spots, implied team totals, and Statcast data have produced a Plus/Minus of +1.07.
Washington Nationals
If you build by ISO, the Nationals are far and away the top FanDuel stack with a .317 combined average:
While no player in this stack is hitting the ball exorbitantly hard — with recent hard hit rates between 25 and 35 percent — Washington could warrant some exposure with weather concerns in the Braves-Phillies and Cardinals-Reds games. With a Bargain Rating of 90 percent, Brian Goodwin leads the stack with solid Statcast numbers, boasting a recent batted ball distance of 244 feet, exit velocity of 91 miles per hour, and Recent Batted Ball Luck Score of +45.
With the lowest implied total on the slate (3.9 runs) and latest first pitch, the Nationals will likely have depressed tournament ownership, which Pro subscribers can review via our DFS Ownership Dashboard after lineup lock.
Good luck, and be sure to read the MLB Breakdown later today!
News Updates
After this piece is published, FantasyLabs is likely to provide news updates on a number of players herein mentioned. Be sure to stay ahead of your competition with our industry-leading DFS-focused news blurbs:
