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.
Kansas City Royals
Using the Lineup Builder ensures that optimal stacks are produced to help narrow down tournament lineups. The Royals make for one of the more affordable four-man stacks on FanDuel in the Bales Model:
After scoring 16 runs on Thursday, the Royals find themselves in another fortuitous situation facing off against White Sox right-hander James Shields, who allowed a league-high 40 home runs last season and has conceded 11 home runs in just eight starts this season. Brandon Moss benefits from positive batted-ball statistics in the last 15 days and is a cost-effective play at $2300, while Whit Merrifield is rated as the fifth-highest hitter overall in Friday’s main slate. The Royals are currently implied to score 6.1 runs (per our Vegas Dashboard) with an 86 Weather Rating. Outside of Coors Field, they are likely to carry lower ownership than the Rockies at Coors. Pro subscribers can review ownership trends across tournaments of various buy-in levels after lineup lock via our DFS Ownership Dashboard.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Finding teams that have a plethora of historically significant trends is one way to build lineups effectively. The top five-man stack on DraftKings in the Bales Model when sorted by Pro Trends belongs to the Dodgers:
Braves righty Aaron Blair is set to make his season debut with Jaime Garcia traded to the Twins on Thursday. Blair struggled most of last year by allowing a 1.414 WHIP with 34 walks in 70 innings pitched. Logan Forsythe leads the Dodgers with eight Pro Trends and has exceptional batted-ball differentials over the previous 15 days. Cody Bellinger has struggled with only two home runs in his last 19 games but has seen his salary dip $700 overnight. Justin Turner leads the team with 11.1 DraftKings points this month and could see reduced ownership with slightly negative splits against right-handed pitching. This five-man stack will likely fly under the radar as the Dodgers are currently implied for a slate-average 4.8 runs.
Houston Astros
We have recently integrated FantasyDraft tools and data into our Models. The Astros possess the highest-rated six-man stack in the CSURAM88 Model:
The Astros are currently projected to score 6.0 runs as they face off against Ubaldo Jimenez, who has allowed 24 runs in his last five starts. The three left-handed hitters in this stack (Josh Reddick, Brian McCann, and Carlos Beltran) benefit from a 78 Park Factor Rating. Reddick has a favorable 31 percent Upside Rating this month and is projected to hit third (per our Lineups Page) with Carlos Correa (thumb) sidelined for six-to-eight weeks. Jose Altuve has 26 hits in his last 11 games on his way to a +4.94 Plus/Minus (per our Trends tool). Jimenez’s struggles to keep the ball in the park bode well for the Astros and their league-high 155 home runs this season.
Good luck, and be sure to read today’s MLB Breakdown!
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:
