The App is Back! Don’t forget to download the NBC Sports EDGE app to receive real-time player news, mobile alerts and track your favorite players. Plus, now you can check out articles and player cards. Get it here!
Welcome to the MLB DFS Stacks article - where we’ll be looking to highlight the best hitting stacks of the day. These recommendations are categorized as “Cash Game Stacks” and “Tournament Stacks” while outlining risk/reward situations. We will add additional context with other hitting/pitching options throughout the article.
Please note, these player picks were organized early in the day. For MLB contests, always check lineups and weather closer to game time. Rain, wind, or unexpected managerial decisions could open up additional sources of value. Be sure to keep an eye on the MLB Headlines and Injuries desk.
[[ad:athena]]
CASH GAME STACKS
Rockies (vs Braves – RHP Huascar Ynoa)
Folks are going to pile on the Braves side of this matchup (more on that in a moment), but it’s the home team I want at Coors Field this evening. Pitchers visiting Coors Field struggle to account for reduced movement in their offerings. This can be especially damaging to guys who work sinkers and sliders. Catching more of the plate with either pitch type can quickly lead to crooked numbers. Guess who relies almost entirely on sinkers and sliders?
Beyond fitting poorly to the venue, the Rockies have several hitters who match well against Ynoa. Trevor Story, Connor Joe, C.J. Cron, and Ryan McMahon have the most favorable situation. Brendan Rodgers and Charlie Blackmon are more likely to hit grounders. Raimel Tapia should (correctly) be unpopular for those attempting to pivot within the chalk.
Braves (at Rockies – RHP Antonio Senzatela)
Senzatela actually has a very similar repertoire and profile to Ynoa. He’s able to make it work due to experience. Ynoa gets one shot at getting it right tonight. Senzatela has 292.1 innings of experience at Coors Field with a 4.68 ERA to show for it. Jorge Soler, Freddie Freeman, Austin Riley, and Adam Duvall are best positioned to benefit from the spacious venue. Duvall in particular is best against ground ball pitchers like Senzatela. Ozzie Albies is back in the lineup and leading off after missing a couple games. Dansby Swanson is hot and Eddie Rosario could be the best eighth hitter out there this evening. Travis d’Arnaud will bat fifth and is more affordable than other top catchers.
Top Plays: Trevor Story, C.J. Cron, Connor Joe, Ryan McMahon, Ozzie Albies, Freddie Freeman, Austin Riley
Top Value: Jorge Soler, Adam Duvall, Eddie Rosario
Editor’s Note: Dominate daily with our premium DFS Tools that are packed with our lineup optimizer, a salary tracker, projections and much more. And don’t forget to use promo code SAVE10 to get 10% off. Click here to learn more!
TOURNAMENT STACKS
Astros (vs Padres – RHP Jake Arrieta)
The Padres have a strong bullpen so this is a race of sorts for the Astros. Can they dismember Arrieta fast enough for the Padres to concede the game? If so, they could be facing position players by the eighth inning. The Houston lineup is not yet posted as of this writing. Presumably, Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley, Carlos Correa, Yordan Alvarez, and Yuli Gurriel will form the core of the stack as they do most nights. Alex Bregman is back and looks sharp too. Since it’s a National League game, one of Alvarez, Kyle Tucker, or Jake Meyers will land on the bench. It’s a shame since Tucker and Meyers are their two best value plays.
Twins (at Rays – RHP Michael Wacha)
The Twins stack is efficiently priced. They’re the group who can get you the most bang for your buck while you chase top pitchers and/or a one-off of Trevor Story. Much of this is due incorrect prices for Luis Arraez, Byron Buxton, Jorge Polanco, and Josh Donaldson. They just so happen to be batting one-through-four in the lineup. You cannot use all four due to overlapping eligibilities. Max Kepler and Miguel Sano have serious home run potential against Wacha, but the Rays bullpen could give them fits. Ryan Jeffers bats eighth and is my pick for best bargain catcher.
Yankees (vs Orioles – LHP John Means)
The Yankees have a blend of ground ball and fly ball hitters. You’ll want to avoid those with steep launch angles like Joey Gallo – at least for the frontline matchup against Means. He has one of the most extreme launch angles in the league. Then again, Yankee Stadium is forgiving to fly balls, even mishit ones. I’m more focused on DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo, Luke Voit, and Gleyber Torres. Most folk are going to opt for Voit over Rizzo in this stack so you can really stand out by leaning into the lefty-on-lefty matchup at first base.
