MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for August 16, 2017
*Austyn Varney*
MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Wednesday, August 16, 2017
*STARTING PITCHERS*
Yu Darvish Vs Chicago White Sox
Park – Dodger Stadium
Opp implied total – 2.70
When first glancing at this slate, it became clear how much of a premium a good starter will hold. Out of the 18 teams on this slate, 15 are projected for over 4 runs and 8 teams with run totals over 5. Fortunately, we do have a couple very solid options to look at. I do think the first one is pretty clear with Yu Darvish. Darvish and the Dodgers will welcome the lowly White Sox into Dodger Stadium tonight with full anticipation of destroying them. With an 8 over/under, the Sox are expected to put up 2.70 to the Dodgers’ 5.30. Darvish is the biggest favorite on the board and has a price across the industry that provides a ton of safety. He’s been excellent all season and his numbers figure to only go up with the pitcher-friendly Dodger Stadium his new home. He’s posted a .296 wOBA on the year and has backed it up with a 10.15 K/9. This is as safe as it gets for Darvish and he will be plugged into 100% of my lineups. I’m not sure you can afford fading him on a slate with so many explosive offenses in the minefield.
Marcus Stroman Vs Toronto Blue Jays
Park – Tropicana Field
Vegas O/U – 3.94
If you’re unwilling to pay the hefty price for Darvish or need a high-end SP2, Stroman is your guy. While some may go after Carrasco, who is perfectly fine, I slightly prefer Stroman. He will be lower owned and has a similar floor and ceiling. The Rays are projected to put up 3.94 runs and the Jays come in at -148 favorites. We know how bad the Rays are against righties and we should always be looking to take advantage. While the Rays hold up their wOBA against righties with guys like Corey Dickerson and Logan Morrison, but the rest of the order surely weighs it down. What those 2 guys don’t do is bolster the K rate. Against right-handers, the Rays have struck out the 2nd most at 25.2%. The upside is undeniable here for Stroman and with him pitching so much better at home, I’m fine with him in all formats.
*OFFENSIVE STACKS*
Texas Rangers Vs Anibal Sanchez (Tigers)
Park – Globe Life Park
Implied Total – 6.03
There are definitely a lot of offenses to choose from here, which is a ton of fun. When you can go in knowing that your stack is going to be less than 20% owned, you don’t have to worry about going contrarian at all. You can grab whoever you want from these teams tonight and you won’t see any ridiculous ownership. My favorite of the bunch is the Texas Rangers. The Rangers are hosting the Detroit Tigers, who bolster an atrocious rotation and bullpen. Anibal Sanchez will take the mound as one of the absolute worst pitchers in the entire league, undoubtedly. Against righties, he’s posted a .409 wOBA and 12 homers in less than 40 innings. Yes, you read that correctly. He now moves into one of the best hitting parks in the league and figures to get knocked around. I don’t mind any of these Rangers bats, but definitely prefer a few. Rougned Odor and Joey Gallo are 2 of my favorite HR candidates on the slate and I’ll have a ton of both all over my teams. Beltre, Mazara, and Choo are all very similar and I can understand going either way. Furthermore, the bottom of the order is full of guys with upside. You can pick 1 if you want, but will have to sacrifice a bigger bat.
Main Stack – Rougned Odor, Joey Gallo, Adrian Beltre, Shin-Soo Choo
Sneaky Stack – Rougned Odor, Joey Gallo, Nomar Mazara, Delino DeShields
Chicago Cubs Vs Homer Bailey (Reds)
Park – Wrigley Field
Implied Total – N/A
The Cubs are always a team you can target in Wrigley Field, but especially tonight. They face off with Homer Bailey, who like Anibal Sanchez, has been absolutely atrocious against both lefties and righties. With a combined wOBA of .417, it’s quite clear where Bailey does or doesn’t belong. He won’t be in the majors for too much longer and we should be targeting him as much as possible. He has a huge HR and when you combine that with Wrigley Field and this lineup, good things (for us) happen. Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant are obviously amazing and always the top 2 hitters in this order. After that, you can really go anywhere. Avila/Contreras and Schwarber are my next 2 favorite and I think they have a ton of HR potential. The Cubs do have a somewhat-concentrated offense, but production can still come from guys like Javier Baez and Jason Heyward. The Cubs are expected to have a huge night and you have to love where they come in pricewise.
Main Stack – Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Alex Avila/Willson Contreras
Sneaky Stack – Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Alex Avila/Willson Contreras, Ben Zobrist