Header Image - PICK LIKE THE PROS

Tag Archives

330 Articles

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for August 1, 2017

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Tuesday, July 1, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Max Scherzer - Lineup Lab

Max Scherzer @ Miami Marlins
Park – Marlins Park
Vegas O/U – 8

If you’re making me choose between Chris Sale and Max Scherzer on this slate, I have to lean Scherzer. Chris Sale, who can easily still dominate, faces off with the lethal Indians offense inside Fenway Park. Scherzer on the other hand, is facing the Miami Marlins in pitcher-friendly Marlins Park. Statistically, the Marlins are league average against righties with a team .323 wOBA. They strike out 21% of the time and struggle to put together big innings. Max Scherzer has dominated these bats in the past and I expect it once again. Scherzer is once again having an amazing year, sporting a 12.45 K/9 and 2.35 BB/9. The guys is a top 3 pitcher in baseball and see a matchup he dominates. Scherzer has also held a .combined .236 wOBA this season, so you have nothing to worry about. WHile I wouldn’t be surprised if the Marlins scored 1 or 2, I do think they strikeout over 10 times and give Scherzer a very nice outing.

Jose Berrios @ San Diego Padres
Park – PetCo Park
Vegas O/U – 8

Sure, Chris Sale and the other uber-elite arms make more sense in cash games. I don’t need to tell you that. Instead, let’s take a look at Jose Berrios, who could fly way under the radar tonight. He faces off with the San Diego Padres in PetCo Park, which as we know, is a dream match-up. The Padres are one of the leagues absolute worst offenses and it’s backed up by each and every number. Against righties, the Padres have ranked 27th in the MLB with a .307 wOBA and astronomical 25.5% K rate. When you combined that with a huge ballpark, these guys struggle to put up runs. Berrios on the other hand, has looked phenomenal. He’s sported a .291 combined wOBA and is striking out about 8.5 batters per 9. He should see a few extra in this match-up and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Berrios have a huge game. We do have a lot of arms on the slate and I could see Berrios ending at just 1% or so owned. In tournaments, I can’t think of anything better.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Gary Sanchez - Lineup Lab

New York Yankees @ Anibal Sanchez (Tigers)
Park – Yankee Stadium
Implied Total – 5.46

Anytime Anibal Sanchez takes the mound, we will be targeting opposing hitters. He’s a horrible pitcher and he struggles against hitters from both sides of the plate. The Yankees lineup is full of righties, for the most part, so let’s look there. In just 30 innings against righties, Sanchez has allowed a .384 wOBA and 8 home runs. He now moves into hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium to face off with one of the best offenses in baseball. Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge are both elite plays and when facing a reverse-splits righty, they become very difficult to fade. After those 2, you can go anywhere. Matt Holliday and Clint Frazier will be towards the top of the order and are my 2 favorites for cash. Todd Frazier and Didi Gregorious are another 2 options who have plenty of upside and could go low-owned. The Yankees are projected to put up nearly 5.5 runs, so Vegas is certainly expecting some fireworks. Get some exposure in both cash games and tournaments.

Main Stack – Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Clint Frazier, Matt Holliday
Sneaky Stack – Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Brett Gardner, Todd Frazier

Toronto Blue Jays @ Mike Pelfrey (White Sox)
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field
Implied Total – 5.82

The Blue Jays were right here yesterday and they won’t be going anywhere. Moving from James Shields to Mike Pelfrey, I’m not sure what can be better. While Pelfrey may actually be slightly better than Shields, that’s not saying much at all. He has also been better against righties, which does make some things interesting. Against left-handers, Pelfrey has posted a .376 wOBA and has allowed 10 homers. I’m going to shift my attention towards some of the lefties and hope the general public just hops on the popular bats. I’m not saying I’ll fade the righties. In most cases, I’ll go Bautista, Donaldson, and then find 2 lefties. Smoak and Morales are the top 2 with Carrera and Goins following behind. They will both be very low-owned and do have some power upside in Guaranteed Rate Field. Vegas has the Jays putting up nearly 6 runs, so you can’t ignore them by any means. They are more of a touramnt stack for me, but I love Smoak and Morales in cash games.

Main Stack – Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson, Justin Smoak, Russell Martin
Sneaky Stack – Jose Bautista, Kendrys Morales, Steve Pearce, Josh Donaldson

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for July 31, 2017

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Tuesday, July 31, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

Luis Severino Vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Park – Yankee Stadium
Vegas O/U – 8.5

We don’t have much pitching at all on this slate and Severino is the one guy who’s basically a lock. He’s easily the top option in both formats and will end up being very popular. I’m fine with it and in tournaments, this is a slate where you can get contrarian with your bats. Severino and the Yankees host the Rays, who are not very good. While they can hit homers against righties, the strikeout the 2nd most in the league at 25%. Severino has proven himself as a dominant and close to elite starter this season. He’s held both lefties and righties to a sub .281 wOBA, while striking out 10+ and walking 2 per 9 innings. He’s been better at home and all in all, doesn’t have much working against him tonight. He still has risk because of his age and these Rays can get streaky. However, nobody is at all safer. In any way.

Sonny Gray Vs. San Francisco Giants
Park – Oakland Coliseum
Vegas O/U – 9.5

It looks like Sonny Gray is going to get traded. Definitely watch out for news, but I expect his to be his last showcase game. They will let him wear his arm out of pitching well and they will tank him quickly if he’s not. Against the Giants, there’s a good shot of Gray dominating. The Giants have ranked dead last in baseball against righties with a .280 wOBA, showing no hope or signs for the future. Gray has been phenomenal against both sides of the plate (.271 wOBA) and is striking out 8.5 per 9 innings. The Oakland Coliseum is huge and I expect the Giants to have similar issues as they do at home. Gray is always going to be a bit risky and this 9.5 over/under is slightly worrisome. We don’t have much to choose from on the slate and Gray is a quality arm in a quality match-up. Once again, make sure he doesn’t get traded before the start.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

Cleveland Indians @ Doug Fister (Red Sox)
Park – Fenway Park
Implied Total – 5.56

I tried to go a little bit under the radar here. We do have some super popular offenses on the slate and you don’t need me to tell you to play those guys. However, we’ll look at a team who should be popular, but I’m not expecting it. The Indians will head to Boston and face off with the Red Sox in Fenway Park. The Sox will be tossing Doug Foster, who is AWFUL. In over 80 innings last season, he gave up a .400 wOBA. This year? It’s up to .470. I don’t know what in the world happened to this guy, but he can’t get his sinker to work against lefties. They’re implied to score over 5.5 runs and I think they should end up over 6. Jose Ramirez and Michael Brantley are my 2 favorites, but you can really go anywhere. This team is full of hitters and not at all a concentrated offense. Choosing between the 2 1B, I’ll go Santana due to the splits.

Main Stack – Jose Ramirez, Michael Brantley, Francisco Lindor, Carlos Santana
Sneaky Stack – Jose Ramirez, Michael Brantley, Edwin Encarnacion, Bradley Zimmer

Toronto Blue Jays @ James Shields (White Sox)
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field
Implied Total – 5.89

Now here’s one of the far more obvious stacks. When James Shields is on the mound, look to stack the other team. He’s one of the absolute worst pitchers in baseball and I will target hitters against him every single time. The Blue Jays have an implied team total of 5.69 and it’s only gone up from opening. Shields has been better against righties this year, but looks to just be getting lucky. He allowed a .385 wOBA against righties in 2016 and all of the peripherals still match. Against lefties, he’s held a .370+ wOBA for multiple seasons. Guaranteed Rate Field a great park for hitting and I fully expect the Jays to give off some fireworks. Jose Bautista and Josh Donaldson are my 2 favorites, with the 2 1B following. This is a concentrated offense and I would keep your exposure towards the top of the order. If you want to get cute, find a guy with substantial power and hope for a low-owned dinger.

Main Stack – Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson, Justin Smoak, Russell Martin
Sneaky Stack – Jose Bautista, Kendrys Morales, Steve Pearce, Josh Donaldson

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for 07/30/2017

*Mike Barner*

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks – Sunday, July 30

Sunday marks the last day of action before Monday’s trade deadline, so make sure to watch out for players who could be pulled just before game time because of a deal. Put your favorite daily fantasy baseball stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

**STARTING PITCHERS**

James Paxton vs. New York Mets
Park – Safeco Field

Paxton is in the midst of a breakout season as he enters Sunday 10-3 with a 2.84 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 117 strikeouts in 101.1 innings. He has been even better over his last four starts as he only allowed five runs to go along with 35 strikeouts in 27 innings. His numbers at home this season are excellent as he has a 2.36 ERA over 10 starts at Safeco Field. There aren’t many aces taking the mound Sunday, making Paxton one of the more promising options for the day.

Lance Lynn vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Park – Busch Stadium

Lynn is one of those players you want to keep an eye on leading up to his game as he has been rumored to possibly be on the move before the deadline. As long as he starts, he presents a strong option Sunday. He enters the contest 8-6 with a 3.21 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 107 strikeouts in 120.2 innings. Lynn has been excellent at home this season as he has a 2.53 ERA and 1.01 WHIP at Busch Stadium. He has also been hot of late as he has a microscopic 1.17 ERA in July. To add one final stat that favors Lynn, the Diamondbacks entered Saturday hitting only .238 on the road.

**OFFENSIVE STACKS**

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Matt Cain (San Francisco Giants)
Park – Dodger Stadium

Sit back and get ready for some ugly numbers. Cain has been terrible on the season overall as he is 3-9 with a 5.45 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and only 59 strikeouts in 100.2 innings. He has been hit hard during day games as he has a 6.63 ERA and 1.77 WHIP in such contests this season. His road struggles are staggering as well as he has an 8.14 ERA and 1.99 WHIP on the road. All signs point to a big performance from the Dodgers Sunday.

Players to consider stacking: Cody Bellinger, Corey Seager and Chris Taylor

Cleveland Indians vs. Carlos Rodon (Chicago White Sox)
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field

Rodon has really struggled after missing the start of the season due to injury as he is only 1-4 with a 6.29 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP. While he does have 31 strikeouts in 24.1 innings, that is largely negated by the fact that he has already allowed six home runs and issued 18 walks. His last three starts have been particularly poor as he allowed 15 runs over 13 innings total. The Indians entered Saturday hitting .266 against left handing pitching, which is in the top 10 in all of baseball. Look for them to put up big numbers Sunday.

Players to consider stacking: Jose Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion and Michael Brantley

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for 07/29/2017

*Mike Barner*

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks – Saturday, July 29

There is a lack of quality starting pitchers taking the mound Saturday, leaving only a few players to consider for your lineup. Put your favorite daily fantasy baseball stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

**STARTING PITCHERS**

Corey Kluber vs. Chicago White Sox
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field

Kluber had his last start pushed back a couple of days because of neck stiffness, but that sure didn’t slow him down as he struck out 14 batters and only gave up one run in 7.2 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays. He is putting up elite numbers this season as he is 8-3 with a 2.74 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 149 strikeouts in 108.1 innings. Saturday brings a match up against the White Sox, marking the third time he will face them this season. He was excellent in his first two starts as he allowed three runs to go along with 17 strikeouts in 15 innings. For a slate weak on starting pitching, Kluber is one of the safest options out there.

Ivan Nova vs. San Diego Padres
Park – Petco Park

Nova allowed seven runs in his last start, but it was not a surprise as he faced the Colorado Rockies in Coors Field. Even with that blowup, his numbers for the season are still solid as he has a 3.62 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. He doesn’t miss many bats though as he only has 78 strikeouts in 131.2 innings. That’s not as big of a concern against the Padres though as they have scored the fewest runs in baseball. If you can’t afford to put Kluber in your lineup, Nova is a viable cheaper option.

**OFFENSIVE STACKS**

Chicago Cubs vs. Junior Guerra (Milwaukee Brewers)
Park – Miller Park

The Cubs are back to their winning ways from last season and have reclaimed first place in their division. Their offense has been a big reason for their recent success as they entered Friday hitting .289 as a team after the All-Star break. Saturday they get to face Guerra who is only 1-4 with a 5.22 ERA and 1.53 WHIP this season. He’s not a strikeout pitcher either as he only has 46 in 58.2 innings. Guerra has failed to pitch more than 5.2 innings in any of his last five starts due to his struggles. Look for the Cubs to put up some crooked numbers in this contest.

Players to consider stacking: Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Ben Zobrist

Miami Marlins vs. Tim Adleman (Cincinnati Reds)
Park – Marlins Park

The Reds have had issues with their starting pitching all season and Adleman is no exception. He enters Saturday 5-8 with a 5.11 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 92 strikeouts in 100.1 innings pitched. He struggles to keep batters in the park as he has already allowed 23 home runs this season. Making matters worse, he’s been terrible of late as he has a 6.49 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in the month of July. The Marlins should be able to provide plenty of offensive production Saturday.

Players to consider stacking: Giancarlo Stanton, Dee Gordon and Derek Dietrich

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for July 28

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for July 28, 2017

Welcome back to another TGIF edition of our daily fantasy baseball picks. Friday gives us another full 15-game slate to sort through and there will bea wrinkle with some weather issues thrown in the mix. Be sure to monitor the situations in Washington and Philadelphia as we get closer to lock. You can also follow me on Twitter(@Jager_Bombs9) as I will be updating the situations there as well. Let’s take a look at some of the top pitchers and stacks for tonight.

Starting Pitchers

Masahiro Tanaka
Opponent – vs. TB
Park – Yankee Stadium(Hitter Park)
Vegas Favorite (-175)
Vegas Total (9.0)

The Yankees are the third biggest favorite(-175) on the slate and Tanaka comes at a value price on both sites which give him huge PTS/$ value on this full slate. I will, however, only be using him in tournaments due to the inconsistency he has shown all season. He has given up 4+ earned runs seven times this season and sits with a 5.37 ERA but there are signs of positive regression working in his favor. First of all, the xFIP(3.74) sits over a run and a half better thanks to a below average walk rate(2.1 BB/9) and elite strikeout potential with a 9.18 K/9 and 14.6% swinging strike rate. While the Rays do rank inside the Top 10 vs. right-handed pitchers, they also K over 24% of the time and have been one of the coldest teams over the last 14 days(.290 wOBA, 81 wRC+).

Danny Salazar
Opponent – @ CWS
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field(Neutral)
Vegas Favorite (-215)
Vegas Total (9.5)

My top option tonight is the electric but wild Danny Salazar. Before a shoulder injury placed him on the disabled list for over a month, Salazar had a ton of issues walking batters(4.58 BB/9) and was punished for it with a 5.40 ERA and 22.4% HR/FB rate. He made his return to the rotation last Saturday and was very impressive giving up just one hit to the Jays over 7.1 innings while striking out eight and walking ZERO. He gets an even better matchup tonight facing a White Sox team that has lost 12 of their last 13 games and rank right near the bottom of the league vs. right-handed pitching with a .304 wOBA, 87 wRC+, and 22.3% strikeout rate.

Top Stack

Texas Rangers vs. Chris Tillman (BAL)

I absolutely love targeting against the Orioles pitching staff. Their bullpen sits in the middle of the pack with a 4.01 ERA but the starters hold the second worst ERA(5.90) and third worst HR/FB rate(16.5%) in the entire league. Tonight it’s the Texas Rangers who, despite getting shelled 22-10 yesterday, have scored 10+ runs in back to back games and face Chris Tillman who has been the worst of the O’s staff this season. He has walked a to of batters(4.48 BB/9) this season and has been punished with the long ball(17% HR/FB rate) resulting in a 7.01 ERA and equally bad 5.51 xFIP.

Top Players to Stack – Shin-Soo Choo, Adrian Beltre, Nomar Mazara, Roughned Odor

 

 

 

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Matt Moore(SF)

I guess we can call this a sneaky snack? I mean the Dodgers, at this point, rank 9th in implied runs tonight and on the main slate the late games can sometimes be overlooked. This is good news as they rank third overall in wOBA and wRC+ vs. left-handed pitching this season and have been the league’s hottest team since the break. They have won They have won five straight and 10 of 12 games scoring an average of over five runs per game. Matt Moore is not a good pitcher with a 5.82 ERA and 5.15 xFIP and has given up at least one home run in three straight and four of his last five games. I think you can further separate yourself from the pack by leaving out the popular and expensive Bellinger and Seager. I will definitely have exposure to both but like the idea of fading them in a few spots to be contrarian.

Top Players to Stack – Justin Turner, Chris Taylor, Logan Forsythe, Enrique Hernandez

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for July 27, 2017

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for July 27, 2017

Welcome back for another Thursday in daily fantasy baseball. Today is a bit of weird one with just eight games in total with three of them running in the afternoon. For the article below, I am going to give you my top pitcher and stack for tonight and we will get back to full-slate baseball on Friday. Let’s dig in.

Starting Pitchers

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Jon Lester - Lineuplab

Jon Lester
Opponent – @ CWS
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field (Neutral)
Vegas Favorite (CHC -225)
Vegas Total (10.5)

The vegas total is the highest of the entire day but don’t let that scare you off as the Cubs side of things makes up for over 61% of that. Lester takes the mound for the North siders tonight and has been brilliant lately. Over his last two starts, he has gone 15 innings, limiting the Braves and Cards to three hits each and three combined earned runs while striking out 16 batters and walking just one. Tonight he faces a White Sox team that started out the year destroying lefties but has fallen off lately since the trade of Todd Frazier. They currently rank 8th in wOBA and more telling is the 18th rank in Isolated Power. Trust Lester in all formats tonight.

Also Consider: C.C. Sabathia

 

Top Stack

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Matt Carpenter - Lineuplab

St. Louis Cardinals vs. Zack Godley (ARI)

The Cubs are clearly the top play tonight with their 6+ implied run total but I wanted to give you a secondary option to get away from the chalk. I am leaning in the Cardinals tonight who just finished off a three-game sweep of the Rockies outscoring them 21-9. Tonight they welcome another NL West team in the Diamondbacks who will be throwing Zack Godley to the mound. He had an excellent start to the season holding opponents to three earned runs or less in his first 11 starts but has been stumbling a bit lately. He has given up 10 earned runs over his last two starts despite showing some big K upside. The BABIP suggests he will regress back to normal but on a small slate, I will take a shot with a hot team and cold pitcher.

Top Players to Stack – Matt Carpenter, Paul DeJong, Jedd Gyorko, Tommy Pham

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for July 26, 2017

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Tuesday, July 26, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

M.a<MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Chris Sale - Lineup Lab

Chris Sale @ Seattle Mariners
Park – Safeco Field
Vegas O/U – 8

How can you really roster anyone else? On this 4 game early slate, we certainly have limited options. The only 3 guys who deserve any consideration are Sale, Severino, and Samardzija. Sale stands out way above the rest and makes for the best option in all formats. If you’ve been playing MLB DFS up to this point, you know how amazing Sale has been. He’s held lefties and righties to a combined .245 wOBA and has done a fantastic job of leaving runners on base. He’s striking out a league high 12.74 and walking just 1.66 per 9 innings. This match-up with the Mariners is fine. With Cano, Seager, and Segura al better against righties, they rely on Nelson Cruz. While it usually works out, I suspect Sale will take care of business. All in all, his price is high but necessary. I don’t recommend fading him in any format on the early slate.

Alex Wood Vs. Minnesota Twins
Park – Dodger Stadium
Vegas O/U – 7.5

The main slate has 2 guys worthy of consideration here in Alex Wood and Carlos Martinez. We ended up on Alex Wood, who hosts the Minnesota Twins at Dodger Stadium. The Twins hold the lowest implied team total of the day at just 2.56. They’ve ranked 20th in the league against lefties at a .310 wOBA clip and strike out 21% of the time. Alex Wood has been one of the top pitchers of this season and his numbers are very close to the likes of Sale, Kershaw, and Scherzer. Through over 100 innings, Wood has maintained a .241 wOBA, while striking out 10.3 per 9. Dodger Stadium is a definite pitchers park at night and Wood has been magnificent there. He’s the top option of the slate and he should bounce back from a rough start last week.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - LineupLab - Aaron Judge

New York Yankees Vs. Homer Bailey (Reds)
Park – Yankee Stadium
Implied Total – 5.50

The Yankees and Diamondbacks are the 2 best offenses on this early slate. Both are firmly in play and I trust don’t have a preference. Let’s touch on the Yankees here, who welcome Homer Bailey and the Reds to Yankee Stadium. Homer Bailey hasn’t pitched much over the last few years, but what we’ve seen has been more than enough. He’s getting plunged by righties (.418 wOBA) and giving up homers like nobodies business. The Yankees are a team that is ready to take advantage. Both Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez hit righties better and are 2 of the top plays on the early slate. After them, you can go anywhere. This offense is very spread out and a tournament contrarian play could very well pay off.

Main Stack – Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Clint Frazier, Matt Holliday
Sneaky Stack – Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorious, Brett Gardner

Chicago Cubs @ James Shields (White Sox)
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field
Implied Total – 5.82

You have to love the Cubs in this spot. You have to love any team facing off with James Shields. Especially when the game is being played in a hitters ballpark like Guaranteed Rate Field. The Cubs are implied to score 5.62 runs and come tied with the D-Backs for the highest of the day. James Shields has been astonishingly bad for 2 years now, allowing a combined .378 wOBA. He’s been worse against lefties and remains one of the absolute worst arms in baseball. Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant are the 2 top options and you can’t make a stack without them. After that, it’s between Zobrist, Contreras, and Schwarber. All 3 are in play for cash and I can’t blame you either way. In tournaments, the bottom of this order can be dangerous. Don’t be afraid to take a shot.

Main Stack – Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Ben Zobrist, Kyle Schwarber
Sneaky Stack – Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Javier Baez

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for July 25, 2017

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Tuesday, July 25, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

Madison Bumgarner Vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Park – AT&T Park
Vegas O/U – 7.5

Since Bumgarner has returned from injury, he hasn’t been great. While he isn’t getting blown up or absolutely stinking, he’s simply been meh. He’s getting a bit unlucky and has also allowed 2 HR’s that were barely over the fence down the line. This is still by far the best pitcher on the slate and you have to like him in both cash games and tournaments. The Pirates have ranked 17th in the league against righties with a .311 wOBA and don’t offer much upside outside of McCutchen and Marte. They have plenty of strikeouts up for grabs and Bumgarner should have a floor around 7 K’s. He also gets the honor of playing at home in AT&T Park, where the ball absolutely dies. Bumgarner is still the best option on the slate and a guy whom deserves consideration in both cash games and tournaments.

Mike Clevinger @ Los Angeles Angels
Park – Angels Stadium
Vegas O/U – 8

Mike Clevinger is pretty good. He has a wacky reputation and for whatever reason, isn’t looked at like a good pitcher. Clevinger has been solid against both sides of the plate this season, posting a .289 wOBA against lefties and a .257 against righties. He’s struck out 10 batters per 9 innings, but also walks nearly 4. You’ll get a few walks here and there, but Clevinger typically works out of jams very well. This matchup with the Angels is a very interesting one with Mike Trout back. Against a righty, Trout and Calhoun are the only 2 guys that scare me. The rest of the order is full of strikeouts and/or weak grounders. Clevinger should be able to have another quality start here and at his price, that’s all you need. If you’re hesitant to pay all the way up for Bumgarner, Clevinger gives you a cost effective option with some safety and upside.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

Houston Astros vs Nick Pivetta (Philadelphia Phillies)
Park – Minute Maid Park
Implied Total – 5.41

We don’t have a whole bunch of offenses in great spots tonight. While there are plenty of them in “good spots”, few stand out. One of those few is the Houston Astros. The Astros face off with Nick Pivetta, who is not very good. While good against lefties, he’s posted a crazy .429 wOBA against righties in somewhat substantial innings. This gives guys like Altuve and Springer a ton of upsides Evan Gattis also gets some HR upside. To fill out your stack, I wouldn’t hesistate with a lefty. While he has been better against them, we’re expecting to see the bullpen a lot and most of them are right-handed. Josh Reddick and Carlos Beltran always go underowned and have a ton to offer in this one. All in all, the Astros are easily the most explosive offense in a big spot. You’ll likely need some exposure in both cash and tourneys.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Mike Foltynewixs (Atlanta Braves)
Park – Chase Field
Implied Total – 5.03

Like I said, there isn’t a ton to choose from in therms of stacks on this slate. The Astros are pretty obvious and should definitely be somewhat popular. Next, we’ll look at the D-Backs. It’s actually just a few of them that are standing off the page. They face off with Mike Foltynewicz, who is a cut and dry pitcher. He sucks against lefties and obliterates righties. Really that simple. With a .373 wOBA so far in 2017, you have to love the lefties in this order. Jake Lamb and Peralta are 2 of the top options on the slate and I wouldn’t leave them off any stack. Paul Goldscmidt and J.D. Martinez are also interesting, but I may go value with some other lefties (Blanco,Descalso, Hermmann).

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for July 24, 2017

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Monday, July 24, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

Jacob deGrom @ San Diego Padres
Park – Petco Park
Vegas O/U – 7.5

Jacob deGrom gets to face off with the San Diego Padres tonight. It should be easy work, especially in Petco Park. Petco Park is one of the 3 best pitcher ballparks in the game and deGrom is a guy that really benefits. He gives up a lot of flyouts, so extra space in the OF is going to help a ton. You then look at the match-up, which is perfect. The Padres are one of the worst teams in the league against righties (.299 wOBA) and don’t offer much in terms of upside. Wil Myers obviously solid, but everyone else is very up and down. deGrom has controlled games this year, which has always been one of his problems. He’s been solid against both sides of the plate with a .291 wOBA and also strikes out over 10 batters per 9 innings. The Padres hold an implied team total of just 3.30 and Vegas fully expect deGrom to handle these guys. deGrom is an extremely strong option in both cash games and tournaments.

Gerrit Cole @ San Francisco Giants
Park – AT&T Park
Vegas O/U – 8

Without having many solid options at pitcher tonight, Gerrit Cole is a great way to go. As we all know at this point, the Giants don’t have much of an offense. Against righties, they have no offense. They hold the leagues lowest wOBA at .290 and are on the way down. While the Giants used to be a team we avoided, the bottom of the order is now very bad. They strikeout a ton and don’t offer much power at AT&T Park. You then look at Gerrit Cole, who has been a solid pitcher his entire career. He’s always going to struggle a bit against lefties, but he makes it up with his effectiveness against right-handers. He strikes out 8 batters per 9 innings and walks just under 2. He’s priced down on both sites and makes for a very solid option in all formats.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

Los Angeles Dodgers Vs. Bartolo Colon (Minnesota Twins)
Park – Dodger Stadium
Implied Total – 5.67

The Dodgers are one of my favorite offenses of the entire season tonight. Yes, all year long. Sure, Bartolo Colon isn’t the worst. He’ll probably last 3-5 innings and give up 4 or 5 runs. He is horrible against both righties and lefties and has given up a .352 wOBA. The Dodgers are one of the best offenses in the entire league and I think they end up bolstering Colon and the average Twins bullpen. The Dodgers have some real obvious bats to target in Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger, who I would never leave off of a stack. You then get to the likes of Grandal and Utley, who are great values at the weaker 2 positions of the slate. If you’re looking to go contrarian, Joc Pederson and Yasiel Puig have a ton of upside.

Main Stack – Corey Seager, Chase Utley, Cody Bellinger, Yasmani Grandal
Sneaky Stack – Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson, Yasiel Puig

Miami Marlins @ Martin Perez (Texas Rangers)
Park – Globe Life Park in Arlington
Implied Total – 5.03

I absolutely love this stack if you’re paying up for pitcher. You can get your 2 expensive bats in Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna. They are 2 of the best options on the slate and are my 2 top choices for an HR. You can then also get Martin Prado and Tyler Moore, who are cost-effective righties that hit lefties extremely well. The Marlins will be moving into GLobe Life Park, which is a top 4 ballpark for power in the summer months. You can expect some HR’s to be hit here and the value options on the Marlins are solid. Martin Perez is a very average pitcher, but he struggles a ton with righties. So far in 2017, he’s allowed a .364 wOBA and 10 homers in just 80 innings of work. The Marlins may be a bit sneaky and they have as much upside as anyone on the slate.

Main Stack – Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, Martin Prado, Tyler Moore
Sneaky Stack – Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich, Martin Prado

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for 07/23/2017

*Mike Barner*

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks – Sunday, July 23

There are a few elite starting pitchers taking the mound Sunday, which could make offense hard to come by. Put your favorite daily fantasy baseball stacks from the article below in our lineup optimizer and hit calculate. You can let it fill in the rest of the spots for you or choose your personal favorites from the MLB Player Lab.

**STARTING PITCHERS**

Corey Kluber vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Park – Progressive Field

Kluber had his start pushed back a couple of days as he dealt with neck stiffness, but he is expected to start Sunday. He is having a spectacular season as he is 7-3 with a 2.86 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 135 strikeouts in 100.2 innings. That puts him among the best of the best in all of baseball. Believe it or not, Kluber has actually been even better at home this season as he has a 2.54 ERA at Progressive Field. While the Blue Jays have some pop in their line up, they are in the bottom five in baseball in terms of runs scored. Look for Kluber to have another great performance Sunday.

Jose Quintana vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Park – Wrigley Field

Quintana was dominant in his first start for the Cubs as he pitched seven shutout innings and recorded 12 strikeouts. Ironically, his first start as a member of the National League game against the Baltimore Orioles. Quintana’s 4.49 ERA and 1.32 WHIP for the Chicago White Sox this season were nothing to write home about, but he did allow three runs or less in each of his last seven starts with the team. Sunday brings a favorable match up against the Cardinals who only hit .237 against lefties. If you want to go with a cheaper starting pitcher, Quintana should be your guy.

**OFFENSIVE STACKS**

Colorado Rockies vs. Ivan Nova (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Park – Coors Field

At first glance, Nova doesn’t look like a pitcher you would want to take advantage of as he enters Sunday 10-6 with a 3.27 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. However, he pitches to contact as he only has 73 strikeouts in 126.2 innings. That is not a recipe for success in Coors Field. The Rockies continue to excel in their comfortable confines as they entered Saturday batting .298 with a .854 OPS at home this season. Expect them to hit Nova hard in this contest.

Players to consider stacking: Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon and DJ LeMahieu

Seattle Mariners vs. Luis Cessa (New York Yankees)
Park – Safeco Field

Simply put, Cessa is not a very good pitcher. He is only in the Yankees starting rotation because Michael Pineda went down for the season with an elbow injury. Cessa enters Sunday 0-3 with a 4.61 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 19 strikeouts in 27.1 innings this season. He’s probably not going to stay in the Yankees rotation long term, but that doesn’t make a difference in DFS. Load up your lineup with Mariners hitters and enjoy the ride Sunday.

Players to consider stacking: Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz and Ben Gamel