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MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Tuesday, September 13, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Wednesday, September 13, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Max Scherzer - Washington Nationals - Lineuplab

Max Scherzer Vs Atlanta Braves
Park – Nationals Park
Opp implied total – 2.58

When looking at a slate as a whole, you have to consider what steps you will need to take to play a pitcher. For example, if there were 2 8-run projected offenses in Coors Field tonight, I may have to reconsider paying up for pitcher. This slate, however, doesn’t have any of that. With plenty of similar offenses in similar spots, you should have no issue paying up for an elite arm. Max Scherzer and the Nats face off with the Braves, who they’re favored -315 over. Vegas is expecting a blood bath here and I simply can’t disagree. He’s held both sides of the plate to a sub .271 wOBA and he’s struck out over 12 batters per 9 innings. Scherzer did have one of his very rare disappointing starts last time out, so maybe that’ll keep 5-10% of the field on their toes. If you watched that game, you saw that absolutely nothing was wrong with him. He will bounce back tonight and have a stellar performance against a weak Braves team.

Jon Lester Vs New York Mets
Park – Wrigley Field
Vegas O/U – 3.19

For your 2nd arm, there are a lot of different ways to go. Working from the bottom, Jack Flaherty will draw some consideration. He’s a strong young arm out of St. Louis and he should have a very strong 4 or 5 innings of work. You then get Doug Foster, who’s still a bit shaky, even with his recent stretch. He’s in Fenway Park and faces a team I hate picking on with sinker ballers, especially in Fenway. That leaves us with Yu Darvish and Jon Lester. Darvish is fine and he should have a great game, but we can’t guarantee more than 85 pitches, so the upside is tough to see. We know the Cubs are in need of wins and Lester will stretch to 120 if he’s pitching well. The Mets stink and they’ve posted a .295 wOBA over the last 30 days. They will try to fit a bunch of righties in there, but it doesn’t really matter when Lester is good against them and they are AA/AAA players. Expect another W out of the Cubs here and for Lester to put them on his back and deliver a classic stat line. Maybe something like 7 innings, 8 K’a, 1 ER, and the win.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

Lineup Lab - MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Boston Redsox

Washington Nationals Vs Luiz Gohara (Braves)
Park – Nationals Park
Implied Total – 5.68

Just like with the pitchers, we have a clear top offense here in the Nats, who are a bit expensive. They figure to be around 20-25% owned and are very much in play across the board. They face off with Luiz Gohara, who is just 21 years old and making his debut in the rotation. While he did move up the ranks fast and I can’t say he’s. a bad pitcher, he was certainly rushed. He never got his BB rate below 3 in A+ and was demolished by righty power for the last 2 months in AA/AAA. He now moves up to the majors, facing off with one of the leagues most lethal offenses. Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman are the top 2, both hitting lefties for a .420+ wOBA, literally. They are 2 of my favorite plays on the slate and guys I’ll have exceedingly high exposure to. Next, you get Werth and Hendrick in the OF and Turner/Difo at SS. Depending on how your lineup is looking, they all make sense. They all get it done against lefties and come in at different price points. All in all, the Nationals are the safest offense to choose from and we have to pay for that safety.

Main Stack – Trea Turner, Ryan Zimmerman, Anthony Rendon, Howie Kendrick
Sneaky Stack – Ryan Zimmerman, Anthony Rendon, Howie Kendrick, Jayson Werth

Boston Red Sox Vs Jharel Cotton (Athletics)
Park – Fenway Park
Implied Total – 5.37

The Red Sox aren’t a team I stack often, but I always seem to end up with a 1 or 2-off in tournaments. It’s often Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi, due to their pure dominance across the board. Tonight, I’m a fan of the entire top 6. Jharel Cotton and the Athletics move into Fenway, giving way to a 5.82 implied run total out of the home team. It only makes sense. Jharel Cotton was decent for a few starts at the beginning of the year, but offenses have surely figured him out. He’s held a .359 wOBA against lefties and a .357 against righties, with most of the contests played in the spacious O.Co Coliseum. Both sides of the plate are in play here and that’s great news with the monster in right field. Mookie and Benintendi remain my top 2 options, but are joined with Mitch Moreland, who’s one of the top HR plays at 1B. The rest of the order is a bit scattered, but feel free to go with anyone in the top 5 or 6. Jharel Cotton is a below average pitcher and a team like the Red Sox should jump on that in September.

Main Stack – Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, Mitch Moreland, Rafael Devers
Sneaky Stack – Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, Xander Bogaerts, Mitch Moreland

 

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Tuesday, September 12, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Tuesday, September 12, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Corey Kluber

Corey Kluber Vs Detroit Tigers
Park – Progressive Field
Opp implied total – 2.32

At the top tonight, there are 2 guys who stand far above the rest. Clayton Kershaw and Corey Kluber are by far the best 2 pitchers on the slate and in cash games, I don’t see how you can get away without exposure to at least one. For me, it’s Corey Kluber. Kershaw has a few more question marks (pitch count, need to win) than Kluber, who is putting the Indians on his back to go for 19 straight. The Indians are the hottest team in baseball right now and I don’t see Matt Boyd and the Tigers coming in here and ending it with Klubot on the mound. He’s been better than any other pitcher this year. Sorry, Chris Sale, but you’ll never do anything when your arm is a piece of spaghetti by September. Kluber has exhibited a 12.04 K/9 that’s backed up a league-leading 2.49 xFIP and a 1.65 BB/9. This Tigers lineup is watered down and to be quite honest, insanely bad. I’m not one to jump off the Miguel Cabrera train, but C’mon man. Miggy has been a shell of his own shell this season. The rest of the team hasn’t been any better, either, striking out close to 25% of the time and pulling just a .309 wOBA against right-handers. Kluber is the top arm on the slate and as things sit now, I’ll have 100% exposure in cash games.

Jose Quintana Vs New York Mets
Park – Wrigley Field
Vegas O/U – 3.64

If we’re looking at raw points, it’s Clayton Kershaw against the Giants here. Even though we like Kluber a tad bit more, Kershaw can easily have one of the his performances where we all look back and wonder why we were such idiots. Still, if you need to pay down a bit, Jose Quintana is a fantastic pivot. Great against both lefties and righties, it doesn’t really matter what funk lineup the Mets toss out there. No matter how you break it down, it stinks. Everyone besides 2 guys in the order should be in the minors. The only 2 above average bats are Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera, which is a sad, sad statement for the city of New York. They both belong in the 7/8 hole of a good team and certainly don’t scare me away from an ace in Jose Quintana. Quintana may fly under the radar for some, but he is a top 15 pitcher in baseball and he will solidify that down the stretch with the Cubbies. The Cubs are in mus-win mode at this point and Quintana will pitch as long as he possibly can. He will be my 2nd most popular pitcher, but still, has a lot more risk than either of the top 2 options.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Stanton - Lineuplab.com

Cleveland Indians @ Matt Boyd (Tigers)
Park – Progressive Field
Implied Total – 5.68

We’re going to stay right here in Cleveland and hope the Indians can put up some runs for our man Corey Kluber. I sure hope they can, as they will see one of the best match-ups of their entire streak. Matt Boyd, a lefty, has run into some major problems against both sides of the plate. Against lefties, a .349 wOBA 19 innings. Against righties, a .373 wOBA and 15 home runs in just under 100 innings. He’s also pitched most of his games in Comerica, so this will be a bump down for Boyd. The Indians have some lefty mashers and they’ll be right in the mix of things. Austin Jackson is a lefty specialist, so I’d expect him to be at the top of the order and be a fantastic player. The cast of regular character will take over there, with the likes of Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, and Edwin Encarnacion. We do know this lineup is pretty spread out, however, so don’t be afraid to take a bat or two lower in the order. I expect the Indians to put up some runs tonight and I doubt they are over 20% owned.

Main Stack – Edwin Encarnacion, Austin Jackson, Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor
Sneaky Stack – Jose Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion, Jay Bruce, Francisco Lindor

Miami Marlins @ Nicholas Pivetta
Park – Citizens Bank Park
Implied Total – 4.40

I know the Marlins don’t have the 2nd or even 3rd highest implied total on the board, but I like them a lot as a stack. The first reason is they have the perfect 4-man stack. Gordon, Yelich, Ozuna, and Stanton take up for most of the Marlins production and you don’t really miss anything by fading the rest. They also face-off with Nicholas Pivetta, who’s been horrible against righties with a .409 wOBA. That immediately puts Stanton and Ozuna at the top of my list. He hasn’t been good against lefties, but a .319 isn’t horrible either. Dee Gordon and Yelich both dominate righties and I like them both just as much as the others. I don’t feel the need for a sneak stack with this lineup, as the main one won’t be very popular. We’re all watching Stanton and his path to 60, which he may get closer to tonight. Citizens Bank Park is a lot friendlier than Marlins Park and Stanton can probably bunt it out against Pivetta.

Main Stack – Dee Gordon, Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna






MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for September 6, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Wednesday, September 6, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Lineuplab.com

Carlos Carrasco @ Chicago White Sox
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field
Opp implied total – 3.20

A lot of people were on Danny Salazar last night, who didn’t even get out of the 1st inning against these same White Sox. He just wasn’t on his pitches and as soon as the bullpen came in the Sox got shut down. If Salazar was at all on his game, he would have shut them down. Carlos Carrasco is also a step up from Salazar, who is a bit more volatile. Carrasco will typically give you a guaranteed 6 innings and 7 strikeouts, while Salazar will be up and down all year long. Carrasco has posted a .288 combined wOBA on the season and has backed it up with some fantastic peripherals. He’s striking out 10.2 batters per 9 innings while walking just 2.19, giving him his personal career best K: BB. Carrasco is an elite pitcher any way you look at it and his opponent is extremely weak. The White Sox have ranked in the bottom 5 in every offensive category since the ASB. Jose Abreu is the only real bat in the order and Carrasco should be able to deal with him with ease. He’s the top play in cash games and it’s not too close at all, at least in my book.

Kenta Maeda Vs Arizona Diamondbacks
Park – Dodger Stadium
Vegas O/U – 3.70

After Carrasco, there is a ginormous drop to the 2nd guy(s). I’m not exactly sure who ends up being highly owned out of this 2nd tier, but it could be Kenta Maeda for cash games. To be clear, I don’t like him in tournaments as I can’t see the Dodgers letting him eclipse 90-1000 pitches. With that being said, it could very well be enough for a cash game at his price. He faces off with the Diamondbacks, who are a good offense, but they outside of Chase Field and even more so in pitcher-friendly parks. The 2 bats to be most wary of are Jake Lamb and David Peralta. Maeda is a bit worse against lefties (.318 wOBA), so he could have some trouble with those guys. On the flip side, his numbers against righties (.264 wOBA) are fantastic. The majority of this D-Backs lineup will be right-handed and we know they can strike out with the best of them. Vegas has a 3.70 implied total and Maeda should end up as one of the more conservative

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Lineuplab.com

Cleveland Indians @ Reynaldo Lopez (White Sox)
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field
Implied Total – 5.80

The Chicago White Sox rotation is just 1 big pitching machine with legs. The IQ seems non-existent if you watch and they go through putrid starters like they’re easy to come by. Reynaldo Lopez, in particular, is pretty bad. He’s just 23-years-old and walked 4.50 batters per 9 in AAA. He’s obviously not ready for the majors just yet and it’ll be a few years until we get there. The Indians are one of the most dangerous offenses and one of the most difficult to contain. Guaranteed Rate Field is small and the Indians should put up plenty of runs. The cream of the crop is Jose Ramirez and the 1 1B. they all destroy righties and have more than enough HR upside. After that, you can go anywhere. Vegas has the Indians implied at 5.80 runs, which is the highest outside of Coors Field. I like Jay Bruce a lot, actually, as he’s struggled lately and should go low-owned. He sets up well for Lopez and could send a heater back where it came from. The rest of the order has upside, but not to the point where you need to reach.

Main Stack – Edwin Encarnacion, Austin Jackson, Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor
Sneaky Stack – Jose Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion, Jay Bruce, Francisco Lindor

Texas Rangers @ Julio Teheran
Park – SunTrust Park
Implied Total – 4.74

For a larger slate, there aren’t many great teams to stack. Sure, you can go into Coors Field and get a team with a 6.5 implied total, but good luck paying for anyone else, including your pitcher. It’s not necessarily a bad strategy, but I’d rather pay up for safety in my arms and find a cheaper offense that can put up similar production. Here we have the Texas Rangers, facing off with predictable righty Julio Teheran. Teheran has allowed a .335 wOBA against lefties and nearly a 2 HR/9. He calls in the Rangers to SunTrust Park, which has been a top 7 park for lefty power on the season. We all know the Rangers have plenty of that. The first guy that sticks out is Joey Gallo. Gallo is my pick for HR of the night and I wouldn’t have a Rangers stack without him. The rest of the lefties (Choo, Mazara, Odor) are the way to go in cash games. In tournaments, feel free to throw a righty in there and hope for some production off the bench. Either way, I don’t see the Rangers walking away with less than 2 dingers in this contest.

Main Stack – Shin-Soo Choo, Nomar Mazara, Elvis Andrus, Joey Gallo
Sneaky Stack – Nomar Mazara, Joey Gallo, Rougned Odor, Robinson Chirinos/strong>

 

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for September 5, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Tuesday, September 5, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - New York Mets - Lineuplab.com

Jacob DeGrom Vs Philadelphia Phillies
Park – Citi Field
Opp implied total – 3.31

When I first looked at this slate, Jacob DeGrom immediately stuck out to me as the top option. When deciding whether or not to play DeGrom, this first thing I look at is if he’s at home. In Citi Field, DeGrom has sported a .276 wOBA, compared to the .308 on the road. He’s also held lefties and righties to a combined .246 wOBA and 10 K/9. He’s dotted the edges extremely well over his last few starts, striking out 23 to just 2 walks. DeGrom has slipped with injuries this year, but he’s still one of the brightest young arms in baseball. His velocity is as high as ever and his change-up has induced an incredible 52% GB rate. He faces off with the Phillies tonight, which doesn’t need much explanation. They’ve posted a .286 wOBA against Phillies in the last 2 months and only have a few guys who deserve to be in a major league lineup. They strikeout close to 25% of the time and make hard contact just 24%. They also move from Citizens Bank Park (top 10) to Citi Field (23rd for hitting). DeGrom should have an extremely solid performance tonight and I’m a big fan in both cash games and tournaments.

Danny Salazar @ Chicago White Sox
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field
Vegas O/U – 3.62

At this point in the season, there’s a whole lot of attacking offenses. We have a few offenses in the league that stand out as being far worse than the field. The White Sox are certainly in that grouping. Jose Abreu is the only hitter to be afraid of and to be honest, I’m not that worried against a righty with one of the more devastating sliders around. The rest of the order is pretty garbage, with guys like Yolmer Sanchez and Matt Davidson surrounding Abreu. Looking further down the lineup may induce some gag reflex, so be cautious. Guys like Rob Brantly and Adam Engel are AA talent hitters that are pretty solid in the field. Good thing that doesn’t matter in the slightest. As for Danny Salazar, you know what you’re going to get. He is predictably unpredictable. No matter the opponent, Salazar can b one of the more frustrating pitchers to watch. I can vividly remember multiple occasions of wanting to pull my hair out as Salazar walks the pitcher or goes 3-0 to a catcher in the 8 hole. On the other side of things, he can be one of the more rewarding pitchers to have. Those same memories are matched by Salazar on the mound, dicing and dealing for 7-9 innings of no-run baseball. He has been dominant against both sides of the plate this year and has held a K rate over 10. He has one of the best match-ups he’ll see al year, so if his stuff is on, you will see 7+ innings and 10+ strikeouts. If he’s off, there’s no telling when the wheels will fall off. You will know by the 2nd inning.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Cleveland Indians - Lineuplab.com

Cleveland Indians @ David Holmberg (White Sox)
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field
Implied Total – 6.11

We’ll stick right in Chicago here with the Indians, who are facing off with David Holmberg and have the highest Vegas O/U outside of Coors on the day. it only makes sense when you look at the match-up. David Holmberg has struggled (.341 wOBA) against both sides of the plate since coming up and a .250 BABIP just tells me some more impending doom is on the way. To put it simply, the Indians aren’t a team to mess with. You won’t go out and throw weird pitches that get them to chase. They will happily walk all night long and wait for some in the zone. The targets are pretty obvious but you will have to choose between Encarnacion and Santana. I personally prefer Encarnacion against a lefty, due to Santana being far better against righties. Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor are also locks and I wouldn’t consider an Indians stack without either. After that, you can go anywhere. Austin Jackson is actually the guy I have a lot of interest in, as he hits lefties well and should go relatively ignored.

Main Stack – Edwin Encarnacion, Austin Jackson, Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor
Sneaky Stack – Jose Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion, Jay Bruce, Francisco Lindor

Colorado Rockies Vs Ty Blach (Giants)
Park – Coors Field
Implied Total – 6.38

I know, you can’t get any more obvious than this. Truth be told, I’m not a huge fan of stacking any other teams than the 2 we’re touching on. I like mixing and matching in tournaments today and there are quite a few options I like across the board on different teams. As for the Rockies, they could easily put up double digits tonight. Ty Blach is a left-handed pitcher that fully relies on the ballpark to save him. He strikes out just over 3 (YES, 3!) batters per 9 innings and has a GB rate that doesn’t do much. In turn, he is giving up more fly-balls than any other pitcher. In the spacious AT&T Park, it’s perfect. it takes a tank to get one over the wall. With this move into Coors Field, the same cannot be said. Those same routing flyouts to left field are going to be 10 rows deep in CoorLiterallyitterally. This Rockies team can certainly hit lefties and there are a few guys that have to be licking their chops. My 2 favorites are Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story. I know Story might sound a bit crazy, but listen. He strikes out about 100% of the time and hits an HR the rest. Against Blach, those K numbers fall dramatically. When you can guarantee me a guy with 52% hard contact against lefties is going to see at last 2 at-bats with contact, I’ll take it. The rest of the order is pretty spread out and you can go wherever you’d like. Charlie Blackmon isn’t a must, but he will likely see some righties out of the pen, so don’t count on him busting.

Main Stack – Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, Mark Reynolds, Ian Desmond
Sneaky Stack – Nolan Arenado, Mark Reynolds, Trevor Story, Jonathan Lucroy

 

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for September 4, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Monday, September 4, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks -- Jake-Arrieta-DFS-MLB-Lineup-Picks

Jake Arrieta @ Pittsburgh Pirates
Park – PNC Park
Opp implied total – 3.59

When we step back and look at this day as a whole, we have an early/main slate and a late slate. Both of them stink at pitching, but the earlier slate is a bit friendlier. You have a few guys to choose from, with Jake Arrieta coming out as the top option. Now it may be a bit too soon to speak, but the old Jake “The Snake” Arrieta may be back. He’s allowed just 4 runs over his last 4 starts and has struck out 24. He’s still holding an elite .287 combined wOBA and striking out around 9 batters per 9 innings. He moves into PNC Park and faces off with a very underwhelming offense against righties. They’ve posted the league’s 3rd worst wOBA against them on the year at .306. The game is also in PNC Park, which is the 4th hardest place to get a ball out for righties. Arrieta is a strong play in all formats and should be set for another solid performance.

Dallas Keuchel @ Seattle Mariners
Park – Safeco Field
Vegas O/U – 3.82

This night slate is a lot less forgiving in terms of pitching. After our top option in Dallas Keuchel, it gets extremely thin. When I say extremely thin, I mean basically nobody. Dallas Keuchel and the Astros travel to Seattle and will look to pick up a few easy wins. The first one will come against Erasmo Ramirez, who doesn’t have much of a shot against the Astros offense. Keuchel has been one of the better pitchers this season with a .233 combined wOBA and 8.23 K/9. He now moves into one of the friendliest ballparks in baseball for pitchers, Safeco Field. The Mainers are a much worse team against lefties, with Cano, Seager, Gamel, and Segura all considerably worse against them. There is still the danger of Nelson Cruz, but I’m assuming Keuchel will give him a few change-ups in the dirt and let him either strike out or walk to first. Let’s hope. If you don’t like Keuchel, well, too bad. Go complain to the baseball gods.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Jose Ramirez - Lineuplab.com Picks

Cleveland Indians @ James Shields (White Sox)
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field
Implied Total – 5.87

Every 5th day, we’re reminded that anyone can make an MLB roster if you were good at one point. That reminder comes in the flesh of James Shields. Shields, who continuously gets pummeled and is somehow still jogging out there and tossing it to the catcher. I don’t see a pride POV how he’s doing this, but I guess it’s the money. I can guarantee that in his interviews 10 years from now he will admit to not really caring at this point. It’s actually quite obvious by his reactions. He’s prone to giving up home runs and runs. Looking at his stats, he’s probably the worst pitcher in the game against lefties with a .424 wOBA and 15 home runs allowed in 45 innings. Yes, that’s a home run every 3 innings or a 3 HR/9. An average HR/9 is around 0.90. Getting to the Indians, we know they are a tough offense with a ton of options. Carlos Santana, Jose Ramirez, and Francisco Lindor stand out above the rest and are locks in any Indians stack I create. There are a few more interchangeable guys and it’ll just come down to the batting order and who sees a bump. Play the lefties.

Main Stack – Carlos Santana, Bradley Zimmer, Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor
Sneaky Stack – Jose Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion, Jay Bruce, Francisco Lindor

Washington Nationals Vs Adam Conley (Marlins)
Park – Nationals Park
Implied Total – 5.11

This late slate has a few offenses you can stack, but the Nationals are my favorite and they will likely b e the most popular. Adam Conley is admittedly a fine pitcher, but he’s nothing special. He’s allowed a .330 wOBA against righties, though a .265 BABIP leaves that a bit worrisome. This Nationals offense is elite against lefties and it’s why they’re projected to put up nearly 5.5 runs. Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman are the top 2 options and I wouldn’t put a Nats stack together without either. You then get the 2 stud OF’s against lefties in Jayson Werth and Howie Kendrick. Both are in play as safe plays with plenty of upside. You may have to choose Trea Turner over one of them, however, as he will lead-off and be a big reason if they do have success. I prefer Werth, but you can go Kendrick with no qualms from me. All in all, this offense is going to put up some runs and they may break loose. You want exposure, even if it’s in a minute way. Personally, I’ll have a ton of ownership in the form of stacks.

Main Stack – Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman, Howie Kendrick, Trea Turner
Sneaky Stack – Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman, Wilmer Difo, Jayson Werth






MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for August 30, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Wednesday, August 30, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

Carlos Martinez @ Milwaukee Brewers
Park – Miller Park
Opp implied total – 3.97

On this early slate, you get to choose between a few quality options. Stephen Strasburg, Carlos Martinez, and Aaron Nola are my favorite 3 options and I like all of them in cash games and tournaments. With that being said, Carlos Martinez is my favorite. This Brewers lineup is just weak against righties and they strikeout more than anyone at 25.6%. Carlos Martinez is one of the brightest young pitchers in the game and he’s been very consistent. He’s a bit like Gerrit Cole, as in being so dominant, yet struggling against lefties to a pretty high degree. Fortunately, there’s only going to be 3 or 4 of them to worry about in the order. Against righties, Martinez has posted a .254 wOBA backed up by a 26% strikeout rate and 27% hard contact. Miller Park is pretty tough on lefties and while I don’t expect a clean slate out of Martinez, he should go 7 or 8 innings and give up only a couple runs. The win should be safe and he’ll let you pay up for some bats that Strasburg won’t.

Dallas Keuchel Vs Texas Rangers
Park – Minute Maid Park
Vegas O/U – 3.50

The later slate is a tough one in terms of pitching. There isn’t any one pitcher that stands out as an uber-safe cash game option. Even Dallas Keuchel, who we’ll touch on here, has some risk. The Rangers are a talented offense and they showed their upside just last night. With that being said, they can strikeout a lot and they are much worse against lefties. Choo, Gallo, and Odor are horrible against lefties and strikeout over 30% of the time. The rest of the order is decent against lefties, but are also better at home. They are implied to score just 3.50 runs and while there’s some risk, I don’t think there’s anymore here than there is with Robbie Ray or Jose Quintana.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

Washington Nationals Vs Adam Conley (Marlins)
Park – Nationals Park
Implied Total – 5.11

This early slate does have a few offenses to consider stacking, but the Nationals stand out to me. They face off with Adam Conley, who is a very average left-handed pitcher. He’s struggled against righties with a .335 wOBA and we know the Nationals can hit lefties as good as anyone. Both Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman are top 15 hitters against lefties and both have sports +.375 wOBA’s against them so far. You then run into the rest of the lineup that is just extremely solid. Guys like Howie Kendrick, Trea Turner, and Jayson Werth all do damage against lefties. It may seem like a weird stat, but the Nats have worked lefties for the most pitches/AB in the entire league. Conley shouldn’t last long and the Marlins bullpen isn’t very good. The Nats can be stacked in a lot of different ways, but I’d make sure to have Rendon and Zimmerman. They are lefty-mashers and I don’t see the Nats having a good day and them not.

Main Stack – Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman, Howie Kendrick, Trea Turner
Sneaky Stack – Anthony Rendon, Ryan Zimmerman, Daniel Murphy, Jayson Werth

Minnesota Twins Vs Derek Holland (White Sox)
Park – Progressive Field
Implied Total – 5.75

I’m definitely not going anywhere else with my top stack on this main slate. Derek Holland is absolutely atrocious against righties and when I say atrocious, I mean possibly the number 1 worst. He’s allowed a .404 wOBA to them and 26 home runs in just 88 innings of work. It doesn’t get any worse than that. Byron Buxton and Brian Dozier are the top 2 options and you really can’t stack the Twins without them. After that, you have a ton of options to consider. Polanco, Escobar, Garver, and Gimenez all hit lefties well and have HR upside in Progressive Field. They have an implied 5.75 implied total and you have to think they’ll be one of the higher owned offenses on the slate. I’ll definitely have my fair share of it.

Main Stack – Brian Dozier, Byron Buxton, Jorge Polanco, Eduardo Escobar
Sneaky Stack – Brian Dozier, Byron Buxton, Mitch Garver, Jorge Polanco

 

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for August 29, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Tuesday, August 29, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Boston RedSox - Chris Sale

Chris Sale @ Toronto Blue Jays
Park – Rogers Centre
Opp implied total – 3.29

On the high-end, you have Chris Sale and Jake Arrieta. While Arrieta is great and he can throw a CGSO at any point, he’s no Chris Sale. Sale is one of the 3 best pitchers in baseball and should have no problem bouncing back after struggling last week against the Indians. They’ve owned him in his career and he didn’t show any signs of injury or fatigue. They were just hitting balls that most teams whiff on. When looking at the numbers, you’d think Sale is one of the best arms to walk this planet. He’s allowed just a .247 combined wOBA while striking out 12.77 batters per 9 innings. Sale and the Sox now move into The Rogers Centre to face off with the lowly Blue Jays. While they are better against lefties, a .321 wOBA and 22$ strikeout rate is nothing to be afraid of. Expect Sale to have another one of his typical starts where he goes 7+ innings, strikes out 9+, and gets the W. There is no pitcher on the slate that compares to Sale in safety, at least in my opinion.

Luke Weaver @ Milwaukee Brewers
Park – Miller Park
Vegas O/U – X

Even though we have a lot of games on this slate, pitching isn’t pretty in the slightest. Fortunately, we do have a couple options that stand out. On the lower end, it’s Luke Weaver. Weaver is a 1st round pick just a couple years back out of FSU. He hasn’t stopped dominating since and it looks like he doesn’t have any plans of slowing down. Albeit a very small sample size, Weaver has dominated at the pro level so far. He’s striking guys out at a 27% clip while holding both lefties and righties to a sub .310 wOBA. He’ll likely run into a few road blocks like most young arms do, but I don’t think it comes in the form of the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers aren’t a “bad” offense, but they have a lot of holes. They strikeout 25.6% of the time and have trouble putting together big innings. I don’t think Weaver leaves with a clean slate here, but he should get 6 or 7 solid innings. At his price, you can’t ask for more.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

Brian Dozier - MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Lineuplab

Minnesota Twins Vs James Shields (White Sox)
Park – Progressive Field
Implied Total – 5.82

The Twins and James Shields just faced off in Shields’ last start, so it’ll be interesting to see how the Twins respond to a walking pitching machine they saw under a week ago. Typically, hitters gain the edge in this spot. With that being said, there’s no real merit in that. The real merit comes in James Shields being horrible. He’s a bottom 5 pitcher in the entire league and I’m not sure he’s mentally or physically capable of having a good start. At 35 years old, Shields has given up a .422 wOBA to lefties and a .300 to righties. You can definitely target the filler righties like Dozier or Buxton, but the real value comes in the left-handers. You then get to the White Sox bullpen, which is undoubtedly one of the worst. The Twins are an extremely safe offense and you can pencil in at least 4 or 5 runs here. The prices are solid and you should be able to fit 4 of them while also fitting Sale as an SP1.

Main Stack – Jorge Polanco, Max Kepler, Brian Dozier, Eddie Rosario
Sneaky Stack – Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Eduardo Escobar

Houston Astros @ Martin Perez (Rangers)
Park – Minute Maid Park
Implied Total – X

There are some very nice offenses on this slate, but not many that you want to stack fully. The Astros are a team that can put up 10+ runs on any given night and the HR upside they possess in this match-up is hard to find. They will host the Rangers and Martin Perez, who is bad against righties. He has a huge HR problem and has had it for about 10 years. It’s going nowhere. Through 114 innings, Perez has allowed a .364 wOBA and 17 home runs. He is great against lefties, so I don’t see a reason to target those guys. With that being said, the combo of Altuve+Springer+Bregman is extremely dangerous and can bring you to the top of a tournament. I also don’t think the ‘Stros will be too highly owned. There are a lot of different options and I would think these guys come in around 15-20% owned.

Main Stack – Jose Altuve, George Springer, Alex Bregman, Yuli Gurriel
Sneaky Stack – Jose Altuve, George Springer, Alex Bregman, Marwin Gonzalez

 

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for August 28, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Monday, August 28, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

 

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Corey Kluber - Cleveland Indians
Corey Kluber @ New York Yankees
Park – Yankee Stadium
Opp implied total – 3.70

You have 2 high-end options facing off on this slate with Luis Severino and Corey Kluber. I’ll take Kluber, who’s the more consistent and just better pitcher at this point. He has been one of the best pitchers in the entire league and could possibly end up in the Cy Young discussion if he keeps it up. Through 152 innings, he’s given up a .251 combined wOBA and has struck out over 12 batters per 9 innings. The Yankees are a lineup prone to strikeouts and while they can put up some runs, the K’s should outweigh the 2 or 3 they may put up. Kluber is easily the safest pitcher on the slate and I wouldn’t recommend going elsewhere in cash games. The Yanks are projected to put up 3.70 runs and I don’t think they get there.

Aaron Nola Vs Atlanta Braves
Park – Citizens Bank Park
Vegas O/U – 3.86

While Luis Severino is a fine option and you can definitely go there, he is nearly as expensive as Corey Kluber and I don’t know if he’s worth it. Instead, we will go way down and take a look at Aaron Nola. He’s facing off with one of the worst offenses in the league and is a very solid pitcher at an affordable price. He’s given up a .292 combined wOBA and strikes out just under 10 batters per 9 innings. The Braves are projected to put up just 3.86 runs as they always struggle on the road. Freddie Freeman can always hit 3 HR’s off of Nola, but I’m definitely willing to bet on Nola being smart and pitching around him. The rest of the order is extremely weak and they have been striking out a lot more over the past couple months. He’s not nearly as safe as Kluber, but he’s also not nearly as expensive.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Nolan Arenado - Colorado Rockies

Colorado Rockies Vs Jordan Zimmerman (Tigers)
Park – Coors Field
Implied Total – 7.12

I know the Rockies are always going to be obvious in Coors Field, but they stand out even more tonight. Jordan Zimmerman is one of the absolute worst pitchers in all of baseball and he’s struggled against both righties and lefties. He’s pitched most of his innings in Comerica Park and now moves to Coors Field, where the ball obviously flies like nowhere else. The Rockies are projected to put up 7.12 runs, so you almost have to get exposure in both cash games and tournaments. Zimmerman has allowed a .441 combined wOBA, so you can really target everyone. Charlie Blackmon and Nolan Arenado are the top 2 options and you have to have them both in a Rockies stack. The rest of the order is very spread out and you can target any of the bats 1-7. CarGo is sitting lower in the order, but he still has the 2 HR upside in tournaments. The Rockies are known to be the top offense of the night, but prices will keep some of the crowd off of these guys.

Main Stack – Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, Gerardo Parra, Carlos Gonzalez
Sneaky Stack – Nolan Arenado, Charlie Blackmon, Mark Reynolds, D.J. LeMahieu

Seattle Mariners @ Chris Tillman (Orioles)
Park – Camden Yards
Implied Total – 5.35

Jordan Zimmerman and Chris Tillman are pretty similar in terms of production. What do I mean? Absolutely terrible. Both of them used to be pretty good, but have fallen off a cliff that may be steeper than any other. So far in 2017, Tillman has allowed a .427 combined wOBA while giving up tons of home runs. A 7.09 xFIP is where he’s at now, so the stats are saying he’s actually getting lucky. He now welcomes the Mariners into Camden Yards. The Mariners are dangerous against righties and with the addition of Yonder Alonso, they are a great team to stack. Robinson Cano and Alonso are y 2 favorites and I’ll make sure to have them in there. The rest of the order is pretty spread and in cash, you should look for a mix of Segura, Seager, and Cruz. The Mariners are my favorite stack outside of Coors Field.

Main Stack – Robinson Cano, Yonder Alonso, Jean Segura, Kyle Seager
Sneaky Stack – Robinson Cano, Yonder Alonso, Nelson Cruz, Mike Zunino






MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for August 23, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Wednesday, August 23, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

Corey Kluber - MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks

Corey Kluber Vs Boston Red Sox
Park – Progressive Field
Opp implied total – 3.14

We do have a few guys to pay up for, and they all make some sense. Corey Kluber comes in at number 1, even though his price is steep. Kluber has been one of the best pitchers in the league so far and would be in the Cy Young discussion if he didn’t miss a month. Kluber has posted a .250 combined wOBA while striking out over 12 batters per 9 innings. In other words, he is elite. Super elite. He now hosts the Boston Red Sox, who are an admittedly intimidating offense. However, when you dig in, you get a lineup that Corey Kluber can do real damage against. The 1,2, 5,7,8, and 9 hitters all hold 20%+ K rates, so go ahead and throw out the notion that the Red Sox don’t K. They absolutely do K and if there’s gonna be a guy to get them swinging, it’s Klubot. He’s easily the safest option on the board and will be in all of my cash games. With that being said, I completely understand pivoting down to Marcus Stroman or Luis Severino.

Luke Weaver Vs San Diego Padres
Park – Busch Stadium
Vegas O/U – 3.70

In cash games, stick to the 3 top-end arms. They are far above the rest in terms of safety. In tournaments, however, you can get a bit wild. We do have some offenses to pay up for, so there is merit to fading the high-end arm. You also see a 3.70 implied total from Vegas, which intrigued me a ton. That’s a number you see on a team that’s facing an ace. The Padres had a big night last night and I’d like to think the public will stay away from Weaver. He’s a first-round pick out of FSU and a guy that can throw the baseball. That might sound weird, but watch him pitch and you’ll know what I mean. This Padres order is absolutely atrocious and will only be able to fit 2 or 3 lefties. Weaver has dominated righties since entering the minors and profiles as a guy that K’s around 8-9 per 9 innings. He pitches better in Busch Stadium and should be able to have a solid outing against one of the worst teams around. I like him a hint more than Lance Lynn.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Brian Dozier

Minnesota Twins @ James Shields (White Sox)
Park – Great American Ballpark
Implied Total – 5.62

You know the drill. If James Shields is pitching, expect the opposing lineup to be here. Shields has allowed a .409 wOBA to righties and .308 to righties. That doesn’t mean fade the righties, however. He still gives up the long ball to them and you can also expect some varied bullpen arms. There isn’t much else to say about James Shields, besides the fact that he’s a pitching machine with legs. Lefties absolutely obliterate everything he tries and it’ll be fun to see him face off with some of these guys. Eddie Rosario is actually my favorite of the bunch and one of my top overall plays on the slate. The rest of the order is pretty spread out, so go wherever you would like. Eduardo Escobar and Max Kepler are interesting and way too cheap for the spot they are in. Don’t ignore the Twins offense when they’re expected to put up nearly 6 runs.

Main Stack – Brian Dozier, Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler, Eduardo Escobar
Sneaky Stack – Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler, Kennys Vargas, Jorge Polanco

Houston Astros Vs Edwin Jackson (Nationals)
Park – Minute Maid Park
Implied Total – 5.20

Edwin Jackson hasn’t been horrible, so people may forget how horrible he is. He will return to his old ways very soon and there is no better match-up than the Houston Astros. If there is 1 team to demoralize a pitcher, it’s these guys. While they may not be the most talented offense in the league, they just don’t stop. You don’t get a break from 1-9 and as a bad pitcher, that’s tough You will often rely on 2 or 3 batters towards the bottom of the order to pick up your pitch count and confidence. Against the Astros, you don’t get that. In return, you see pitchers sweating bullets by the 3rd and facing Altuve with runners on the corners. Jackson has also given up a .370 wOBA since 2015, so he just stinks. The ‘Stros can go absolutely bonkers and we don’t really know where the HR’s will come from, so take an educated guess.

Main Stack – Jose Altuve, George Springer, Josh Reddick, Marwin Gonalez
Sneaky Stack – Jose Altuve, George Springer, Yuli Gurriel, Alex Bregman

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for August 22, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Tuesday, August 22, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

Chris Archer - Tampa Bay Rays - MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks

Chris Archer Vs Toronto Blue Jays
Park – Tropicana Field
Opp implied total – 3.51

We finally have a nice slate with some strong pitching options. While we don’t have a bunch of aces in good match-ups, we have a pretty healthy spread of options at different price points. Chris Archer is the highest of all and comes in as the top option. He’s at home, facing off with the lowly Blue Jays. On the road, the Blue Jays have ranked 19th with a .311 wOBA and 22% strikeout rate. The upside is there with K’s and this lineup is nowhere near as lethal as it was in previous years. Once you get past the gauntlet (Donaldson, Smoak, Bautista), it’s smooth sailing. The lineup turns into a pile of garbage that can K as much as anyone. Chris Archer is also one of the best pitchers in the game, if that matters. He strikes out over 10 batters per 9 and has posted a .291 combined wOBA on the season. He can easily hit double-digit K’s tonight and have one of his best outings. This is Chris Archer, however, so he can also walk 2 guys and give up a bomb. While there will always be an inherent risk with Archer, I’m willing to play him in both cash games and tournaments.

Lance Lynn Vs San Diego Padres
Park – Busch Stadium
Vegas O/U – 3.51

I’m not one to target Lance Lynn very often. In fact, I don’t think I’ve played him since 2016. That’s also a mistake on my part, as I’ve missed some very solid games in situations similar to this one. Lynn isn’t too tough to figure out. He dominates righties and gets dominated by lefties. When looking to target Lynn, you want to see how many righties are in the opposing lineup. ThePadres have one of the heaviest righty lineups in the game and may end up being forced with 5 of them. Oh yea, the righties they have also stink. Lynn has held a .256 wOBA against righties and strikes out nearly 8 batters per 9. Lynn is very safe here and his price is fair. He makes sense in all formats and will help you pay up for a few bats, which is something that definitely matters on a slate like this. Lynn is also an excellent SP2 with Archer on DK.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

Anthony Rizzo - MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Chicago Cubs - Lineuplab

Chicago Cubs @ Homer Bailey (Reds)
Park – Great American Ballpark
Implied Total – 5.58

The Cubs are facing Homer Bailey. We know the drill. This same game happened about a week ago and we saw one of the highest scoring games of the year so far with 23 combined runs. While that is very unlikely to happen again, it was very clear that Homer Bailey doesn’t have much left. He’s getting the ball plastered almost every at-bat and will soon be yanked from the rotation. If the Reds don’t do it, one of these rocket ships is going to end up hitting him and doing the deed for them. He’s allowed a .421 wOBA and 5.44 xFIP, all the while striking out just 6 batters per 9. Homer Bailey isn’t as bad as some of the White Sox pitchers, but he isn’t good either. He’s going to get walloped by the Cubbies and I want to be all over it. Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant are musts if you’re stacking the Cubs. DOn’t get cute. Further along, you can look any which way. In cash games, wait for the lineup to come out and make some fiscally responsible decisions. In tournaments, take a shot on a guy in the 6 or 7 hole who may not garner much ownership.
Main Stack – Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Ben Zobrist
Sneaky Stack – Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Willson Contreras/Alex Avila

Baltimore Orioles Vs Paul Blackburn (Athletics)
Park – Camden Yards
Implied Total – 5.85

If you were on the Orioles yesterday, I see no reason to get off of them now. They are facing an even worse pitcher in the same ballpark, with lower implied ownership. They hold and 5.85 implied run total and do come in as one of the highest projecting offenses. Looking a bit deeper at Paul Blackburn, he is far from a standout. He allowed a 4.36 xFIP in AAA and hasn’t shown anything more yet. He’s been better against lefties, but don’t let the .260 BABIP fool you. Camden Yards is going to be rough for this guy and the Orioles will do damage. Manny Machado and Jonathan Schoop will always be the top 2 options, with Adam Jones and Chris Davis to follow. You also have guys like Trey Mancini, Mark Trumbo, and Welington Castillo, so have fun in tournaments.

Main Stack – Manny Machado, Jonathan Schoop, Adam Jones, Chris Davis
Sneaky Stack – Manny Machado, Jonathan Schoop, Trey Mancini, Welington Castillo