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Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for 08/26/2017

by Mike Barner 0 Comments

*Mike Barner*

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks – Saturday, August 26

There are going to be some great offensive opportunities to take advantage of for to your lineup Saturday as there are few elite starters taking the mound. 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**

Gio Gonzalez vs. New York Mets
Park – Nationals Park

Gonzalez has been excellent this season as he enters Saturday 12-5 with a 2.39 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 150 strikeouts in 162 innings. As crazy as it sounds considering his minuscule ERA for the season, he has been even better lately as he has allowed one earned in his last four starts combined. He is a quality start machine as well as he has recorded one in 14 of his last 15 outings. There are a couple of advantages working in Gonzalez’s favor Saturday. First, he has had success against the Mets already this season by posting a 2.03 ERA and 0.75 WHIP in two starts against the division rivals. Second, he is excellent at home as he has a sparkling 1.79 ERA this season at Nationals Park. Start Gonzalez with confidence Saturday.

Sonny Gray vs. Seattle Mariners
Park – Yankee Stadium

Gray has had mixed results since being traded to the Yankees. While he has a solid 3.13 ERA with his new club, he only has a 1-3 record to show for it and has an unimpressive 1.35 WHIP. His strikeouts are down in pinstripes as well as he only has 17 in 23 innings. Saturday brings a familiar foe in the Mariners, who Gary has faced off against many times as a member of the Oakland Athletics. He has handled the Mariners well over his career, posting a 2.86 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 60 strikeouts in 66 innings. This match up has the makings of promising results for Gray.

**OFFENSIVE STACKS**

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Dillon Gee (Minnesota Twins)
Park – Rogers Centre

Gee has been used primarily as a reliever this season as he has made nine appearances in total for the Texas Rangers and Minnesota Twins, but only two of them were starts. His numbers are very good as he has a 2.84 ERA and 1.20 WHIP overall. Gee struggled as a starter for the Kansas City Royals last year though as he posted a 5.55 ERA and 1.56 WHIP in 14 starts. He’s a better bullpen option at this point in his career, but the Twins need him in their rotation. Look for the Blue Jays lineup to put up some big numbers against Gee Saturday.

Players to consider stacking: Josh Donaldson, Justin Smoak and Kevin Pillar

New York Yankees vs. Yovani Gallardo (Seattle Mariners)
Park – Yankee Stadium

Gallardo’s first season in Seattle has not been a success as he is 5-9 with a 5.75 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 86 strikeouts in 117.1 innings. He doesn’t give them much length either as he has pitched five innings or less in three of his last four starts. Gallardo has allowed 21 home runs this season, which could be a recipe for disaster against the Yankees as they entered Friday with 101 home runs at home this season. Don’t expect Gallardo to have much success against the Bronx Bombers Saturday.

Players to consider stacking: Gary Sanchez, Didi Gregorius and Brett Gardner

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for August 25, 2017

by Chris Durell 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for August 25, 2017

Welcome for another big Friday in daily fantasy baseball.

Starting Pitchers

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Zack Greinke - Arizona Diamondbacks

Zack Greinke
Opponent – vs. SF
Park – Chase Field (Hitters Park)
Vegas Favorite (ARI -220)
Vegas Total (9.5)

Don’t be scared off by hitters environment in Arizona as Greinke has been downright dominant at home. So far in 2017, 14 of his 25 start have come at home and he has recorded a very impressive 2.34 ERA, 10.9 K/9 rate, and has limited opponents to a low .250 wOBA. Despite the Giants striking out less than league average, they rank 3rd last in runs scored overall and rank dead last in wOBA and wRC+ vs. right-handed pitching. Greinke is safe in all formats.

 

A.J. Cole
Opponent – vs. NYM
Park – Nationals Park (Pitchers Park)
Vegas Favorite (WSH +120)
Vegas Total (8.0)

Before I get into Cole who is a currently a +120 dog i want to clarify that I also like Michael Wacha and Adam Conley as viable SP2 options on DraftKings. Both of those I will be using in cash games but for GPP’s I prefer to save even more salary and roll with Cole. He was recalled this morning to make a spot start for Scherzer and gets a plus matchup vs. a watered down Mets lineup. Cole has gone at least five innings in all four starts this season and if he can control the walks tonight has a chance to crush his value in the $6K range. He also helps pay right up for Greinke and not limit the bats you can get in your lineup.

Top Stacks

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Paul Goldschmidt - Arizona Diamondbacks

For my stacks tonight, i will be paying up for the Diamondbacks who get a terrific home matchup vs. Ty Blach who has struggled mightily on the road with 5.50 ERA. On top of that, he has allowed a .369 wOAB to opponents away from AT&T Park and comes in having allowed 12 earned runs over his last two starts to the Marlins and Phillies(both bottom third offenses). I will be targeting Paul Goldschmidt and A.J. Pollock for the most part but also liek teh value in Gregor Blanco if back in the leadoff spot and Chris Iannetta who crushes lefties.

For my value stack I will be turning to the Oakland Athletics tonight. They are going to be low owned due to the perception of the park but looking at the 2017 numbers, Oakland Coliseum has been a Top 5 hitters park this season. Everything is lining up for it to produce some runs tonight as well as the forecast is currently showing 10-15 mph winds blowing out to right center. The A’s also get a nice matchup vs. A.J. Griffin who produces a slate low 28.9% ground balls, a slate high 58.3% fly balls with a 37% hard contact rate. He is also prone to a blow up as he has given up three or more home runs in three of his last seven starts and sits with a 14.3% HR/FB rate.

 

 

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for August 24, 2017

by Chris Durell 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for August 24, 2017

Today we have 12 games split right down the middle and for the purpose of this article, we will be concentrating on the six-game main slate only. Let’s jump in and take a look at a few of the top pitchers and some stacking options.

Starting Pitchers

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Carlos Martinez

Carlos Martinez
Opponent – vs. SD
Park – Busch Stadium (Pitchers Park)
Vegas Favorite (STL -220)
Vegas Total (8.0)

Chris Sale is clearly the better pitcher on the main slate but has the tougher matchup and is quite a bit more expensive. From a PTS/$ perspective, I lean Carlos Martinez tonight who hasn’t been a slouch with a 9.4 K/9 rate and 3.62 xFIP on the season. He also gets the way better matchup vs. the Padres who rank second to last in wOBA and wRC+ vs. right-handed pitching and strike out 25% of the time. It makes sense to go with CarMart in all formats and get better bats throughout your lineup.

Jose Berrios
Opponent – @CWS
Park – Guaranteed Rate Field (Neutral)
Vegas Favorite (MIN -165)
Vegas Total (10.0)

The value range is full of risk all over the place so I always lean matchup and upside. Enter Berrios who has been better at home(road tonight) but consider he gets a plus matchup vs. a White Sox team that ranks 28th in wOBA and wRC+ vs. right-handed pitching with a 22.5% K rate. He is also coming off one of his best starts of the season where he shut out the D-Backs over seven innings allowing just two hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. The upside and price is enough to overcome the risk factor.

 

Top Stacks

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Anthony Rizzo

There are a couple ways I am going to go with stacks tonight and it starts with the Cubs who have the highest implied run total(5.4). I am not all concerned that Sal Romano shut down the Braves in his last considering Atlanta is not that strong of an offense to begin with. In his three starts before that, Romano was downright awful giving up 15 earned runs in 17 innings with just 11 strikeouts and nearly 40% hard contact against. I will be turning to Kyle Schwarber, Kris Bryant(if back in LU), Anthony Rizzo, and Alex Avila as my main targets.

After the Cubs, I will be heavily targeting the Twins who face Derek Holland tonight. He has given 17 earned runs over his last three starts and sits with a 18% HR/FB rate for the season. The stack could also be somewhat low owned as the Twins, as a team, are mid-pack against left-handed pitching but are lead by Brian Dozier and Eduardo Escobar who rake vs. southpaws.

 

 

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

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks for August 21, 2017

by Austyn Varney 0 Comments

*Austyn Varney*

MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks – Monday, August 21, 2017

*STARTING PITCHERS*

Alex Wood - Los Angeles Dodgers - MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks

Alex Wood @ Pittsburgh Pirates
Park – PNC Park
Opp implied total – 3.72

The truth of the matter is that we don’t have a lot of pitching on this slate. With just 8 games on the books, it’s somewhat expected. We do at least have a guy in Alex Wood that should have a solid game. The Pirates are projected for under 3 runs and can strikeout a good amount. We know how good Wood is, or how good he can be I should say. So far on the season, he’s posted an elite .249 combined wOBA and has struck out over 9 batters per 9 innings. He has controlled both sides of the plate quite nicely and has also dropped his HR issue from past years. As for the Pirates, they are as average as you can get. Against lefties, they’ve ranked 17th in baseball with a .316 wOBA. They K 20% of the time and are nothing to be afraid of in pitcher-friendly PNC Park. Alex Wood is the top play by a mile and the ownership will reflect that. Don’t get cute in cash games.

Zach Davies @ San Francisco Giants
Park – AT&T Park
Vegas O/U – 3.91

Like I said, pitching is ugly. Whenever Zach Davies is the 2nd best option on a slate, my previous comment goes unsaid. He is at least facing off with the worst team in baseball against righties. The Giants have been dead last against righties with a .291 wOBA and have been only worse at home in the best pitchers park in the league. They do have some big-name bats, but they kind of stink. Buster Posey isn’t very good against righties and neither is Hunter Pence. the rest of the order is full of weak bats. While they don’t strike out much, they also don’t have the power to hit one out. Davies isn’t a great pitcher by any means, but he’s decent. He’s sported a .326 wOBA and has backed it up with a 6.5 K/9 and 27% hard contact rate. The park is optimal and I think Davies is safer than any other SP2 you will find.

*OFFENSIVE STACKS*

Manny Machado - Baltimore Orioles - MLB Daily Fantasy Baseball Lineup Stacks - Lineuplab
Baltimore Orioles Vs Chris Smith (Athletics)
Park – Camden Yards
Implied Total – 5.83

While we don’t have a bunch of big pitchers on the slate, we also don’t have any gas cans that you can target with no caution. Chris Smith is the worst pitcher on the slate and he’ll be pitching in Camden Yards. He first pitched in 2006, which should actually tell you a lot. He’s 36 years old and is not going to find his way now. Through his 5 random years between 2006 and now, he’s allowed a .340 wOBA to both lefties and righties. He’s used to pitching in the Oakland Coliseum (top 5 pitcher park) and will have a ton of trouble moving to a top 5 hitting ballpark. Manny Machado is the top option and I wouldn’t consider making a stack without him. Schoop and Adam Jones are next as supreme cash game options. The rest of the order is filled with power and you can really go anywhere you want. Mancini and Trumbo are my favorites and should only be about 10-15% owned.

Main Stack – Manny Machado, Jonathan Schoop, Adam Jones, Trey Mancini
Sneaky Stack – Manny Machado, Jonathan Schoop, Tim Beckham, Chris Davis

Arizona Diamondbacks @ Robert Gsellman (Mets)
Park – Citi Field
Implied Total – 4.75

Honestly, I don’t love any offense after the Orioles. Gsellman is a talented pitcher that hasn’t found his footing in quite some time. Ths Diamondbacks team is good against righties and they hold a 4.75 implied total. On the season, Gsellman has been absolutely atrocious. He’s posted a .365 combined wOBA and has given up 14 homers in just 70 innings. He’s walking nearly 4 batters per 9 innings and is striking out just 6. All in all, Gsellman is nowhere near where he needs to be. We know how lethal this offense can be and with the addition of J.D. Martinez, they have an insane 4-man cash game stack. Lamb, Goldy, Peralta, and Pollock are elite and they are the easy cash game stack. If you want to go crazy, I would look for a power bat towards the bottom of the lineup that will come in under 10%. Chris Herrmann will be that guy for me.

Main Stack – Jake Lamb, David Peralta, A.J. Pollock, Paul Goldschmidt
Sneaky Stack – Jake Lamb, David Peralta, J.D. Martinez, Chris Herrmann

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for 08/20/2017

by Mike Barner 0 Comments

*Mike Barner*

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks – Sunday, August 20

Sunday’s schedule includes a few aces taking the mound, which could lead to some big strikeout performances. 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**

Jacob deGrom vs. Miami Marlins
Park – Citi Field

The Mets are having a disappointing season, but it’s not because of deGrom as he is 13-6 with a 3.35 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 183 strikeouts in 158.2 innings. His current 10.4 K/9 is the highest of his career. While his overall numbers are excellent, he has been even better at home as he has a 2.49 ERA and 1.15 WHIP at Citi Field this season. In his only start against the Marlins this year, he pitched seven impressive innings, allowing two runs and recording 13 strikeouts. Expect him to put up excellent numbers again Sunday.

Gio Gonzalez vs. San Diego Padres
Park – Petco Park

Gonzalez is having maybe the best season of his 10-year career as he enters Sunday 11-5 with a 2.49 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 142 strikeouts in 155.1 innings. It’s hard to believe, but he has been even better lately as he has allowed three runs in 28 innings over his last four starts. He doesn’t really have many bad starts in general as he has posted a quality start in 13 of his last 14 games. Sunday presents a favorable match up against the Padres who entered Saturday hitting .222 against left handed pitchers, the worst in all of baseball. This has the makings of another big start from Gonzalez.

**OFFENSIVE STACKS**

Houston Astros vs. Jharel Cotton
Park – Minute Maid Park

To say Cotton is having a bad season is an understatement. He enters Sunday 5-10 with a 5.83 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 80 strikeouts in 97.1 innings. It’s been even tougher for him lately as he has allowed 19 runs in 20.2 innings over his last four starts. The Astros have scored the most runs in baseball and have hit an impressive .290 against right handed pitchers entering Saturday. This is a major mismatch, so make sure you load up your entry with Astros.

Players to consider stacking: Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Josh Reddick

Chicago Cubs vs. Marco Estrada (Toronto Blue Jays)
Park – Wrigley Field

Estrada entered the 2017 campaign having posted an ERA or 3.87 or lower in four of his last five seasons. This season has been a major struggle though as he is 5-8 with a 5.09 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 143 strikeouts in 139.2 innings. His problem has been avoiding contact as he has already allowed 144 hits this year, the most of his career. He posted a 6.8 H/9 or less in both of the last two seasons, making his struggles this year even more shocking. Stack your lineup with Cubs hitters and enjoy the ride Sunday.

Players to consider stacking: Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for 08/19/2017

by Mike Barner 0 Comments

*Mike Barner*

Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks – Saturday, August 19

Saturday could be a day of offensive explosions as there are only a few stud starting pitchers taking mound. 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**

Chris Sale vs. New York Yankees
Park – Fenway Park

Sale continues to dominate baseball as he enters Saturday 14-4 with a 2.51 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and a staggering 241 strikeouts in 168.1 innings. The strikeouts are already the second highest total of his career. The Yankees just can’t hit Sale as he has a 1.18 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and an 11.3 K/9 against them in his career. The Yankees struggle against left handed pitchers in general as they entered Friday hitting only .235 against them this season. Sale should put up some crazy numbers again in this contest.

Jason Vargas vs. Cleveland Indians
Park – Kauffman Stadium

Vargas has put together a surprisingly solid season for the Royals as he is 14-6 with a 3.45 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 102 strikeouts in 135.2 innings.  While he doesn’t provide a ton of strikeouts, Vargas has allowed three runs or less in four of his last five starts. The Indians have not been able to solve Vargas this year as he is 2-0 with a 0.87 ERA and 1.21 WHIP against them in three starts. Since there aren’t many seemingly sure things outside of Sale Saturday, Vargas is a cheaper option who could pay off for your lineup.

**OFFENSIVE STACKS**

Washington Nationals vs. Travis Wood (San Diego Padres)
Park – Petco Park

Wood began the season with the Royals and spent the majority of his time there pitching out of the bullpen. He has become exclusively a starting pitcher for the Padres as he has made four starts in all four of his appearances with his new team. It has not been a successful transition though as he has a 5.57 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. Home runs have been a problem since his trade as he has allowed five over 21 innings with the Padres compared to only four in 41.2 innings with the Royals. The Nationals crush left handed pitching as they entered Friday with a .288 batting averaging against southpaws, which is the best in the majors. Take advantage of this opportunity.

Players to consider stacking: Ryan Zimmerman, Anthony Rendon and Howie Kendrick

Chicago Cubs vs. Nick Tepesch (Toronto Blue Jays)
Park – Wrigley Field

Tepesch has only made two starts for the Blue Jays, allowing five runs over 4.1 innings to the Yankees and only one run in six innings against the Tampa Bay Rays. He hasn’t provided much in the way of strikeouts as he only has four in 10.1 innings. His career stats are nothing to write home about either as he has a 5.23 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over 235 innings. The Cubs have been scoring in bunches lately as they have produced at least seven runs in six of their last eight games. Make sure to pack your lineup with the defending champs.

Players to consider stacking: Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for August 18, 2017

by Chris Durell 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for August 18, 2017

Welcome for another big Friday in daily fantasy baseball. With one afternoon matchup(TOR @ CHC) it leaves us with a big 14-game slate starting at 7:05 p.m. ET tonight. Let’s take a look at a couple of the top pitching and stacking options.

Starting Pitchers

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Max Scherzer - Washington Nationals - Lineup Lab

Max Scherzer
Opponent – @SD
Park – Petco Park(Pitchers Park)
Vegas Favorite (WSH – 198)
Vegas Total (7.0)

The price is steep, especially on DraftKings where he has reached the $14K mark once again but Max clearly has the best matchup and most upside of any pitcher tonight. He and the Nats will travel to Petco Park to take on the Padres who have scored a league low 466 runs this season and also rank 27th in wOBA and 26th in wRC+ vs. right-handed pitching with a 25% strikeout rate. Scherzer is currently the leading CY Young candidate in the National League and is running a career-high 12.35 K/9 rate and is second to only Kershaw with a 2.25 ERA on the season. On a full slate, there will be more than enough value plays to fit Scherzer in your lineups in all formats.

Matt Moore
Opponent – vs. PHI
Park – AT&T Park(Pitchers Park)
Vegas Favorite (SF -150)
Vegas Total (8.0)

I won’t be considering Moore on FanDuel in the mid $7K range but on DraftKings he makes an excellent SP2 at $5K if you are planning on using a lot of Scherzer and still want some bats in your lineup. The combination keeps you under $20K for your pitching staff and allows you an average of $3,862 for the remaining eight spots in your lineup. I am definitely not suggesting he is a safe play with a 5.71 ERA and 4.92 but with has shown more K upside lately(16 K’s last two starts) and has picked up double-digit DK points in seven of his last 10 starts, scoring 20+ in two of them. Not bad for just $5K.

Top Stacks

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Corey Dickerson - Tampa Bay Rays - Lineuplab

There are a lot of different ways to go tonight and I really think that helps spread the ownership out quite a bit. The Coors Field ownership is definitely helped by the fact there are two CY Young candidates on the mound (Scherzer & Kluber) in great matchups and are priced as such. I prefer the Rockies who are currently projected to score almost seven runs as they face-off with Matt Garza who doesn’t miss bats(6.05 K/9) and has struggled this year with a 4.38 ERA and even worse 4.97 xFIP. The Brewers are also on my radar despite the second half struggles as they come at a discount and very well could fall outside the Top 3 in ownership. The team I project to push the Rockies for the top owned team tonight is the Texas Rangers who have been on fire this week winning four straight games while scoring 37 runs (9.3 per game) with 10 long balls. They are also a team I will run multiple variations as they are loaded with power throughout the lineup. For value tonight, I love the Tampa Bay Rays left-handed bats (Corey Dickerson, Logan Morrison, Lucas Duda, Brad Miller) going up against their old teammate, Erasmo Ramirez who has been much worse vs. lefties(.357 wOBA vs .281 wOBA vs RH).

 

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for August 17, 2017

by Chris Durell 0 Comments

*Chris Durell*

DraftKings / FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks for August 17, 2017

Starting Pitchers

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Luis Severino - New York Yankees - Lineup Lab

Luis Severino
Opponent – @NYM
Park – Citi Field(Pitchers Park)
Vegas Favorite (NYY -180)
Vegas Total (7.0)

Almost everything is in Severino’s favor tonight. I say almost as the price has elevated to $12.5K on DraftKings tonight. I think that combined with the fact he is coming off a blow up start vs. the Red Sox(8 ER with 2 HR) will keep his ownership down tonight making him my top target. The Yankees are big -180 favorites and get a huge park upgrade going to Citi Field and we shouldn’t worry too much about Severino. He has been very consistent this season with a 3.32 ERA, 3.13 xFIP and also comes with a ton of upside with a 10.4 K/9 and 12.1% swinging strike rate.

Jeff Samardzija
Opponent – vs. PHI
Park – AT&T Park (Pitchers Park)
Vegas Favorite (SF -120)
Vegas Total (7.0)

Severino is likely the chalk tonight on FanDuel for just $500 more so for tournaments I think the Shark makes a great pivot for ownership. He comes with much less win potential as not only is the moneyline lower for the Giants but they have one of the weakest offenses in the league. He still has upside with a 9.25 K/9 rate and the xFIP(3.36) is much better than the ERA(4.74). Shark also gets an elite matchup vs. a team that has actually scored less runs this season than the Giants. The Phillies also strikeout over 23% of the time vs. right-handed pitching and have a 77 wRC+ over the last seven days.

Top Stacks

DraftKings FanDuel MLB Lineup Picks - Andre Beltre - Texas Rangers - Lineuplab

With a five game slate and a pair of expensive pitchers, it really limits the options available for stacking. Only two games have a total of 9.0 or higher and the Cardinals/Pirates game has some risk of rain at this point. The chalk will most definitely fall on the Texas Rangers tonight who currently sit with a slate-high six implied runs. The wind is blowing out in the Texas heat so get ready for some bombs. Reynaldo Lopez is a nice prospect but gave up two home runs in his first start and now faces a Top 10 offense. I will be looking at not only stacking the top four hitters(Choo, Mazara, Andrus, Beltre) but I also want a piece of the bottom of the order with Gallo and Chirinos if they are in the lineup. For DraftKings where I will be playing Severino in hopes of lower ownership(due to price), I will be looking at the White Sox. They are another one of those teams that has struggled this year and have been much better vs. lefties but the matchup should not be ignored. Tyson Ross is walking nearly six batters per nine with a below average strikeout rate and enters tonight with a 7.11 ERA and xFIP of 6.03 that doesn’t provide much hope things will get any better.