3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for Friday 9/30/22
Stacks are an integral part of daily fantasy baseball. They can push a team to the top of a GPP by driving upside. However, they're also viable in cash games, namely smaller (two-person or three-person) stacks that mitigate the volatility of a full four-person stack.
This article is your home throughout the 2022 Major League Baseball season for the day's top stacks. The primary goal is to identify the highest-scoring upside stack. Still, game theory will play a role in contrarian stacks making the cut as GPP options. Nevertheless, chalky stacks will make appearances in this space, too.
Beyond my analysis in this space, I strongly suggest numberFire premium members using our DFS Sharpstack tool and hitting heat map tool. The DFS Sharpstack helps plug stacks into optimized lineups, allowing you to change parameters and lock or exclude players and teams. Meanwhile, the heat map offers a one-stop-shop for the opposing starting pitcher, implied total, park factor, and other notable goodies.
Now, let's look at the top stacks on today's main slate.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers have a drool-inducing matchup tonight. Chad Kuhl has been lousy this season by any measure. According to FanGraphs, in his last seven starts spanning 35 and 2/3 innings, he's had a 7.82 ERA and allowed 2.52 homers per nine innings.
Further, Kuhl has been a mess on the road. In 69 and 1/3 innings on the road this season, he's had a 5.84 ERA, 4.92 xFIP, and allowed 1.82 homers per nine innings. All hitters have also destroyed the veteran pitcher. Lefties have had a .482 slugging and .357 wOBA against Kuhl this year. Meanwhile, righties have had a .504 slugging and .368 wOBA against Kuhl in 2022.
The matchup against the bullpen is sweet, too. The Colorado Rockies have the second-highest bullpen ERA (4.81) this season. So, LA's hitters should tee off tonight. Thus, they're stackable throughout the entire lineup.
Still, Will Smith ($3,100) and Max Muncy ($2,900) are two of my favorite options. They've been tattooed righties and have cap-friendly salaries. Since last year, Smith has had a .358 OBP, .231 ISO, and 134 wRC+ against righties. Sadly, Muncy was in a funk most of the year at the dish. However, in 201 plate appearances since August 1, he's swatted 12 homers with a .358 OBP, .273 ISO, and 150 wRC+.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are also in an eruption spot at home tonight against Nick Pivetta. The 29-year-old righty has had a 4.48 ERA, 4.49 Expected ERA (xERA), and allowed 1.32 homers per nine innings in 31 starts this year.
The righty also hasn't been tough on fellow righties, allowing a .315 wOBA to them. Further, he's been rocked by lefties for a .346 wOBA. The Boston Red Sox have also struggled in relief this year, owning the sixth-highest bullpen ERA (4.54). As a result, Toronto's offense can tee off from the first pitch through the final out.
Like the Dodgers, the Blue Jays have stacking options. Yet, I'm enamored with George Springer ($3,600), Bo Bichette ($4,100), and Matt Chapman ($2,500). Since last year, Springer has had a .240 ISO and 133 wRC+ against righties. And Bichette and Chapman have been in great form in the second half. The former has a .371 OBP, .217 ISO, and 161 wRC+ in the second half. Meanwhile, Chapman has a .352 OBP, .224 ISO, and 134 wRC+ in the second half.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are strictly a tournament stack. Sandy Alcantara isn't usually a pitcher to stack against. Still, he hasn't been bulletproof in his last 10 starts. Instead, Alcantara has had a rock-solid 3.03 ERA, 3.39 xFIP, and a 21.6 percent strikeout rate.
If Alcantara isn't sharp tonight, the Brewers can get the better of him. Milwaukee is tied for the ninth-highest wOBA (.325) at home this year. They've also been a handful for righties, ranking tied for fifth in wRC+ (109) against them.
Since the Beer Makers are a contrarian stack, gamers don't need to get too cute with their selections. Instead, Rowdy Tellez ($2,500) and Willy Adames ($3,500) are stellar choices as two of Milwaukee's highest-ceiling hitters. In 274 plate appearances against righties at home with the Brewers since last year, Tellez has had a .307 ISO and 130 wRC+. Finally, Adames has had a .289 ISO and 122 wRC+ against righties in Milwaukee since they acquired him last year.
Joshua Shepardson is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Joshua Shepardson also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username bchad50. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
