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We love stacking teams. I know you love stacking teams too because you’re here in this article. So since you were kind enough to join me, I’ll give you my five favorite DraftKings stacks of the afternoon on what should be a day of baseball filled with offense.
As always, you can reach me on the ol’ Twitter machine @SBuchanan24.
Set your DraftKings lineups here: MLB $250K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
1. Tampa Bay Rays
I’ll tell ya, I really wish Trent Thornton ($7,000) could figure it out because I love his stuff. The problem is currently so do opposing hitters. He’s only pitched 4 2⁄3 innings thus far but has quickly allowed seven runs on 13 hits with four strikeouts and three walks. It’s a very small sample, of course, so if we go back to last year, he had a .325 wOBA with a 4.59 FIP and 24 home runs allowed through 154 1⁄3 innings. Both sides of the plate hit him hard, so you really don’t have to get overly creative with this stack. The Blue Jays’ bullpen behind Thornton also has control issues, sporting a 12.3 BB%, which is one of the highest in the league.
Players to Consider
Austin Meadows ($5,000)
Brandon Lowe ($5,400)
Willy Adames ($3,700)Hunter Renfroe ($3,700)Mike Zunino ($2,800)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Renfroe and Zunino are not in the lineup for today’s game vs. the Blue Jays.
2. Boston Red Sox
This is a complete waste of a season for the Red Sox as an organization but at least we can stack them occasionally in good matchups! Wade LeBlanc ($6,500) has been getting roughed up lately and that trend is likely to continue this afternoon. Entering this game, LeBlanc has a 6.05 FIP with a 41% hard-hit rate and a 2.08 HR/9 through just 21 2⁄3 innings. The Boston offense has been coming around as of late as well, making this a great spot for the Sox. The one concern is that the Orioles do have a good bullpen, which could cause the fantasy goodness to slow down a bit later in the game. To that end, the Red Sox should be able to at least rack up some good fantasy points off the jump, as they’ve already tagged LeBlanc for four runs on four hits in his first start of the season.
Players to Consider
J.D. Martinez ($5,800)
Xander Bogaerts ($5,200)
Kevin Pillar ($3,800)
Christian Vazquez ($4,800)
Rafael Devers ($5,300)
3. Minnesota Twins
Normally, if the Twins are facing a lefty, this would be the top stack of the day. To be fair, the Twins’ offense has been a bit maddening, especially in these matchups. Amazingly, this team only has a .098 ISO against lefties (what!?!) with a .282 wOBA (really!?!?) and a 21.7 K% (at least that’s good). I’ll continue to side with the talent in this one but that’s truly amazing to see how low it’s been. I firmly believe that, at some point, this team will break out against lefties while they’re at very low ownership. Today the Twins face Kris Bubic ($7,200), who Minnesota tagged for two runs on four hits and four walks in 4 1⁄3 innings his last time out. The good news is, the Twins HAVE been good against righties and the Royals rolling out a very wonky bullpen.
Players to Consider
Nelson Cruz ($5,700)
Miguel Sano ($4,800)
Marwin Gonzalez ($4,100)
Jorge Polanco ($4,700)
Eddie Rosario ($3,900)
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4. Toronto Blue Jays
This could be a potential game stack overall with the Rays, as neither side has particularly strong pitching options going this afternoon. Josh Fleming ($5,600) will be making his major-league debut today after making stops in both Double-A and Triple-A last season. While his 127 2⁄3 innings in Double-A went well, his 21 innings in Triple-A saw him post a 7.10 FIP with a 2.5 HR/9 and only a 17 K%. He does not have much strikeout upside at all but does induce a lot of ground balls. The Jays are a good club against lefties with a .171 ISO and a .338 wOBA. I’m guessing this will be a short outing for Fleming, which honestly could still be enough for the Jays to post some numbers before he’s out. If anything, this is one of the most affordable stacks on the board.
Players to Consider
Randal Grichuk ($3,500)
Teoscar Hernandez ($3,900)
Vlad Guerrero Jr. ($3,900)
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. ($3,700)
Danny Jansen ($3,000)
5. Chicago White Sox
This is a perfect GPP stack to consider with tremendous upside. The White Sox have put MLB on notice that this lineup is going to be a problem not just this season but for many to come. Against righties, the White Sox enter this game with a .324 wOBA and a .191 ISO on the season. With many people looking at Darvish as a pitcher to use this afternoon, the White Sox will carry very little ownership. If they can get to him early, which has been a tough task, the Cubs’ bullpen has been one of the worst in the league. On the season, the Cubs’ 5.53 FIP, 1.9 HR/9 and 12.6 BB% are all amongst the worst in the league. With all this in mind, if you’re entering one of the big tournaments this afternoon, try tossing in a White Sox stack to separate from the field.
Players to Consider
Tim Anderson ($5,400)
Yoan Moncada ($4,800)
Luis Robert ($4,100)
Yasmani Grandal ($4,400)
Jose Abreu ($4,500)
Set your DraftKings lineups here: MLB $250K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Steveazors) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
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