This series uses the FantasyLabs Tools to analyze MLB stacks in the day’s slate. The series does not provide play or fade recommendations. It provides analysis.
Cleveland Indians
With the Lineup Builder, it’s easy to incorporate stacks into DFS rosters. The FanDuel stack with the highest Bales Model rating belongs to the Indians, who are currently second in the slate with 5.8 implied runs:
While the Indians are 13th in the league this season with a .754 OPS against left-handed pitchers, they’ve run hot recently with the lowest strikeout rate and fourth-highest wOBA and ISO against southpaws over the last six weeks. Over their last 10 games against lefty starters, they’ve averaged 6.2 runs and a +1.66 FanDuel Plus/Minus (per our Trends tool). They offer a solid 89 Team Value Rating, and all four stacked hitters have recent fly ball rates greater than 43 percent and positive batted ball distance differentials. Against opposing lefty Adalberto Mejia the Indians hit two home runs in 4.2 innings just last week.
The Twins-Indians game presently has the slate’s highest chance of precipitation at 36 percent, which may reduce ownership for the Indians in guaranteed prize pools (GPPs). Pro subscribers can review ownership data after lineup lock via our DFS Ownership Dashboard.
Texas Rangers
The top DraftKings stack in the CSURAM88 Model belongs to the Rangers, who are currently not one of the eight teams implied for at least 5.0 runs (per our Vegas Dashboard):
The projected Rangers lineup has the slate’s second-highest 12-month wOBA, and every hitter has five-plus Pro Trends. Nomar Mazara has been tearing the cover off the ball with a distance differential of +25 feet and hard hit differential of +20 percentage points. He and Carlos Gomez lead all outfielders with 10 Pro Trends, and Gomez leads every hitter on the slate with a 66 percent recent hard hit rate. Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka has allowed at least three home runs in four of his last seven outings, and right-handed hitters have rocked Tanaka for a 0.416 wOBA at Yankee Stadium, where the wind is projected to blow out toward left field at 12 miles per hour.
Given that the Rangers are implied for only 4.9 runs and are in a game with a 23 percent chance of precipitation, they will likely have reduced exposure.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers have the four top FanDuel Pro Trend Stacks. The only difference between the top two are Justin Turner at No. 3 and Franklin Gutierrez at No. 4:
The stack with Gutierrez is $1,700 cheaper, but his recent batted ball distance is 59 feet shorter than Turner’s. Gutierrez also has recent fly ball and hard hit rates of only 11 percent. The Dodgers have the third-most home runs against left-handed pitchers this season and rank in the top 10 in ISO and wOBA against lefties. Implied for just 4.8 runs, the Dodgers will likely have low ownership, even though they have averaged 9.0 runs in their last six games.
Good luck, and be sure to read Bryan Mears’ MLB Breakdown!
News Updates
After this piece is published, FantasyLabs is likely to provide news updates on a number of players herein mentioned. Be sure to stay ahead of your competition with our industry-leading DFS-focused news blurbs:
