Stacking is an integral part of daily fantasy baseball. Correlation drives upside, giving your lineups a slate-winning ceiling when your stacks explode.
This piece will do the digging and the dirty work each day to determine which stacks are worth rostering on FanDuel's main slate. While we want upside, we also need to factor in game theory, especially in a sport as random as baseball.
Our MLB DFS heat map is a quick way to get a feel for the overall slate and which offenses are in a good spot. You can also check out our daily fantasy baseball projections to identify the slate's best bats.
Let's look at the top stacks for this main slate.
Toronto Blue Jays
This is a great night for offense. Despite it being just a seven-game slate, there are six teams with implied totals above 4.90. The slate's top mark belongs to the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Jays open their home series versus the Houston Astros with a delightful matchup against Brandon Bielak.
Bielak's overall numbers aren't too bad as he's sporting a 4.43 SIERA and a 21.2% strikeout rate. However, he has a massive gopher-ball problem, permitting 1.74 dingers per nine innings. He's also walking a bit too many guys (9.1% walk rate). All in all, the Jays boast a 5.44 implied total.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($3,600), Bo Bichette ($3,500) and George Springer ($3,300) are expected to occupy the first three spots in the lineup. All three are excellent options. Springer's .315 wOBA is mostly a mirage as his expected wOBA (xwOBA) is a more enticing .347. He's got 8 homers with 10 steals. Bichette (.394 xwOBA) and Vladdy (.396 xwOBA) are two of the best hitters in baseball, and their salaries are fairly modest considering how well they're hitting the ball this season.
Brandon Belt ($2,600) is forecasted to hit fourth. He's a sweet value play against a righty, although he's a pinch-hit risk if he sees a southpaw later in the game.
Matt Chapman ($3,200), Whit Merrifield ($3,000) and Daulton Varsho ($3,100) are all worth a look, too. Varsho is my favorite from that group. He offers a good power/speed combo (nine homers and seven steals), and he owns a 48.6% fly-ball rate against right-handers.
Philadelphia Phillies
I haven't been right on the Philadelphia Phillies much this season, but this sure looks like a good night to be on them.
Philly is at home against lefty Joey Wentz, who has pitched to a 4.70 SIERA and 19.0% strikeout rate across 79 2/3 career innings. He's surrendering a 40.3% fly-ball rate in 2023, leading to 1.72 homers per nine. Righties are mauling him to the tune of a .399 wOBA and 2.25 jacks per nine.
Wentz's splits make Nick Castellanos ($3,300) and Trea Turner ($3,000) awfully appealing. Castellanos has posted a .369 wOBA and 40.0% fly-ball rate versus southpaws this season. While Turner is struggling, he's eventually going to bust out and won't be salaried near $3,000 once he does. Even in the midst of his sluggish start, Turner has recorded five homers and eight swipes. He finished 2022 with a .376 wOBA with the platoon advantage.
J.T. Realmuto ($2,800) is another righty who needs to be on our radar, and Josh Harrison ($2,200) would be an intriguing value play if he gets a start.
Despite the lefty-lefty matchup, Bryce Harper ($4,100) and Kyle Schwarber ($3,000) are fully in play, too. With a .384 xwOBA, Harper has hit the ground running over his first 124 plate appearances.
Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers have been an elite offense against righties, and they'll see a middling right-hander today in Adam Wainwright. The Rangers' 4.93 implied total is a good number, but I'm surprised it's not a little higher.
Versus right-handers this season, Texas ranks second in wOBA (.344), second in wRC+ (120), first in hard-hit rate (36.7%) and first in runs (274). Yes, please.
Wainwright is really struggling so far this campaign, pitching to a 5.39 SIERA and 12.9% strikeout rate. He appears to be running on fumes, and this is a brutal matchup for him.
Marcus Semien ($4,000), Adolis Garcia ($3,600), Nathaniel Lowe ($3,200) and Corey Seager ($3,900) will likely hit first through fourth. You can make a strong case for any of them. Factoring in salaries, Lowe is my favorite play of the four, and he's one of my favorite plays of the night. He's got a .369 wOBA with the platoon advantage.
Jonah Heim ($3,300) and Josh Jung ($3,300) are superb picks, as well. With a .360 xwOBA and 12 dongs, Jung is arguably a tad under-salaried. You can say something similar for Heim, who has put up a .351 xwOBA and seven jacks, adding a pair of steals.
Other top options:Houston Astros (at Alek Manoah), Cincinnati Reds (Julio Teheran), San Diego Padres (vs. Kyle Hendricks)