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.
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox have been handed a slate-leading 5.05 implied total for their road clash with Brad Keller.
A righty, Keller is having a miserable start to 2023, struggling to a 6.27 SIERA with a 15.8% strikeout rate. Lefties (.374 wOBA) and righties (.368 wOBA) are both having gobs of success against Keller, so we have freedom with our Pale Hose stacks.
As an added bonus, the White Sox don't have any hitters salaried over $3,200.
Tim Anderson ($3,100), Andrew Benintendi ($2,800), Andrew Vaughn ($3,200) and Luis Robert ($3,000) are expected to hit first through fourth. Our model ranks Anderson as the night's 5th-best bat while Vaughn checks in 11th. I'm most into Robert, though, who brings huge upside to the table in any matchup.
Gavin Sheets ($2,700) and Yasmani Grandal ($2,700) are solid plays, as well. Both will have the platoon advantage against Keller, and this is Grandal's better side as he's sporting a .346 wOBA in the split this year.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays' MLB-best offense will take its hacks against Dean Kremer, and it's an advantageous spot for the Rays, who enter tonight with a 4.89 implied total, the slate's third-best.
Kremer has been a pretty meh pitcher throughout his career, and he's been that same guy so far in 2023, recording a 4.76 SIERA and 17.9% strikeout rate in 35 2/3 innings. The right-hander doesn't have any noticeable splits in his career, so we can fire away at all the Rays.
Wander Franco ($3,800), Randy Arozarena ($4,400) and Yandy Diaz ($3,900) are elite plays, and they're salaried like it.
Franco will be the centerpiece of my Tampa stacks. Regarded as a pristine prospect, Franco is living up to the billing this season after a slightly disappointing rookie year -- although that's a little harsh considering last season was his age-21 campaign. So far in 2023, the switch-hitting Franco owns a .392 wOBA with seven homers and nine steals. Yes, please.
Brandon Lowe ($3,400) will be another core piece for me. He is slumping after a hot start but still offers a high ceiling against righties and will likely hit in the heart of the order.
Isaac Paredes ($3,200), Harold Ramirez ($3,500), Josh Lowe ($3,600) and Taylor Walls ($3,600) are plenty viable if they start. Walls is eligible at second, third and short, making him a handy piece to lineup puzzles.
Minnesota Twins
This one might be a bit of a reach, but I am interested in the Minnesota Twins versus Seth Lugo.
Lugo has been good this year, which is why this is risky and why Minnesota has a pedestrian 4.43 implied total. But while Lugo has a 3.90 SIERA, he's generated a meager 7.6% swinging-strike rate. I like the idea of targeting an offense that won't be chalky against a pitcher who gives up a lot of contact.
The one Twin who will likely be popular is Byron Buxton ($3,800). It's rare for guys with his upside to slip through the cracks on small slates. Buxton is sporting a .362 wOBA with 8 jacks and a 57.7% fly-ball rate.
Buxton is the lone Minnesota hitter salaried above $3,100, and they have several other enticing options, including Alex Kirilloff ($2,200), Max Kepler ($2,700), Carlos Correa ($3,000) and Jorge Polanco ($3,100). Kepler is projected to hit leadoff while Kirilloff is an excellent value target.