3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for Wednesday 8/17/22
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.
Houston Astros
Michael Kopech has been lucky but regressing lately, and the Houston Astros can continue to fix the gap between his ERA and ERA estimators. Kopech has a 3.18 ERA in 21 starts spanning 104 2/3 innings, which is markedly better than his 4.69 xFIP and 4.62 SIERA.
But after a fast start, Kopech has come back to Earth. In his last 13 games, he's had a 4.45 ERA and 4.69 xFIP. The righty's 11.9 percent walk and 21.3 percent strikeout rates have also left something to be desired. As a result, Kopech is a pitcher to attack with a top-flight offense like the Astros.
My favorite picks from the Astros are their two most accomplished hitters against righties. First, since 2019, Kyle Tucker ($4,000) has walloped righties for a .371 OBP, .241 ISO, and 149 wRC+. Second, Yordan Alvarez ($4,200) has been even better, destroying righties for a .374 OBP, .296 ISO, and 164 wRC+.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers aren't a team to invest in for cash games. Additionally, they could completely faceplant in a tricky matchup against Tony Gonsolin. However, the Beer Makers have exciting power, namely in their home park.
Rowdy Tellez ($3,100) has the most eye-catching power for the Brewers. Since Milwaukee acquired him last year, he's ripped 15 round-trippers with a .338 OBP, .306 ISO, and 135 wRC+ across 213 plate appearances against righties at home. Thus, he's my favorite option in this stack.
Fortunately, he's not the only enticing option. Willy Adames ($3,400) has muscled up at home against righties since the Brewers traded for him last year. In 269 plate appearances, he's belted 18 bombs with a .264 ISO. Finally, Hunter Renfroe ($3,200) has hit six homers with a .229 ISO in 106 plate appearances against righties at American Family Field this year.
The most likely outcome is an underwhelming showing from the Brewers. Nevertheless, their power makes them a high-upside contrarian stack worthy of GPP consideration.
Tampa Bay Rays
Domingo German is starting for only the sixth time for the New York Yankees this season. In five starts totaling 23 2/3 innings, German's 4.18 ERA has been underwhelming but also lucky. The veteran righty's 5.24 Expected ERA (xERA), 4.75 xFIP, and 4.78 SIERA have all been much worse than his actual results. Therefore, he's a prime target to stack against.
Additionally, German hasn't been especially challenging for lefties or righties. He's allowed a .318 wOBA to lefties and .312 wOBA to righties in his career.
Unfortunately, the Tampa Bay Rays will have their work cut out for them against New York's bullpen. The Yankees' relievers have the second-lowest ERA (2.97) in 2022. So, there's a risk to stacking the Rays.
Tampa Bay doesn't have a deep lineup or many elite hitters. Still, Brandon Lowe ($2,800) is an excellent target. Since last year, he's had a .356 OBP, .267 ISO, and 145 wRC+ against righties.
Randy Arozarena ($3,300) is another exciting option, owning a rock-solid 116 wRC+ in same-handed matchups since last year. However, the excitement for using him is boosted by Arozarena's speed, leading to 21 stolen bases in 31 attempts this year.
The other best choices from the Rays are Yandy Diaz ($2,600), David Peralta ($2,500), and Isaac Paredes ($2,800).
Peralta is especially intriguing. He revamped his swing before the year to loft the ball more frequently, and he's had a .216 ISO and 119 wRC+ against righties this season due to hitting more fly balls.
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.
