3 FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks for Tuesday 4/16/24

13d

3 FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks for Tuesday 4/16/24

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.

The MLB DFS heat map at numberFire 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 -- which are powered by numberFire -- to identify the slate's best bats.

Let's look at the top stacks for today's main slate.

MLB DFS Stacks

Los Angeles Dodgers

Implied Total: 5.27 | Opposing Pitcher: Patrick Corbin

The 2024 season is not off to an encouraging start for Washington Nationals veteran Patrick Corbin. The 34-year-old has the worst qualifying ERA among starters through his first three starts -- a gulp-inducing 8.44 mark.

That's with his current 1.1 HR/9 significantly trailing the 1.7 HR/9 he's allowed since joining up with Nationals back in 2020. Even if his park-influenced .424 BABIP and 4.31 SIERA imply that he hasn't been as bad as things look, he's still at major risk of allowing more home runs.

Considering that, he's probably not too thrilled for his matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers today. The Dodgers' .433 SLG ranks fifth-best so far this season, and the top of their lineup is jampacked with studs capable of course-correcting that 1.1 HR/9.

Shohei Ohtani (17.3) and Mookie Betts (16.8) are projected for the most and second-most FanDuel points among batters on today's main slate. Their respective $4,400 and $4,500 salaries reflect those projections and make them a touch prohibitive to roster, but they'll be worth consideration as the backbone of any Dodgers stack today.

Freddie Freeman ($3,600) has proven over his career that he's still great against left-handed pitching, and his .805 OPS against them backs that up. He's projected for 12.9 FanDuel points in this one.

Rounding out the top of the Dodgers' order, Will Smith ($3,100) is projected for a strong 11.3 FanDuel points, as well. Despite slugging for a .477 mark in his first 72 plate appearances -- his highest rate since 2021 -- Smith has still notched only a single home run this year. A matchup with the Nationals could be exactly what he needs to get back on the scoreboard.

Finally, when the Dodgers are facing a left-handed pitcher, you need to consider Teoscar Hernandez ($3,500). His .650 SLG against lefties has been the seventh-best mark among batters with at least 15 plate appearances versus left-handers this year. numberFire projects him for a solid 11.9 FanDuel points today.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Implied Total: 4.87 | Opposing Pitcher: Kyle Hendricks

He has only made three starts to open the 2024 season, but the Chicago Cubs might be getting a little worried about longtime stud Kyle Hendricks. Without mincing words, Hendricks has played like one of the worst starters in the league through 12.2 innings this year, with a 12.08 ERA to show for it.

Hendricks has allowed nearly as many home runs (5) as he has struck out batters (8) so far this season. He's up to a 2.37 WHIP, as well. He hasn't been quite right, and his first three opponents -- the Texas Rangers, the Dodgers, and the San Diego Padres -- were more than happy to capitalize on his struggles.

Things won't get much easier tonight against the Arizona Diamondbacks, whose 5.35 runs per game trail only the Padres among Hendricks' past opponents and ranks seventh-best to open the year.

Reigning NL Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll ($3,800) carries the highest projection among Arizona's hitters tonight. According to numberFire's model, the young star is slated for 13.7 FanDuel points against Chicago. Even if his slugging numbers look a little worse this year than last, Carroll has still drawn more walks (9) than strikeouts (6) and remains a menace on the basepaths.

Alongside Carroll, Ketel Marte ($3,600) has enjoyed an excellent start to the season as the Diamondbacks' primary leadoff hitter. He is projected for 11.9 FanDuel points here and makes for an appealing stacking option alongside the Diamondbacks' power hitters a little further down the lineup.

The first option to consider among those power hitters has to be Christian Walker ($3,700). The slugging first baseman is barreling balls at a career-best 16.1% rate and is pacing for another 30+ home run season. He's projected for 12.9 FanDuel points tonight. He has +430 odds to hit a home run on FanDuel Sportsbook -- just the fifth-shortest -- making him an interesting bet there, as well.

After Walker, Eugenio Suarez ($2,800) and Joc Pederson ($2,600) look like possible value plays to round out a D-Backs stack. Pederson in particular has +350 odds to hit a home run, which ranks as the second-shortest in the game.

Dinger Tuesdays are back on FanDuel Sportsbook, too, and that means that placing a bet on any Cubs or Diamondbacks player to hit a home run can earn you bonus bets whenever anyone in that game notches one.

Atlanta Braves

Implied Total: 4.84 | Opposing Pitcher: Hunter Brown

The Houston Astros are dealing with a glut of injuries amongst their starting pitchers. That means that even despite his concerning struggles, we're getting another start from Hunter Brown tonight.

Brown started the season off rough, but the wheels completely fell off against the Kansas City Royals last week, as he didn't make it out of the first inning after giving up 11 hits and a walk with no strikeouts. We're not expecting another meltdown of that intensity from Brown today, but we're certainly targeting him in DFS.

The Atlanta Braves' stars are usually worth consideration in DFS regardless of their opponent. They could seriously pop off in this one.

The top of the Braves' lineup is loaded with talent, and their FanDuel salaries reflect both that talent and the opportunity at their hands tonight. Ronald Acuna Jr. ($4,300), Ozzie Albies ($3,900), Austin Riley ($3,600), Matt Olson ($3,900) and Marcell Ozuna ($4,000) are all projected for at least 12 FanDuel points in tonight's tilt, with Albies' 14.2-point projection leading the way.

Behind those studs, I also like Michael Harris II ($3,200) and Jarred Kelenic ($2,700) as lower-salaried options. Both players are off to strong starts and have historically destroyed right-handed pitchers in their respective careers, making them good options to get exposure to the Braves' otherwise high-salaried roster.

Dinger Tuesday is back! Place a pre-live, straight "To Hit a Home Run" wager on any MLB game happening April 16th. You’ll get Bonus Bets for each home run BOTH TEAMS hit in the game! See the promotions page for more information.

Want to play MLB DFS? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy baseball lobby to see all the offerings for today’s slates.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.