3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for Friday 8/18/23

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 numberFire's daily fantasy baseball projections to identify the slate's best bats.

Today is a Coors Field day between the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox, so while you should of course look at those lineups, we will focus on three other teams since we don't need to tell you what you already know there.

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

Philadelphia Phillies

Implied Total: 5.14 | Opposing Pitcher: Joan Adon

The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the most talented lineups in the league when everyone is going right.

Philadelphia will take on the Washington Nationals, who are coming off back-to-back victories over the Boston Red Sox. The roll the Nats are on shouldn't bother you too much, though, as Joan Adon doesn't strike fear by any means, and he's a pitcher the Phillies can take advantage of.

Adon has made two straight starts this season and has a 5.14 ERA to show for his four total appearances. The 41.7% fly-ball rate should say all you need to know about the potential of the Phillies' lineup -- who can still launch.

Speaking of launching, it'd make a lot of sense to start a Phillies stack with Kyle Schwarber ($3,500). The free swinger hasn't had the average (.180) but he's still got the power. Schwarber is up to 30 home runs on the season with a .239 ISO. He's the top projected Phillies bat at 14.1 FanDuel points, per numberFire.

Alec Bohm ($3,000) projects as the second-best batter in the Philadelphia lineup tonight (13.1 FanDuel points). Bohm has had a good overall season with a .283/.336/.424 line to show for it. He doesn't have as much pop (12 home runs) but drives in runs as one of the top bats in the lineup as he's knocked in 75 so far.

Other options to consider from the Phillies lineup include Bryce Harper ($3,500), Nick Castellanos ($3,200), J.T. Realmuto ($3,100), Bryson Stott ($3,100), and Trea Turner ($3,000). Stack'em up, as there are plenty of good selections up and down the lineup.

St. Louis Cardinals

Implied Total: 5.01 | Opposing Pitcher: Joey Lucchesi

The St. Louis Cardinals line up as a stacking option once again despite the letdown offensively yesterday.

Joey Lucchesi will oppose them on the mound and should be another lefty that the Cardinals can mash against. The New York Mets starter hasn't been all too good this season with a 4.96 SIERA and 5.14 FIP. Through 22 1/3 innings, Lucchesi only has a 18.3% strikeout rate. Not scary.

It's much of the same when it comes to stacking the Cardinals, as choosing Paul Goldschmidt ($3,600) and Nolan Arenado ($3,500) makes all the sense. The core of their lineup are projected for 13.7 and 13.0 FanDuel points, respectively. They're not having as great seasons as previous years, but they're still capable of big days.

Willson Contreras ($2,700) should be a fine option, and he's had a far better second half. In 21 games, Contreras has smashed the ball around the yard with a .423 wOBA, .981 OPS, and .200 ISO.

With some of the bigger names in the Cardinals lineup banged up, the stack possibilities include Tommy Edman ($2,900), Tyler O'Neill ($2,700), and Jordan Walker ($2,600).

Minnesota Twins

Implied Total: 4.99 | Opposing Pitcher: Andre Jackson

Coming as the third option for stacks tonight are the Minnesota Twins, who have the chance to have a good showing against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Andre Jackson.

Jackson has a 5.47 ERA this season. In his lone start of the season, he went 3 2/3 while giving up three runs. He has had a tendency to allow the long ball, as well, as in just 26 1/3 innings, he's watched batters take him deep six times. That poses well for the Twins, as they rank seventh in the Majors with 167 home runs.

Edouard Julien ($2,800) has been solid in his rookie season, and he should be the player leading off a Twins stack. Julian has a .377 wOBA and 10 home runs through 71 games. He's also got his wRC+ up to 145. numberFire's model has Julien with the highest projection on Minnesota with 11.7 FanDuel points.

The Twins come in really as a value stack, too. You can pick up to three or four low-salaried players from their lineup, including Matt Wallner ($2,900), who has 9 home runs in 39 games, making him a good player to make a potential splash.

Max Kepler ($2,800), Ryan Jeffers ($2,800), and Carlos Correa ($2,700) can all slot in to fill out the remainder of any Twins stack you may consider.

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.