3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for Thursday 8/24/23

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.

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

Chicago Cubs

Implied Total: 4.90 | Opposing Pitcher: Andre Jackson (RHP)

Despite coming in with the third-highest implied team total of the slate, the Chicago Cubs are far and away my favorite lineup to stack tonight.

The Cubs travel to PNC Park to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates. Though the Pirates haven't officially announced a starter, all signs point toward Andre Jackson toeing the rubber for Pittsburgh.

Jackson has shown flashes in a limited sample (30.2 innings), but he's allowing a ton of hard contact -- like, a "46.1% hard-hit rate that would be the third-highest in baseball if he qualified" ton of hard contact. That coincides with a brutal 12.4% barrel rate, which would be the second-highest in the league.

Granted, it's a small sample, but I'm not exactly encouraged by his batted-ball profile despite a strong 3.52 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA).

The Cubs, meanwhile, have begun to heat up again after something of a cold spell. They scored six-plus runs in all three of their most recent games and are averaging the fourth-most runs per game (5.85) this month. Chicago's north siders have posted the seventh-highest wOBA (.340) and the third-highest ISO (.216) over that span.

In general, the Cubs have had their way with righties this season, ranking seventh in wOBA (.328) and eighth in wRC+ (105) in that split.

They've got a slew of capable batters to choose from, but Cody Bellinger ($4,200) feels like the top pick. Bellinger has enjoyed a resurgent season at the plate, especially against righties. In that split, Belly owns a .375 wOBA and .228 ISO -- both strong numbers, although I'm really more interested in his hot stretch. This month, Belly's upped his wOBA to .413, having crushed 5 home runs, driven in 21 runs, and scored 16 runs himself. Ride his bat as he's shown no signs of slowing down.

Speaking of hot bats, we have to touch on Seiya Suzuki ($2,900) and Jeimer Candelario ($3,100) -- two guys who I love pairing with Bellinger. Though they bat closer to the bottom of Chicago's lineup, they've been two of the Cubs' best hitters this month.

Since August 1st, Suzuki has led the team with a .353 average, tying Bellinger's five homers despite playing five fewer games. He's posted a ludicrous .455 wOBA this month -- a sign he may finally be putting it together in his second season in the States. As for Candelario, he's right behind Suzuki, batting .348 this month while delivering a .427 wOBA. They're perfect pairings with Bellinger's high salary.

Bellinger may be their only true high-salary bat, but the Cubs have no shortage of medium-range options to look at. Nico Hoerner ($3,600) and Dansby Swanson ($3,200) really catch my eye while Ian Happ ($3,200) and Mike Tauchman ($3,000) are certainly options, as well.

Hoerner hasn't done anything crazy in August (.286 average), but he's as consistent as they come, averaging 9.8 FanDuel points per game across his last 10 and scoring 15 runs in 19 games this month. Swanson has been brutal in August, but he's gotten super unlucky with a measly .163 BABIP this month. His batted-ball numbers are still strong (12.2% barrel rate and 44.9% hard-hit rate), and he's been solid against righties on the season, compiling a .336 wOBA.

Happ and Tauchman have nearly identical wOBAs against righties (.347 and .346, respectively). Tauchman's .362 wOBA in August makes him the safer play, but Happ has way more upside. Though he's batting just .205, he's scored 16 runs in 20 games, sporting 11.3% barrel and 40.3% hard-hit rates over that span.

Chicago White Sox

Implied Total: 5.32 | Opposing Pitcher: Ken Waldichuk (LHP)

This feels gross, but the more I look at tonight's measly 10-team slate, the more I'm enamored with the Chicago White Sox.

No, the Sox don't boast the star-studded lineup we typically look for in stacking candidates nor have they played particularly well of late. However, they have a matchup they can take advantage of today.

The Pale Hose are taking on southpaw Ken Waldichuk. He's been incredibly hitter-friendly this season. In addition to his 4.87 SIERA, Waldichuk allows a .375 wOBA -- a bottom-5% mark among qualified pitchers.

Against lefties, Chicago ranks 21st in wRC+ (93) and 23rd in both wOBA (.306) and ISO (.147) -- not great numbers by any means but an improvement on their righty splits nonetheless.

Even if the Sox force Waldichuk out early, they could have an even easier time against the bullpen. Oakland's relievers boast the worst ERA (5.51) and give up the highest wOBA (.341) in baseball.

Although the matchup is great, the weather and ballpark are what really have me excited for Chicago's offense.

With an expected first-pitch temperature a hair shy of 100 degrees and wind gusts up to 20 MPH out to left, you can't ask for much better hitting conditions at the MLB's seventh-most home run-friendly ballpark. Throw in that Waldichuk allows a 41% hard-hit rate and gives up fly balls at a 39.4% clip, and it's easy to see why the White Sox have the highest implied team total (5.32) of the slate.

Though there is a chance for rain midway through the game, it likely won't be enough for an outright postponement.

Stacking-wise, the Sox have plenty of low-salary options to pair with their star, Luis Robert ($3,900). He's their only hitter salaried over $3,000, but with a .405 wOBA and .269 ISO against lefties, he's well worth it. Robert boasts an elite 14.8% barrel rate for the season and is pulling the ball 52.5% of the time against southpaws. With the wind blowing out to left, and Robert homering on over a quarter (26.1%) of his fly balls against lefties, he's got major upside.

Andrew Vaughn ($2,900) and Eloy Jimenez ($2,900) have been fine against lefties and carry more-than-managable salaries. In that split, Vaughn owns a .326 wOBA while Jimenez is down at .301. Neither of them has lived up to expectations this season, but Vaughn is at least is showing signs of life this month, batting .286 with 3 homers in 19 games.

Speaking of showing signs of life, welcome to the season, Elvis Andrus ($2,600). The long-time vet has caught fire this month, batting .333 while driving in 14 and scoring 10 times in 19 games. The hot streak won't last forever (he's got a .393 BABIP over that span), but ride it while you can. Andrew Benintendi ($2,800) has also picked things up a bit and is averaging 9.9 FanDuel points per game across his last 10 outings -- although his dicey lefty-lefty splits (.295 wOBA) and lack of power (.087 ISO) cap his upside.

Tim Anderson ($2,500) doesn't command much of a salary tonight and is definitely someone I'm looking to pair with Robert. Despite a brutal season overall, Chicago's leadoff hitter actually has solid numbers against lefties. In that split, he owns a .337 average and .341 wOBA. He's got a good chance of scoring a run or two hitting in front of Robert.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Implied Total: 5.03 | Opposing Pitcher: Brandon Williamson (LHP)

The Arizona Diamondbacks have really taken a turn for the worse since the All-Star break, recording the fifth-worst record (14-22) and averaging the seventh-fewest runs per game (4.11) over that span.

However, they've started to turn things around in the last two weeks, winning 9 of their last 12 games and scoring 5.1 runs per game in that time. They take on the Cincinnati Reds tonight in a crucial series opener. Coming into tonight, the Diamondbacks sit just a half-game behind the Reds in the NL Wild Card.

Cincinnati trots out Brandon Williamson and his 4.70 SIERA tonight. The lefty gave up nine hits and four runs against the Toronto Blue Jays in his last start and could be in line for another rough outing tonight. Williamson has allowed a 42.2% hard-hit rate this season. Coupled with a higher xERA (4.99) and xwOBA (.342) compared to his actual ERA (4.46) and wOBA (.317), and we're looking at a pitcher who hasn't performed great to begin with but is still due for negative regression.

While the Diamondbacks haven't been among the league leaders against lefties this season, they have a pretty clear stack that could mesh well together if the offense clicks.

That starts with Christian Walker ($3,700). Walker has been on fire of late, recording a .446 wOBA and barreling the ball at a 20% clip. He is averaging 16.35 FanDuel points over his last 10 games. He's been a southpaw terminator this season, as well, sporting a .412 wOBA and a .358 ISO in the split. Walker is the first name to roster when building a D-Backs stack against lefties.

While Corbin Carroll ($3,800) has more upside than anyone, he's struggled to the tune of a .305 wOBA and 0.079 ISO against lefties this season. He's certainly worth considering given the potential return, but there are a few others I'd rather pair with Walker given their salaries.

Despite some struggles of late, Ketel Marte's ($3,400) lefty splits make him an obvious pairing with Walker. Against southpaws, Marte sports a .372 wOBA -- a notch higher than his overall .355 wOBA. His 14.3-point numberFire projection is second among all hitters tonight, making him a natural addition to our stack.

Tommy Pham ($2,900) carries a similarly-high projection (12.5), but his services come at a fraction of the salary. Pham has really taken off during Arizona's recent upward trend. Across his last nine games, Pham has scored eight runs, driven in nine, and posted a .352 wOBA. A career .272 hitter against lefties, he makes a ton of sense given the salary.

Evan Longoria ($2,100) -- yes, that Evan Longoria -- won't set you back at all with his salary, and he's been really good against lefties. In the split, he's generating hard contact at a 45.3% clip and running a .371 wOBA. He's shown a fair amount of power against southpaws, as well, registering a .273 ISO. The same goes for Gabriel Moreno ($2,200). His salary is so low, and his lefty splits are so solid (.397 wOBA) that it makes a ton of sense to throw him in there if you're in the Arizona stacking game tonight.

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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.