3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for Wednesday 8/9/23

Stacking is one of the most tried and true strategies in daily fantasy baseball. Targeting the most advantageous matchups and filling your lineup with the right offenses goes a long way toward getting into that top prize pool on FanDuel.

We've got you covered in this piece, examining the top matchups of the main slate and figuring out what stacks are worth going for. Upside is a huge part of that, although we don't want to ignore the math given baseball's variability.

Additionally, numberFire has a few key resources beyond the initial advice in this article: namely, the MLB DFS heat map and numberFire's daily fantasy baseball projections.

Without further ado, let's dive into the top stacks to target for Wednesday's main slate which kicks off at 7:05 p.m. (EST).

Boston Red Sox

Implied Total: 6.12 | Opposing Pitcher: Jordan Lyles

The stars have aligned for the Boston Red Sox to have an offensive explosion tonight. While Boston's 4.59 runs per game since the All-Star break (15th) isn't anything to write home about, a date with Jordan Lyles could be just what they need to get back on track.

To put it bluntly, the Kansas City Royals' starter has been the single most hitter-friendly pitcher in Major League Baseball. Here are a few notable categories where Lyles ranks in the bottom five among qualified starters:

• ERA: 6.24 (worst)
• Skill-interactive ERA (SIERA): 5.20 (tied for worst)
• Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP): 5.35 (worst)
• HR/9: 1.75 (fifth-worst)
• Strikeout rate: 16.2% (fifth-worst)

He's done all of that despite allowing the seventh-lowest batting average on balls in play (BABIP) in the league. When Lyles is on the bump, fireworks follow, and I expect that to hold true tonight given how well Boston hits right-handed pitchers.

For the season, the Red Sox hold the sixth-lowest strikeout rate (21.4%) and rank eighth in both wOBA (.328) and isolated power (ISO; .177) against righties. They've been an extra-base hit machine in the split, leading the league with 184 doubles.

That prowess, coupled with a matchup against Lyles, gives Boston by far the highest implied team total of the slate (6.12 runs).

Part of what makes Boston such an appealing stack tonight is their salaries. The Red Sox have just one player salaried over $3,300, although that one player -- Rafael Devers ($3,500) -- should be a staple in any Boston stack. Devers has started to heat up since the All-Star break, posting a .414 wOBA and blasting six home runs in that span.

Outside of Devers, you have a lot of options. Trevor Story ($3,300) had a brutal debut after missing the first four months of the season, going hitless and striking out three times. Still, he hit .300 with four doubles and four home runs in his 14 rehab games, and it's only a matter of time before he gets going again.

Masataka Yoshida ($3,200), Jarren Duran ($3,100), and Triston Casas ($2,800) have all crushed righties this season with wOBAs north of .360 in the split. Casas, in particular, is someone to take a long look at. He's been on fire since the All-Star break -- posting a .488 wOBA, .406 ISO, and an absurd 22% barrel rate across his last 22 games.

If Justin Turner ($3,300) is forced to sit again, Adam Duvall ($2,900) could be a solid play as long as he starts. He leads the team with a .303 ISO against righties and boasts a .366 wOBA in the split.

Atlanta Braves

Implied Total: 5.84 | Opposing Pitcher: Quinn Priester

It wouldn't be a stacking article if we didn't touch on the best offense in baseball -- the Atlanta Braves.

While the Braves are dangerous regardless of the matchup, tonight's matchup has some added appeal. Atlanta takes on the Pittsburgh Pirates' Quinn Priester. Nevermind that the Braves have the highest wOBA (.354) in the league against righties, but Priester has gotten positively shelled since his call-up.

Through four MLB starts, the 22-year-old has allowed 19 earned runs in 19.2 innings of work. While his 8.69 ERA won't stay that high forever, bringing a 5.73 SIERA up against Atlanta's potent lineup is a recipe for disaster.

In addition to their stellar wOBA in the split, the Braves lead all active rosters with a .223 ISO, a 37.9% hard-hit rate, and a .828 OPS against righties.

They may be without their best hitter, however, as Ronald Acuna ($4,900) left last night's game after being hit by a pitch. X-rays were negative, though it remains to be seen if he's in the lineup tonight.

Even without the MVP frontrunner, the Braves feature more than their fair share of building blocks to headline your stack. Matt Olson ($4,400) has been on a tear since the All-Star break. Over his last 22 games, Olson owns a ridiculous .475 wOBA and .429 ISO -- turning those ratios into 10 home runs and 28 RBI. He's pummeled righties all season long, posting a 1.035 OPS against them for the season.

Still, if Olson's salary is too lofty for your taste, any of Austin Riley ($4,000), Ozzie Albies ($3,800), or Sean Murphy ($3,700) would be solid options. Murphy has slumped since the All-Star break (.230 wOBA), but Riley has exploded over that stretch -- matching Olson's 10 homers while posting a .435 wOBA himself. Albies has been relatively quiet of late, and his splits against righties (.226 AVG/.323 wOBA) make him a risky selection tonight given the high salary.

Moving down the ladder, the outfield triage of Marcell Ozuna ($2,900), Michael Harris II ($2,900), and Eddie Rosario ($2,600) are all quality options who are salaried under $3,000. Coupled with Orlando Arcia ($2,600), you can see how a stack with Olson, Riley, and two of these four lines up nicely.

Strictly looking at the bottom of their lineup, Harris and Arcia really catch my eye. Both have posted wOBAs north of .400 since the All-Star break, and while neither has been especially lethal against righties, they've held their own.

Baltimore Orioles

Implied Total: 5.03 | Opposing Pitcher: Christian Javier

Rounding out tonight's top stacks, the Baltimore Orioles have the third-highest implied team total of the slate against the struggling Cristian Javier.

Javier has regressed mightily in his fourth season with the Houston Astros. Though his ERA sat at 2.84 as recently as June 4th, it's ballooned to 4.39 since. Across his last nine starts, Javier has posted a 6.91 ERA, and his 5.87 SIERA is the third-worst mark among starters over that span.

That bodes well for an Orioles team that's averaged a healthy 4.92 runs per game since the All-Star break and sits in the top half of the league in both wOBA (.318) and ISO (.170) against right-handed pitchers.

Like Boston, Baltimore doesn't feature high-salary players to choose from. While that can make nailing the right players harder, it also gives us a lot more flexibility when stacking their hitters.

Anthony Santander ($3,300), Gunnar Henderson ($3,200), and Adley Rutschman ($3,000) are the only O's with a salary in the $3,000 range. Henderson has shredded righties this season, leading the team with a .366 wOBA in that split. Additionally, he's really found his power stroke over the second half of the season -- posting a .300 ISO and crushing six homers over his last 23 games.

Speaking of finding it over the second half, Ryan Mountcastle ($2,900) has been on a heater since the break. Across his last 21 games, Mountcastle owns a team-leading .456 wOBA and 1.092 OPS. While his season-long numbers are rough against righties, he's been much better in that split of late, registering a .432 wOBA in 39 plate appearances since the halfway point.

Adam Frazier ($2,600) and Ryan O'Hearn ($2,700) could be sneaky plays to round out your Baltimore stack. Frazier hasn't started since last Thursday due to a thumb injury but pinch hit last night and is expected to return to the lineup today. He's enjoyed a strong second half, posting a .378 wOBA in 18 games since the All-Star break. As for O'Hearn, he's performed well against righties -- ranking second on the team with a .842 OPS in that split.

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.