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: 4.69 | Opposing Pitcher: Brent Suter

Following a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants at pitcher-friendly Oracle Park where they produced 17 total runs, the Los Angeles Dodgers will return home to begin a four-game series versus the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday. At the moment, Brent Suter -- who has operated as a reliever for the Reds in 17 appearances this season -- is the projected starter for Cincinnati in the series opener.

Suter has made just two combined starts in the last three seasons and has yet to pitch more than 3.1 innings in a game this year. With Suter producing a career-worst 42.7% fly-ball rate, the Dodgers are primed for an explosive outing at home.

While the Dodgers have the 10th-best ISO (.161) against southpaws, they also have the fourth-best wOBA (.345) and wRC+ (126) in that split. Meanwhile, Suter is in the 36th percentile in xERA (4.27) and 24th percentile in xBA (.267) out of the bullpen this season.

Mookie Betts ($4,400), Shohei Ohtani ($4,800), Freddie Freeman ($3,500), and Will Smith ($3,700) are undoubtedly the primary targets when stacking Los Angeles. Along with the usual names, Teoscar Hernandez ($3,600) has always excelled versus lefties, and Andy Pages ($3,200) has been solid since joining the lineup.

On a slate where plenty of people will want to use Tyler Glasnow ($11,300) at pitcher, Miguel Rojas ($2,400) and Enrique Hernandez ($2,400) could be viable salary-saving options against a left-handed starter. It should also be noted that once Suter exits the contest, Cincinnati's bullpen is giving up the sixth-highest HR/9 (1.17) and the highest fly-ball rate (45.2%).

Houston Astros

Implied Total: 5.20 | Opposing Pitcher: Joey Estes

On the surface, it looks like Joey Estes put together a fantastic season debut for the Oakland Athletics in his last start against the Seattle Mariners. Estes struck out five batters and permitted just one earned run in five innings pitched to earn a win over the Mariners.

Despite the end result being a positive one, there were concerning metrics for Estes. In his lone start against Seattle, Estes surrendered three barrels for a 25.0% barrel rate and seven hard hits for a 58.3% hard-hit rate, which is in line with his 45.7% hard-hit rate and 17.1% barrel rate from 2023.

In steps the Houston Astros, who have the lowest strikeout rate (17.3%), eighth-best wOBA (.318), and seventh-best wRC+ (107) versus right-handed pitching. Estes allowed a home run and a 60% fly-ball rate to lefties in his first start of the year, so we'll want to center our attention on the left-handed bats in Houston's lineup.

While Jose Altuve ($3,700) and Alex Bregman ($2,800) are certainly viable in Astros stacks, Kyle Tucker ($4,300) and Yordan Alvarez ($3,700) are the main priorities. Tucker has 12-plus FanDuel points in seven of his last nine games while Alvarez still has the 21st-best average exit velocity (92.8 MPH) and eighth-most barrels (18) despite his somewhat slow start.

On the other hand, Jon Singleton ($2,600) and Joey Loperfido ($2,300) provide much-needed salary relief from the left side of the plate. Singleton has hit two of his four homers on the season in two of his last nine contests, and Loperfido has registered 15-plus FanDuel points in two of his last four appearances.

New York Mets

Implied Total: 3.74 | Opposing Pitcher: Taijuan Walker

It isn't a large sample size to work from, but Taijuan Walker is producing some concerning metrics in his first three starts of the year for the Philadelphia Phillies. Besides being in the 31st percentile or worse in strikeout rate (19.5%), whiff rate (18.0%), chase rate (26.0%), and average exit velocity (89.8 MPH), Walker is in the sixth percentile or worse in xERA (5.89) and barrel rate (19.6%).

Even in a pitcher-friendly matchup versus the Miami Marlins his last time out, Walker still surrendered two barrels for a 10.5% barrel rate. While the New York Mets aren't viewed as a daunting lineup, there are some intriguing players to stack at the top of the order.

Brandon Nimmo ($3,100) should bat leadoff with the third-biggest difference between his SLG and xSLG (-0.158) and the sixth-biggest difference between his wOBA and xwOBA (-0.077). Those numbers should balance out sooner rather than later, and I believe that can begin with a matchup against Walker.

Along with Nimmo, Starling Marte ($2,900), Francisco Lindor ($3,400), Pete Alonso ($3,300), and J.D. Martinez ($2,800) are the only hitters who interest me in New York's lineup. Martinez has 18-plus FanDuel points in three of his last five contests, and he's accrued two homers and four RBIs in that span.

For those who need to save some salary, Jeff McNeil ($2,400) and Tyrone Taylor ($2,600) are worth mentioning upon being confirmed in the lineup. On a five-game main slate where we need to get different from the rest of the field, the Mets could be an underrated team to stack on Thursday.

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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.