MLB DFS Picks: Stack Slants for DraftKings + FanDuel

October baseball is upon us with a five-game MLB DFS slate starting in just a few hours. We’ve had several teams advance to the second round already and several do-or-die games on today’s slate, so it should be another fun day packed full of baseball action. The slate is deep for just a five-gamer and we have a number of very good value plays available. With a few aces and a few next-tier starters on the board, there are some stark pitching choices, making high-end, low-cost, low-owned stacks the premium.

MLB DFS Stack Slants | DraftKings + FanDuel | Oct. 01

Oakland Athletics – 1-3-4-5-6 – La Stella – Semien – Olson – Canha – Laureano

The Athletics are taking on the White Sox in Oakland in the deciding game 3 of their series. I wrote up the White Sox side of this one overnight in Quick Hits, and they look great here as well. The A’s will get rookie hurler Dane Dunning, who threw 34.0 innings this season with a 4.16 xFIP and a 3.97 ERA with a 24.6% strikeout rate. The A’s were in the middle of the pack in baseball with a .170 ISO and a WRC+ 2% above average against right-handed pitching this year. Of the teams on the board, the A’s are my top option between projections, the home run model and pricing.

Tommy La Stella came to the A’s at the trade deadline and has steadied the top of the lineup with his consistent ability to get on base and limit strikeouts. La Stella had a solid .281/.370/.449 slash in 2020 while hitting five home runs and putting up a WRC+ 29% above average, which climbs to 39% above average against right-handed pitching. La Stella is going to be under-owned, with the public seeing his $4,800 price tag — the highest on the team — as a mistake. It isn’t.

Robbie Grossman could be hitting in the two spot as he did in game 1 of this series. The outfielder had an OK year with eight home runs and a .241/.344/.482 slash, a .241 ISO and a WRC+ 27% above average in 2020. With shortstop Marcus Semien hitting third for just $4,100 on DraftKings and $3,300 on FanDuel, the A’s have a strong stack at the top of the batting order. Semien had a long short-season at just .223/.305/.374, but just last year we saw him compete for an MVP award in posting a .285/.369/.522 slash with 33 home runs and a WRC+ 37% above average. Semien’s 2020 performance has his price at a discount. We should take advantage.

Matt Olson is one of the top power options in the league and costs just $4,700 on DraftKings and $3,100 on FanDuel. Olson hit 14 home runs in his 245 overall plate appearances in 2020 and had a .242 ISO and a WRC+ 5% above average against right-handed pitching this season. Olson has hit 103 home runs over the past four seasons and should not be skipped in A’s stacks.

Mark Canha slots into the outfield and brings another big bat to the dish. He’s carrying just a .246/.387/.408 slash on the season with five home runs and a WRC+ 27% above average. Ramon Laureano is in the three spot in the projected lineup. He has bounced around from the top to the bottom for the A’s all year long as they try to get the dynamic speed and power option going. At just $4,100 on DraftKings and $2,900 on FanDuel, we’re getting him at a discount. Laureano has a solid skillset for MLB DFS. In 2019 he hit 24 home runs and stole 13 bases in just 481 plate appearances.

Third baseman Jake Lamb costs just $3,300 on DraftKings, which is basically in line with his ability to make contact with the ball. When Lamb does connect he can hit for plenty of power, but this season he has just a .193/.283/.352 slash with just three home runs. Lamb is a mix-and-match option for me with the quality around him.

Stephen Piscotty is more interesting, as is Sean Murphy, the Athletics catcher. Both right-handed hitters are in play for $3,500 and $3,800 on DraftKings and $2,600 and $2,500 on FanDuel respectively. Piscotty hit .226/.271/.358 with five home runs this season, though he created runs at a rate 27% below average. Murphy packs plenty of power and is usually at an ownership and salary discount on the site where catchers are required. The backstop hit seven home runs in his 140 plate appearances in 2020 and had a .232 ISO with a WRC+ 39% above average against right-handed pitching in 2020.

Atlanta Braves – 1-2-3-5-6 – Acuna – Freeman – Ozuna – Albies – Duvall

The Braves are in a tough matchup facing Reds ace Luis Castillo. The right-handed pitcher was strong all season, putting up a 2.82 xFIP and a 30.5% strikeout rate in his 70 innings. The Braves, meanwhile, were one of the league’s best offenses against right-handed pitchers. The active roster ranked third with a .221 ISO and landed in the same spot overall with their WRC+ 25% above average. Only the Padres and Dodgers were better in both categories. This offense is loaded from one through nine and the entire order is in play. There are several right-handed bats who get overlooked in same-handed matchups despite strong numbers in the split. The Braves have been one of our favorite MLB DFS teams to stack all season and could help us out one more time.

Ronald Acuna Jr. leads off and costs $5,700 on DraftKings and $4,400 on FanDuel. He hit 14 home runs and stole eight bases in 2020. In 2019 he hit 41 homers and stole 37 bases. This is an absolute superstar of a player, and you shouldn’t think twice about clicking his name for your Braves stacks, regardless of the price. In his 160 plate appearances against righties this season, Acuna led the Braves with a .364 ISO and a WRC+ 66% above average.

First base star Freddie Freeman hits second for the Braves and is up to a $5,400 salary on DraftKings and $4,200 on FanDuel. The star produces year after year. This season he went .341/.462/.640 with 13 home runs and a WRC+ 87% above average. He’s simply one of the best bats in the league.

Marcell Ozuna led the National League in home runs and set himself up for a payday this offseason coming off a one-year deal. The outfielder had a monster season, putting up a .338/.431/.636 slash with 18 home runs and a WRC+ 79% above average. Against righties, Ozuna had a .246 ISO and a WRC+ 65% above average.

Travis d’Arnaud is a terrific catching option in the middle of this lineup. He costs $4,500 on DraftKings and $3,100 on FanDuel and wields a strong right-handed bat. The backstop hit nine home runs this season on his way to a solid .321/.386/.533 slash with a .212 ISO and a WRC+ 45% above average overall. If you aren’t keeping score at home, the first four hitters in the lineup have an average WRC+ 68% above league average. This is a very good offense.

The quality doesn’t stop, with switch hitting second baseman Ozzie Albies slotting into the five-hole. Albies brings speed and power to the plate. In his 124 plate appearances in 2020 the infielder hit six home runs and swiped three bases. In 2019 he saw 702 opportunities and hit 24 home runs with 15 stolen bases. Albies is an All-Star-caliber second baseman and one of the best options at a non-premium position.

One of the more fun stories of this season was Adam Duvall mashing his way to a 16 home run total with a WRC+ 16% above average as a key cog in the Braves lineup. Duvall hits titanic home runs when he connects. He had just a .237/.301/.532 slash but a massive .295 ISO for the season. Against same-handed pitching, Duvall’s ISO was .294 with a WRC+ 11% above average.

Dansby Swanson had a strong year and was a critical player for the Braves, filling in at the top of the lineup during various injury absences for some of his more popular teammates. The shortstop put up a .274/.345/.464 slash with 10 home runs and a WRC+ 16% above average in his 264 plate appearances.

Nick Markakis hits from the left side of the plate and slots into the outfield inexpensively. The veteran had a slow season after missing the first few weeks following an initial opt-out decision. Markakis saw 141 plate appearances and put up a .254/.312/.392 slash with just one home run. He’s followed in the order by Austin Riley, another right-handed masher. Riley costs just $3,100 on DraftKings and $2,700 on FanDuel. He hit eight home runs in his 206 plate appearances in 2020, with a WRC+ 11% below average. Both players are fine mix-and-match options late in your Braves stacks.

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Author

Terry McBride

Terry used to do other things, now he writes words on the internet. He hopes his more than 20 years’ experience in season-long and daily fantasy sports and his custom models for MLB, NBA, and NFL don't steer you too wrong when he writes columns and makes picks on Awesemo.com. A lifetime of experience keeping odd hours make Terry ideal to cover KBO baseball overnight until the world returns to normal. Most of those late night hours have been spent on the couch watching sports, T.V., and movies; just try to shut him up about any of the above. You can find his pop-culture ramblings and more on Sideaction.