3 Daily Fantasy Baseball Stacks for Friday 8/4/23

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.

Boston Red Sox

Implied Total: 5.76 | Opposing Pitcher: Alek Manoah

The Boston Red Sox have had one of the more interesting years in baseball, much like the pitcher they'll be facing in tonight's slate.

Alek Manoah will take the mound for the Toronto Blue Jays as he continues to try and get past the unsolved problems he's faced all season long. Manoah has been one of the league's worst this season after finishing third in the AL Cy Young voting just one year ago.

The right-hander has a sizable 5.78 SIERA through 17 starts to go along with a career-worst 18.4% strikeout rate and 6.13 FIP. Manoah's 6.48 expected ERA (xERA) suggests his 5.87 ERA should be even worse than it already is. Not good.

The Red Sox are likely to swing some hot bats against him all night, so get ready to stack their strong lineup.

Their 5.76 implied total is the best in baseball tonight, but who is worth getting into that lineup? Start it with Justin Turner ($3,300).

The do-everything leader of the Red Sox has been better than expected in 2023, beginning with his .194 ISO, .360 wOBA, and 126 wRC+. Turner also has 17 HRs and 71 RBIs, with that home run total already surpassing his 2022 mark. numberFire's model has him projected for 14.7 FanDuel points -- the second-most of the day.

Another option to consider is Alex Verdugo ($3,000), who is riding a six-game hit streak heading into this one. The truth with Verdugo is that it's been a tale of two seasons with a hot first half and a struggling second half -- but his overall numbers are still respectable at a .272/.346/.427 line and a .337 wOBA.

To fill out your lineup, any one of Rafael Devers ($3,500), Triston Casas ($3,400), Jarren Duran ($3,300), Adam Duvall ($3,300), Masataka Yoshida ($3,200), and Connor Wong ($2,700) is worth consideration. It should be a good day.

Philadelphia Phillies

Implied Total: 5.41 | Opposing Pitcher: Jordan Lyles

The Philadelphia Phillies have the third-best implied total of the day at 5.41 and should have no problem succeeding against Jordan Lyles.

The Kansas City Royals starter has a 5.17 SIERA to go with a 49.2% fly-ball percentage and 16.7% strikeout rate -- all numbers that should favor the Phillies at home today.

No player should benefit more from that fly-ball percentage than Kyle Schwarber ($3,800), who is the top projected hitter of the day at 14.9 FanDuel points.

Schwarber has a 47.7% fly-ball percentage this season, which could lead to him hitting his first long ball since July 28th. He has 27 HRs on the year and while the batting average (.181) isn't all too good, he still has an excellent .242 ISO.

Other choices for a three-to-four-player stack include Bryce Harper ($3,400), Alec Bohm ($3,300), Bryson Stott ($3,100), Nick Castellanos ($3,000), and Trea Turner ($3,000) -- all projected for 10-plus FanDuel points on today's slate.

St. Louis Cardinals

Implied Total: 5.69 | Opposing Pitcher: Chris Flexen

It's hard to deny that the St. Louis Cardinals have to be devastated with what their 2023 season has turned out to be at 48-62, but they still have a lineup worth stacking in today's matchup.

The Colorado Rockies will trot out Chris Flexen to the mound today for a start, and, well, he hasn't had a great season by any stretch -- especially in his starts.

In four of his five starts this year, he's allowed four or more runs, including his last start where he allowed six total (five earned) in 3 1/3 innings. Flexen has a 5.47 SIERA and a brutal 7.23 FIP on the season.

Fire up the Cardinals' bats today.

It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that beginning your St. Louis stacks with Paul Goldschmidt ($3,700) would make the most sense.

The reigning NL MVP has been a step below his 2022 season but remains a good at-bat. Goldschmidt has a .357 wOBA and a .380 xwOBA -- which is better than last season. numberFire's model has Goldschmidt as the highest-projected batter in the Cardinals' lineup at 13.2 points.

A value play from the lineup is Willson Contreras ($2,900). His first season with the Cardinals as the replacement to Yadier Molina hasn't gone as hoped, but he still has respectable marks, beginning with his .337 wOBA. Contreras has 11 HRs and 40 RBIs on the season, as well.

Nolan Gorman ($3,500), Lars Nootbaar (3,500), Nolan Arenado ($3,400), and Jordan Walker ($2,900) are all stackable options.

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.