Andrew McCutchen Pirates

4 Best MLB DFS Stacks to Target at Draft Kings on Friday, 5/12/2023

There’s nothing like a 13-game daily fantasy baseball slate to humble even the proudest DFS expert. Of course, when it follows a tiny slate like we saw last night, the chaos is welcomed.

You can go in a lot of different directions tonight. There is some excellent pitching on the board, and you can literally choose from 26 different MLB DFS stacks.

On a slate this size, ownership isn’t quite as big of a deal, but if there is a super chalky stack, it’s best left avoided. Certainly, you’ll be looking for quality alternatives. I think I found four.

With that, here are my top MLB DFS stacks for Friday night at Draft Kings.

San Francisco Giants

The BAT loves the Giants tonight, and there’s good reason why. This lineup has been smoking right-handed pitching in 2023, and they’ll be facing the very beatable Ryne Nelson.

Nelson is a fine prospect, but he’s struggled so far this year, posting a suspect 6.00 ERA and as 1.53 WHIP.

On top of that, he’s allowed a hefty .399 wOBA to lefties, and he simply hasn’t displayed an ability to miss bats.

He enters this game with a woeful 9% K rate against the left side of the plate, and he’s also walking lefties at a disturbing 13% rate. It’s a small sample size and he could get it together, but I see no reason not to include the Giants among the best MLB DFS stacks for Friday.

I know I’m fading Coors on a slate this size, so if the Giants are a little chalky, I’m not sure I really care.

Los Angeles Dodgers

L.A. bats feel like one hell of a nightcap, as they are at home against Blake Snell.

Don’t get me wrong, Snell is still a talented southpaw with a solid 24% whiff rate in 2023, but his walk issues and hard contact problems haven’t gone away.

Suffice to say, he’s off to a rough start this season.

Normally stacking the Dodgers wouldn’t be remotely contrarian. However, they’re the hammer game on this slate, Coors exists, and the aforementioned Giants (among other teams) could garner some attention.

Los Angeles deserves a hard look, too.

The Dodgers’ projected starting lineup boasts five dudes who offer an ISO north of .250 in 2023. This lineup is filled with patient bats who deliver hard contact, too.

Snell can be dominant, but this is a brutal spot. I’ll take my chances with some Dodgers stacks to close out this slate.

Toronto Blue Jays

This is an ownership play. You’ll definitely want some Spencer Strider exposure, as he has a blazing 42.4% K rate so far in 2023, and owns a nice 2.70 ERA.

The skinny? Strider misses bats at an alarming rate and he doesn’t get blown up very often.

Of course, even the best arms have their bad days, and Strider will be on the road against a lethal Blue Jays offense.

Toronto has some mashers in their lineup, and George Springer is weirdly the only guy in their projected lineup who hasn’t been solid-to-great against righties this year.

In general, Toronto is a dangerous offense. I wouldn’t attack Strider at will here – I’d limit exposure overall – but having some hedge stacks against what could be a pretty chalky arm could be a good idea.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Ownership isn’t everything, and the Jays are very risky. One of the best daily fantasy baseball stacks that feels way less risky is the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates get a huge park upgrade at Camden Yards, and they’ll be facing Kyle Bradish. So far, nothing Bradish has brought to the table should usher us away in fear.

  • 5.95 ERA
  • 1.73 WHIP
  • 19.4% K Rate
  • 9.7% Walk Rate

The only thing Bradish has done really well is limit his fly balls. However, I’m not sure that will matter against a pretty powerful lineup that hits the ball hard and has several guys who don’t strikeout much and also are rather patient at the plate.

Bradish is in for a nightmare outing tonight. Stack the Pirates at will.

That does it for my top MLB DFS stacks for Friday night. Remember, there are so many ways to go on a 13-game slate. There are literally 24 other teams you could stack, after all.

In the end, I’d be light on Toronto, but I will probably just fade Coors. Stacking Coors hasn’t worked for me personally all year, and you just know the Phillies and Rockies will get ownership.

It pays to get a bit different, and hopefully the MLB DFS stacks above will garner less attention, but will still be productive. Thanks for stopping by, and good luck!

DFS Keanu
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