Today’s “Stack the Deck” article will feature an early stack, and two evening stacks. Feel free to play around with a few combos of your own. As always, things can change based on lineups and weather, so stay up to date using the Playbook Pro.
96.4% of all lineups that cashed last season on DraftKings stacked at least two players.
Stacks for Saturday, April 8
Twins @ White Sox
As mentioned in my first stack the deck, I like to go all in on one game when stacking. The early games have some positive matchups for hitters, but the Twins and Sox are the least sexy of the four matchups. The Twins are rolling out a rookie starter in Mejia, and Gonzalez for the Sox pitched well after being traded to the Sox last season, is coming off a poor spring showing with a 5.68 ERA. A nice day in Chicago may also mean a solid crowd at whatever they are calling the Cell this year. Buxton needs to break out of early slump to keep him lineup spot early on I feel.
Jose Abreu, Brian Dozier, Todd Frazier, Tim Anderson, Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, Melky Cabrera.
DK Remaining: $21,100 for catcher and two pitcher spots.
Early stack other options: I believe all four games have stackable options early on. Outside of the above game, I like the Cardinals today, especially if Matt Adams is in the lineup.
Main Slate:
There is not one entire game I like as of now to go all in on. With a game at Coors, the ownership for those players, as well as prices (DK especially), are usually much higher than the field. Today the Dodgers roll out Kershaw, making the Rockies high risk options. On the flip side though are the Dodgers, and if past years are any indication, it takes the road team a day or so to get adjusted to the sea level, meaning expect the Dodgers to blast off today.
Pairing your Dodgers with Seattle is where I’m leaning tonight. It will cost you some salary for the hitters though, which may be a tough move with some top pitchers taking the mound tonight. The second stack option will focus on four pairs of two players that are cheap enough to fit a top pitcher on your roster. Good Luck!
Dodgers/Mariners Combo
Adrian Gonzalez, Robinson Cano, Kyle Seager, Corey Seager, Nelson Cruz, Andrew Toles, Mitch Haniger
Note: Going Grandal as your catcher leaves you with $8,700 for a pitcher on FanDuel, and finding a punt catcher will leave you with $9,900.
4 x 2 main slate stack with at least $10K average left for pitching: Left with $10,400 average for two pitchers.
Carlos Ruiz, C.J. Cron, Rougned Odor, Eduardo Nunez, Brandon Crawford, Danny Valencia, Mike Trout, Joey Gallo
Player News
William Contreras is playing with a fractured middle finger on his catching hand.
Contreras had X-rays last night, which revealed the fracture. It is reportedly an old fracture that “has bothered him for some time.” Contreras has played through it and will continue to do so. However, his catching hand is also the lead hand for his swing, so the fracture may be impacting some of his quality of contact. His barrel rate is just 3.1 percent on the season, and his average exit velocity is down almost three mph while posting a career-low hard hit rate. His bat speed has also fallen, with him ranking in the 65th percentile with an average bat speed of 72.8 mph after posting a 74.7 mph mark last year.
Rangers signed RHP Cory Abbott to a minor league contract.
Abbott had a 2.40 ERA in 15 innings for los Tecos de los Dos Laredos in the Mexican Independent League, striking out 15 batters and walking eight in an extremely hitter-friendly environment. He’s the third player signed out of the Mexican Independent League this week, with the Rangers also signing Robert Dugger and the Dodgers signing Nick Senzel. Abbott figures to join the starting rotation for Triple-A Round Rock.
Yordan Alvarez (hand) was diagnosed with a muscle strain on the top of his right hand.
The injury was previously reported as “inflammation,” but now we know that the inflammation is the result of a strain. Astros manager Joe Espada said the diagnosis was “good news,” and the team still hopes Alvarez will have a minimum stint on the IL, but he’ll obviously need to wait for the strained muscle or tendon to heal, which might take more than a week depending on the severity of the strain.
Royals signed RHP Stephen Nogosek to a minor league contract.
The 30-year-old last appeared in an MLB game for the Mets back in 2023. He was in the Nationals organization last season, but was released in May after posting a 9.77 ERA in 15 2/3 innings. He has a 5.02 career ERA in 57 1/3 MLB innings and figures to serve as organizational depth for the Royals’ bullpen.
Nick Senzel is playing third base and batting fifth for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
The 29-year-old was signed out of the Mexican Independent League after hitting .591/.654/1.136 in 26 plate appearances with three home runs and 10 RBI. He’ll likely serve as a utility player in Triple-A and be a fallback option for the Dodgers at multiple spots in the field.
Christian Koss is starting at second base and batting ninth for the Giants on Wednesday against the Cubs.
After Koss was on the bench on Tuesday, he’ll be right back in the lineup on Wednesday. The 27-year-old has gone 7-for-37 so far this season with 11 strikeouts and is not an option in fantasy leagues.