MLB DFS Top Stacks: Thursday August 22nd
MLB DFS is complex. Most articles are about the individual players most likely to succeed, but the MLB DFS picks most likely to succeed aren’t always the MLB DFS picks we should be most likely to play. With some help from our Top Stacks tool, we will aim to look more at the process instead of just the picks and the teams instead of just the players. We’ll still analyze the MLB player projections that are available in our MLB optimizer, LineupHQ. However, we’ll be more focused on collective ownership, optimal scores, and matchups of full stacks within the context of game selection and leverage.
We have a small slate on tap for Thursday night, but we are definitely not short of interesting angles to take. How can we find some value and pay up for a stud pitcher? Let’s get to it.
All stats cited are since the start of the 2024 season unless otherwise noted.
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MLB DFS Picks: Top Stacks for Thursday, August 22nd
CHALKY STACK
Blue Jays vs. Griffin Canning
Canning is simply a below-average MLB pitcher. In his defense, he’s been slightly better than advertised, sporting a 5.41 ERA and a 4.93 xERA – but that’s still bad.
Canning has struck out just 16% of hitters this season while allowing an uninspiring .196 ISO, .350 wOBA, and a near 9% barrel rate. He’s given up a little more power to lefties this season, allowing a .225 ISO.
Toronto has become a much more interesting team to stack in the second half than they were at the beginning of the year. The Blue Jays rank 6th in wRC+ vs. RHP in August, and part of that is due to Vladimir Guerrero being on an absolute tear since the break. He’s one of the top bats on this small-ish slate.
Don’t look now; it only took George Springer 80% of the year to heat up a little, even though he’s still a shell of his former self. Springer slugged .505 in July, with 16 RBIs, and has homered 3 times in his last 2 games.
The value lefties make this an easy stack. Spencer Horwitz has been hitting toward the top of the order, and he has a .200 ISO vs. RHP in the last 30 days. How about Will Wagner? He’s done nothing but record a .631 wOBA vs. RHP since getting the call – but of course, that’s a tiny sample size. Wagner has been a hit machine, and he’s no more than $2,600 on either site.
Pitching isn’t great on Thursday, so if you want to get Paul Skenes up top, you might need a stack where all of the bats aren’t pushing $5,000-$6,000 on DraftKings. Toronto could be that stack, but it might be pretty chalky. Despite a likely high pOWN%, I like them a lot, and they currently have the highest implied team total on the board.
VALUE STACK
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