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 our daily fantasy baseball projections -- which are powered by numberFire -- to identify the slate's best bats.

Let's look at the top stacks for today's main slate.

MLB DFS Stacks

Los Angeles Dodgers

Implied Total: 5.32 | Opposing Pitcher: Dakota Hudson

Following an uncharacteristic five-game losing streak, the Los Angeles Dodgers just swept the New York Mets in a three-game road series by a combined score of 18-5. On Friday, the Dodgers will return home to face Dakota Hudson and the Colorado Rockies.

Through his first 10 starts in 2024, Hudson is registering a dismal 5.34 SIERA and 5.11 xFIP with a career-worst 12.1% strikeout rate. While Hudson has managed to keep the ball out of the air with a 26.5% flyball rate, he ranks in the 20th percentile in hard-hit rate (43.6%), 32nd percentile in average exit velocity (89.5 MPH), and ninth percentile in xERA (5.47).

Left-handed hitters have done slightly more damage versus Hudson this year, producing a .361 wOBA, 1.91 WHIP, and 1.23 HR/9. Hudson will then give way to a Rockies bullpen that is logging the worst SIERA (4.52) and WHIP (1.62).

Freddie Freeman ($3,600) and Shohei Ohtani ($4,400) are the left-handed bats to target at the top of Los Angeles' daunting lineup. Both Freeman and Ohtani are recording a wOBA of .427 or better, ISO of .233 or better, and wRC+ of 184 or better against right-handed pitching to begin the campaign.

Just because Hudson performs worse versus righties doesn't mean Mookie Betts ($4,300), Will Smith ($3,700), and Teoscar Hernandez ($3,600) should be ignored. At the bottom of the order, Gavin Lux ($2,600), Jason Heyward ($2,500), and potentially Miguel Vargas ($2,600) could supply much-needed value.

Once again, the one concern with stacking the Dodgers is the fact Hudson has kept the ball on the ground for most of the season. But if there's one team that can put some of Hudson's pitches into the air, it's Los Angeles.

Cleveland Guardians

Implied Total: 4.62 | Opposing Pitcher: Patrick Corbin

Patrick Corbin has been a starting pitcher we can target each time he's on the mound in DFS, and the Cleveland Guardians are raking against southpaws to begin the campaign. Besides allowing three-plus earned runs in eight of his 11 starts, Corbin is posting a career-worst swinging strike rate (8.4%), resulting in him being in the third percentile in xERA (6.37).

Corbin has also been hit hard this season as he's in the 11th percentile in average exit velocity (90.8 MPH), 28th percentile in barrel rate (8.9%), and sixth percentile in hard-hit rate (48.8%). Those metrics don't bode well for Corbin ahead of a matchup with a Guardians squad that is sporting the fourth-best wOBA (.335), fourth-best wRC+ (121), and second-best ISO (.185) against left-handed pitching.

At the moment, Corbin is allowing right-handed hitters to record a .396 wOBA, .559 SLG, and 1.48 HR/9, making Tyler Freeman ($3,200), Jose Ramirez ($4,500), and David Fry ($3,500) enticing options. Of those three players, Ramirez and Fry are both holding a wRC+ of 181 or higher and an ISO of .308 or higher.

Josh Naylor ($3,600) and Andres Gimenez ($3,400) are two left-handed hitters capable of doing damage against same-handed pitching, and Corbin is giving up a 2.14 WHIP and .500 SLG to lefties. Naylor is tallying a .288 ISO versus southpaws while Gimenez owns a formidable 117 wRC+ in the split.

We can find value in Cleveland's lineup by making wraparound stacks with Johnathan Rodriguez ($2,200), Gabriel Arias ($2,400), Austin Hedgess ($2,100), and Brayan Rocchio ($2,500).

Baltimore Orioles

Implied Total: 4.52 | Opposing Pitcher: Aaron Civale

I was torn between listing the Baltimore Orioles or Boston Red Sox as my third favorite stack but ended up siding with the birds as they've been more consistent at the plate. Aaron Civale will travel to take on the Orioles on the road on Friday, and the veteran right-hander has been giving up plenty of homers in 2024.

Civale has allowed at least one home run in all but one of his 11 starts this year as he's in the 26th percentile in average exit velocity (89.8 MPH) and 35th percentile in hard-hit rate (40.5%) with his lowest swinging strike rate (9.1%) since 2019.

While Civale is getting hit hard from both sides of the plate, lefties are producing a .376 wOBA, 1.57 WHIP, and 2.21 HR/9 against him. Additionally, Baltimore is putting together the 12th-best wRC+ (103), 2nd-best ISO (.183), and 9th-lowest strikeout rate (20.6%) against right-handed pitching.

Gunnar Henderson ($4,400), Adley Rutschman ($3,300), Ryan O'Hearn ($2,900), and Anthony Santander ($3,000) are the left-handed bats to focus on. Henderson is rocking a .383 wOBA, .340 ISO, and 153 wRC+ versus right-handed pitchers this year.

Although it's a small sample size of six career plate appearances against Civale, Ryan Mountcastle ($3,100) has five hits with two homers in the head-to-head matchups. Colton Cowser ($2,800), Jorge Mateo ($2,700), and Cedric Mullins ($2,900) -- who also has two career home runs versus Civale -- are all viable players at the bottom of the order for the Orioles.

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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.