This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
This is the last Sunday of the year which will largely belong to baseball. There's a college football game, but the NFL hasn't started just yet. Let's make the most of this for MLB. There are 10 games on the slate for DFS purposes, with the first now starting at 12:10 p.m. EDT thanks to a rainout in Cincinnati yesterday. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Max Fried, ATL vs. MIA ($10,500): The Braves' lineup gets a lot of love and rightfully so, but the team also has some impressive pitching. Fried leads the way with a 2.56 ERA and 2.54 FIP. Miami has Pablo Lopez on the mound, but it also has a lineup that ranks 27th in runs scored.
Carlos Carrasco, NYM vs. WAS ($9,100): Carrasco returns from the IL on Sunday, and this is a good matchup to return to. The veteran pitcher tends to eat up innings and has a decent offense behind him, which is partially why he comes in with a 13-5 record even though he also lists a 3.92 ERA (but with a 3.65 FIP). The Nationals, for their part, sit 26th in offense.
Spenser Watkins, BAL vs. OAK ($6,800): Watkins' last start was poor, but he's posted a 3.38 ERA over his last 11 outings. This matchup is likely to help him get back on track as the Athletics are 29th in runs scored and team OPS.
Top Targets
When you consider just righties, Cedric Mullins ($5,200) has looked like he did last season slashing .294/.354/.457 in those matchups. The lefty has also stolen 29 bases. Adrian Martinez is a righty, and the rookie has produced a 5.22 FIP through six starts.
For the first time in his career, Marcus Semien ($4,700) has put up a 20-20 campaign. That's also with him struggling in his new ballpark. On the road, Semien has registered an .846 OPS. He'll be in Boston on Sunday and Kutter Crawford enters with a 5.47 ERA.
Bargain Bats
Rookie Jose Miranda ($3,400) has hit .272, and he's been better on the road with an .815 OPS. Lucas Giolito has had a baffling season. Once a promising pitcher, he's struggled to a 5.27 ERA and a 6.86 at home. I went with a righty in Miranda because Giolito has let righties hit .328 against.
Southpaw David Peralta ($2,800) has produced massive matchup splits this year, but he's managed an .811 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. He's yet to hit a homer since joining the Rays, but has recorded an .860 OPS the last two weeks. Speaking of trade acquisitions, it's only five starts, but Frankie Montas has been brutal for the Yankees with a 7.01 ERA.
Stacks to Consider
Red Sox vs. Rangers (Dane Dunning): Rafael Devers ($5,800), Alex Verdugo ($3,800), Franchy Cordero ($2,300)
Dunning doesn't allow a lot of homers, but still has a 4.24 FIP. He's also posted a 5.25 ERA on the road. I have three lefties in this stack as Dunning has let them hit .276 against during his career.
Devers is in his element for this one with a .921 OPS versus righties and a .946 at home. Verdugo has registered an .873 the last three weeks. And since 2020, he's produced an .829 versus right-handers. Cordero hasn't been quite as good, but still maintains a .731 against righties. His strength is his .801 at home.
Mets vs. Nationals (Erick Fedde): Starling Marte ($5,800), Pete Alonso ($5,500), Daniel Vogelbach ($4,100)
Fedde has never finished a season with a FIP lower than 4.65. He's also posted an ERA over five at home and on the road since 2020. The righty has allowed 1.52 home runs per nine innings in his career. Lefties and righties have hit Fedde with gusto. I'm pretty much saying it's hard to go wrong with this stack.
Marte has hit .294 this year with 16 homers and 18 steals. He's also managed an .887 OPS at home, where he's slugged .529. Alonso has crushed 32 homers and has slugged .507. He's not a one-dimensional masher either with a .270 average with a .348 OBP. Vogelbach, well, is fairly one-dimensional, but can hit righties with a .900 OPS with all 16 of his long balls coming against them.
Reds vs. Rockies (Jose Urena): Jonathan India ($5,000), Jake Fraley ($3,100), TJ Friedl ($2,300)
If you thought Fedde's numbers were alarming, Urena has posted a 5.80 ERA this year, meaning he's basically locked into having an ERA over five for the fourth straight season. The Reds don't boast an exciting lineup, but this matchup is just too good. I made sure to get to southpaws in there since lefties have hit .330 against Urena across the last two campaigns.
India is a righty, but leads off and has been looking more like the player who recently won NL Rookie of the Year with a .933 OPS the last three weeks. Fraley has only played in 43 games, but he's hit eight homers and slugged .477. That's largely based on a .925 OPS versus righties. Friedl has been scorching with a 1.167 OPS since mid-August. And in his handful of at-bats against lefties, the rookie has produced a 1.030.
