This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
There are 18 - yes, 18 - MLB games scheduled for Sunday. However, I'll just be focusing on the seven included in FanDuel's main slate of contests. I like an all-day contest on Sundays, but the first game starts at 11:35 a.m. ET. That might be tricky on the East Coast, much less the West Coast. We lose some options, but still have plenty for DFS purposes.
Pitching
Alek Manoah, TOR at CLE ($10,400): Cleveland's offense has been better than expected, but Manoah has been lights out on the mound. He's made five starts while going at least six innings in each one while posting a 1.45 ERA and striking out 9.29 batters per nine innings. I've seen enough to trust Manoah.
Chris Paddack, MIN vs. OAK ($7,600): The two teams that went full fire sale this offseason, Oakland and Cincinnati, are the two teams who rank last in the league in team OPS. We're talking sub-.600 as a team in Oaktown. Paddack's last couple of seasons in San Diego were tough, but this year he's at a 1.92 FIP through four starts and has yet to allow a home run.
Jake Odorizzi, HOU vs. DET ($7,000): Odorizzi is at home, has only allowed one run over his last two starts, and now he gets a favorable matchup. The Tigers sit 29th in runs scored, and might very well be in last if they hadn't played three more games than the Royals.
Top Targets
Ronald Acuna ($3,800) hasn't looked much worse for the wear since returning from a serious knee injury. His .250 batting average isn't up to his usual level, but he already has two homers and three stolen bases in only a handful of games. And let's not forget his career .920 OPS. Aaron Ashby has mostly pitched in relief and has struggled to a career 3.71 ERA.
As the one lefty of note on the Yankees (sorry, Joey Gallo), I'm in on Anthony Rizzo ($3,700). Righties and home cooking have served the former Cub well in 2022 with a .946 OPS against them and an 1.213 mark at home. Dane Dunning hasn't allowed a lot of homers over his career by modern standards, but he does have a career 4.31 ERA and is a righty.
Bargain Bats
I don't know if Ben Gamel ($2,500) is going to be a contributor all season, but these days the lefty is leading off for the Pirates and has slashed .308/.379/.474. He produced a .347 OBP in 2021, so he's shown the ability to get on base and that's key when you're at the top of the batting order. Since an impressive season opener for Tyler Mahle, he's posted an 8.71 ERA over four starts.
Let's flip this matchup around and get Mike Moustakas ($2,500) in there against a righty. Since joining the Reds, his power has kind of disappeared. Will Moustakas ever be the guy who hit 35 homers in 2019 again? Maybe not, but he's slugged .431 against righties since 2020, which isn't bad. What is bad is Zach Thompson's 9.39 ERA and the fact he's given up 2.35 home runs per nine innings.
Stacks to Consider
Blue Jays vs. Kirk McCarty: Vladimir Guerrero ($4,200), George Springer ($3,800), Teoscar Hernandez ($3,200)
We're projecting McCarty to get the start for the Guardians. He made his MLB debut earlier this year and pitched three innings while allowing four runs and two homers. While he's pitched well in Triple-A, the Blue Jays decidedly do not have a Triple-A lineup.
Guerrero emerged as one of the premier power hitters last season slugging .601 with 48 homers. This year, he's at a .535 slugging percentage while hitting .287. Vladito isn't the only one hitting for power and average in Toronto this year. Leading off for this potent lineup, Springer has a .282 average while slugging .515. Hernandez loves to face a lefty like McCarty with a 1.078 OPS in those matchups since 2020.
Brewers vs. Charlie Morton ($7,200): Willy Adames ($3,800), Christian Yelich ($3,700), Luis Urias ($2,600)
In his age-37 season, Morton was reliable making 33 starts and posting a 3.34 ERA. In his age-38 season, maybe Father Time finally has caught up with him considering his 6.85 ERA through five starts and a 5.35 FIP that says he hasn't been that unlucky. Morton also has his lowest strikeout rate and his highest home run rate in a decade. Nobody remains a viable MLB pitcher forever.
Adames isn't delivering on batting average, but he's slugged .519 and hit eight homers. Yelich has started to show some of that old form with four homers and three stolen bases. He's also a lefty, and Morton has allowed lefties to hit .357 against him this year. Urias earned the opportunity to be a leadoff hitter in 2021 when he posted a .345 OBP with 23 home runs. This season, he's slashed .353/.500/.529.
Astros vs. Wily Peralta: Kyle Tucker ($3,600), Jose Altuve ($3,300), Michael Brantley ($2,700)
Peralta is leading off a bullpen game, but the Tigers don't have a particularly scary bullpen. Since he's a righty, I decided to go with two lefties in my stack. Maybe they can score two at-bats against Peralta before he gets replaced or at least not get stuck with too many lefty-on-lefty matchups.
Tucker has produced four home runs and five stolen bases, calling to mind the fact he racked up 30 homers and 14 stolen bases in 2021. Altuve has put a slow start behind him with a .359 OBP and .473 slugging percentage while hitting in five straight. Brantley is a reliable hitter with a career .298 average and .278 this year to go with a .902 OPS against righties since 2020.
