This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
It's another Sunday of MLB action. There's no hockey and no basketball, but there are 10 MLB games on the main DFS slate. The first pitch is at 1:35 p.m. ET. Want some lineup recommendations? I've got them right here!
Pitching
Kyle Wright, ATL vs. PIT ($10,500): Wright's status as a top pitching prospect had faded when the 2022 campaign began. But he's having a "better late than never" season with a 2.39 ERA. And Wright is still only 26, so it's not a total surprise he's possibly figured things out. The Pirates really need to solve their offensive woes as they rank in the bottom-three in runs scored after finishing last in 2021.
Dakota Hudson, STL vs. CIN ($8,400): Hudson has gone seven innings and allowed only one run in each of his last two starts. That's helped him to a 2.76 ERA in his first full season as a starter since 2019. After their offseason fire sale, it's a little surprising the Reds are middling in runs scored and are bottom-10 in team OPS.
Ross Stripling, TOR at DET ($6,700): The Blue Jays let Stripling stretch out and go five innings in his last outing in a win against the Royals where he didn't give up any runs. I imagine Sunday's start will be similar with an even easier matchup as the Tigers sit last in runs scored by a wide margin.
Top Targets
Even though Anthony Rizzo ($3,700) has slowed down after his hot start, he still has 15 home runs. He's also produced a .959 OPS at home, where he's slugged .594. Kyle Hendricks has posted a 5.87 ERA over his last seven starts, thanks in part to 10 home runs allowed during that span.
Luis Robert ($3,200) is a career .290 hitter, and this year has six home runs and 10 stolen bases. If he's able to play 100 games for the first time in his career, he'll likely record a 20-20. Jon Gray has struggled to a 5.94 ERA on the road this year and has allowed righties to hit .271 against.
Bargain Bats
Austin Hays ($3,200) is having a bit of a breakout campaign batting .290 with a .354 OBP, and last year hit 22 home runs. He's also registered a .923 OPS against righties, and righty Brad Keller enters with a 4.19 ERA.
It's been a bad-luck season for Whit Merrifield ($3,000), who produced a career .324 BABIP and is at .246 this season. He's still managed to steal seven bases and notched 40 last year. Dean Kremer posted a 7.55 ERA in 2021, and allowed three runs in 4.1 innings in his one start this season.
Stacks to Consider
Phillies vs. Diamondbacks (Luke Weaver): Bryce Harper ($4,400), Kyle Schwarber ($4,000), Rhys Hoskins ($3,200)
After a couple of rehab starts in Triple-A, Weaver is expected back in the lineup for the Diamondbacks. He brings with him a career 4.66 ERA and has given up 1.30 home runs per nine innings. Even if Weaver's elbow is better, I still like a Phillies stack in this matchup.
Harper has experienced an elbow issue of his own, but it isn't impacting his hitting with a 1.039 OPS over the last three weeks and a 1.069 against righties since 2020. Schwarber has belted 16 homers, and he's teed off on righties slugging .549 against them the last two years. Hoskins doesn't hit for average, but he does offer enough power with a career .495 slugging percentage to go with 11 home runs in 2022.
Braves vs. Pirates (Jose Quintana): Ronald Acuna ($4,300), Austin Riley ($3,800), Dansby Swanson ($3,400)
Quintana has a 3.19 ERA, but I'm expecting another shoe to drop considering it's been at 5.13 across the previous three seasons. Things already seem to be unraveling with a 5.40 mark over his last four starts. Now Quintana has to visit the Braves, who offer three robust righties to stack.
Acuna has looked exactly like the player with a career .938 OPS since returning from injury with six homers and 11 stolen bases while batting .316. Riley broke out last year going .303 with 33 home runs. He may only be hitting .264 in 2022, but he's slugged .513 with 16 homers and two stolen bases. Swanson is enjoying a breakout campaign of his own slashing.290/.357/.447 with seven home runs and nine steals.
Rays at Twins (Cole Sands): Randy Arozarena ($3,400), Manuel Margot ($3,300), Ji-Man Choi ($3,100)
Even though Sands posted a 7.23 ERA at Triple-A, he got a chance to pitch in MLB. It's gone about as well as you expect with a 8.49 ERA while allowing 3.09 home runs per nine innings. Sands likely won't be in the rotation much longer, but the Rays will get a shot at him Sunday.
Arozarena has produced seven home runs and 10 stolen bases after registering 20 of each last season and maintaining an .864 road OPS. Margot is surprisingly hitting .316 in 2022 along with three home runs and five stolen bases. However, he did go deep 10 times and swiped 13 bags last year. Choi has hit .277 with a .364 OBP, and the lefty typically prefers to face a righty with an .813 OPS in those matchups since 2020.
