It's the first Sunday of the 2026 MLB campaign with 11 games on the DFS slate and the first pitch at 1:35 p.m. EDT. Get your lineups in early, tune in to some afternoon baseball, and home for some DFS success. Here are my recommendations.
Pitching
Shota Imanaga, CHC vs. WAS ($8,400): Imanaga's sophomore MLB season was a decided step down, but a 3.73 ERA over 25 starts is far from terrible. It's early enough that there a lot of projecting and theorizing when considering this year, though the Nationals were barely outside the bottom-10 in runs scored during 2025 and I think they could be bottom-five in 2026. And as Imanaga is a lefty, he could neutralize James Wood.
Max Meyer, MIA vs. COL ($7,600): Meyer was so strong to start last season, but then the wheels came off. And probably not coincidentally, he then underwent hip surgery. Meyer was able to let it rip this spring, which is encouraging. There's nothing encouraging about the Rockies, who finished 29th in runs at the best hitter's park.
Grant Holmes, ATL vs. KAN ($7,300): Moving from the bullpen to the rotation, Holmes posted a 3.99 ERA last season. However, he did have a 2.93 at home while Sunday's matchup is in Atlanta. As much as I love Bobby Witt as a talent, the Royals still ended 2025 in the bottom-five for offense.
Find out which projected starters are going and when with RotoWire's Probable Pitchers page!
Top Targets
Once the first wave of hype rolls though, sometimes the rush to note a player's flaws can lead to a bit of overcorrection. That is to say, let us not forget Pete Crow-Armstrong ($5,400) compiled a 30/30 campaign and added 37 doubles. He's yet to show he can hit lefties, though Jake Irvin is a righty with a career 4.94 ERA.
Even in a down year hampered by injury early, Gunnar Henderson ($5,400) hit .274 with 34 doubles and 30 stolen bases. With better health, the southpaw could look like he did during 2024 when he tallied 37 home runs and an .893 OPS. Bailey Ober's fastball dipped in velocity last season and he ended up with a 5.10 ERA. He continued to struggle in the spring to even reach 90 MPH.
Bargain Bats
To the extent things dropped off for William Contreras ($4,600) last season, it was on the road. But at home, he still recorded an .817 OPS. The catcher is in line to face lefty Anthony Kay on Sunday. He's spent the bulk of his MLB career as a reliever and also lists a career 5.59 ERA.
Maybe Christian Walker ($4,000) can bounce back to some degree in 2026. Even during a season where his OBP plunged below .300, he delivered 27 homers with 88 RBI and counting stats are what, well, count the most in DFS. Jack Kochanowicz holds a role in the Angels' rotation for now, which is a bit surprising. I say that as he was literally arguably the worst pitcher in MLB over 2025 having posted a 6.05 FIP and 1.24 K/BB rate across 23 starts.
Stacks to Consider
Mets vs. Pirates (Carmen Mlodzinski): Juan Soto ($6,200), Bo Bichette ($4,600), Jorge Polanco ($3,700)
Mlodzinski has managed to keep the ball in the park through his MLB career, yet he's also largely pitched in relief. Even with that, he produced a 3.55 ERA last season perhaps in part due to a 23.7-percent line-drive rate. This trio of Mets could spray the ball around the field or perhaps go yard.
Soto has racked up at least 40 home runs from each of the last two years. He's also elite at getting on base given his career .417 OBP. Taking 2024 as a lost campaign, Bichette hit over .300 in 2023 and 2025. He also picked up 44 doubles last year, his second of 40-plus. Polanco also bounced back last season batting .265 with 26 homers and 30 doubles for the Mariners. He's a switch-hitter who managed an OPS over .800 against both righties and lefties last year, which bodes well given the odds Mlodzinski likely won't go deep into this matchup.
Red Sox at Reds (Rhett Lowder): Roman Anthony ($5,600), Jarren Duran ($5,300), Marcelo Mayer ($2,900)
How much do six starts in 2024 mean to you? That was when Lowder posted a 1.17 ERA through six outings for the Reds, though with a 3.09 FIP and 1.57 K/BB rate. He didn't pitch last year due to ineffectiveness and injury. If not for absences on the Cincinnati pitching staff, Lowder probably wouldn't be starting Sunday. The Reds' ballpark often plays well for hitters, so I have three left-handed Red Sox I'm hoping will do some damage.
After tearing up Triple-A during 2025, Anthony was called up by Boston and hit .292. He also recorded an OPS over .900 against righties and on the road. Even in a season that was a step down from his breakthrough 2024, Duran still tallied 16 homers, 13 triples, 41 doubles, and 24 steals. He slipped a bit against his fellow lefties, yet registered an .852 OPS versus righties. Mayer was also a vaunted prospect when he debuted, but hasn't acclimated to MLB quite like Anthony. He did have an .807 OPS in Triple-A and opened 2026 with two hits during the Red Sox' opener. At this salary, and given his positional possibilities, Mayer is worth a shot.
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