This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Sunday in July? Sounds like baseball to me! There are 10 MLB games included for DFS purposes this Sunday. First pitch is at 1:35 p.m. ET. Here are some suggestions to try to boost your DFS lineups a bit!
Pitching
Jesus Luzardo, MIA vs. COL ($10,000): Luzardo broke through last season with a 3.32 ERA, and this year he has a 3.34 ERA through 20 starts. He has a 2.43 ERA at home as well, and the southpaw has held lefties to a .200 average. The Rockies have a few lefties in their usual lineup, and they're in the bottom 10 in runs scored even though they play at Coors Field half the time.
Jordan Montgomery, STL at CHC ($9,100): Montgomery has been cruising for a bit now. Over his last nine starts, he's posted an 1.68 ERA. The Cubs may be 10th in runs scored, but the Cardinals are right behind them, and I'll take a hot pitcher against a lineup that isn't necessarily imposing on paper, what with Cody Bellinger and Christopher Morel carrying the day with perhaps unsustainable performances.
Bryce Elder, ATL at MIL ($8,700): Elder has had a couple tough starts in a row against Arizona and Tampa, but he could get on track for this one. After all, he has a 3.31 ERA this season, and a 2.83 ERA on the road. The Brewers are in the bottom eight in runs scored and in the bottom five in team OPS, which is why I think Elder can right the ship Sunday.
Top Targets
If you want a righty with power, Christian Walker ($3,600) is your guy. He's hit .261, slugged. 510, and tallied 20 home runs. Why might you want a righty with power? Well, Luke Weaver has allowed 3.1 homers per nine innings at home with the Reds and has allowed righties to hit .349 against him.
Finally playing regularly in MLB, Josh Lowe ($3,300) has tallied 13 homers and 21 stolen bases. In his career, he's slugged .474 against righties. Tyler Wells doesn't allow a ton of contact, but when he does, it leads to a lot of damage. The right hander has a 4.75 FIP and has allowed 1.86 home runs per nine innings. Lowe has the opportunity to go yard Sunday.
Bargain Bats
So, it seems like the whole "elite prospect" thing that made CJ Abrams ($2,900) arguably the key to the Juan Soto deal had some merit to it. Having posted an 1.002 OPS over the last three weeks, Abrams now has 10 homers and 19 stolen bases. Anthony DeSclafani has struggled for a while, as over his last 12 starts he has a 6.44 ERA. Plus, lefties have hit .272 against him since 2021.
In his first full season with Philly, Brandon Marsh ($2,800) has slashed .277/.357/.450 with seven homers, five triples, and six stolen bases. His .878 OPS versus righties has been key to that. The expectation is that Peyton Battenfield will return to the Cleveland rotation Sunday, and he has a 5.38 FIP.
Stacks to Consider
Orioles at Rays (Taj Bradley): Anthony Santander ($3,400), Gunnar Henderson ($3,200), Ryan O'Hearn ($2,800)
Bradley is young and his fastball wows on the radar gun. That has helped him rack up 12.08 strikeouts per nine innings. However, he also has a 5.29 ERA, in part because he's allowed 1.63 home runs per nine innings. Lefties have hit .250 against Bradley, while righties have hit .287 against him. Unfortunately, finding a righty from the Orioles proved tricky, but I still like this stack.
Santander is a switch hitter, so perhaps he can step up as a righty in this matchup with Bradley. He's slugged .483 this year with 17 homers, and over the last three weeks he has a .942 OPS. Henderson has tallied 15 homers and five triples, and he has already shown a clear ability to hit righties. In his career he has an .856 OPS versus right handers. O'Hearn earned a regular role with the Orioles by hitting righties. The southpaw has an .877 OPS in those matchup, including hitting all seven of his home runs.
Dodgers at Rangers (Martin Perez): Mookie Betts ($4,300), J.D. Martinez ($3,900), James Outman ($2,800)
The honeymoon is over. Perez's return to Texas in 2022 went well, but this year he has a 5.43 FIP. Given his career 4.41 FIP, 2022 feels like the outlier. His K/9 rate is back down below 6.00, and hit HR/9 rate is back above 1.5. Here's my stack against the scuffling southpaw.
Betts excels in basically all contexts, as his .278/.381/.569 slash line indicates, but he's particularly good against lefties. Since 2021, he has a .964 OPS versus southpaws. Martinez is back to his pre-pandemic power levels, having slugged .568 and hitting 24 home runs. Clearly, he's enjoying his time with the Dodgers, but he also has a .936 OPS on the road. Why do I have Outman, a lefty, in this stack? Well, for starters, Outman has a .773 OPS against lefties, which isn't too shabby for a southpaw. Two, Perez has allowed left-handers to hit .317 against him.
