This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
It's the first Sunday of the NFL season, but I'm not forgetting about MLB. And I'm a Lions fan, so I already got all I wanted from this week in terms of football. Sunday offers plenty of baseball action, and lots of opportunity for DFS success. There are 13 games on the slate, with a first pitch of 1:05 p.m. EDT. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Corbin Burnes, MIL at NYY ($10,300): Burnes has been uncharacteristically spotty this season, yet he's posted a 3.13 road ERA. Maybe a matchup with the Yankees will help, as they're bottom-10 in runs scored and 29th in batting average.
Cole Ragans, KC at TOR ($9,600): This may seem like a strange selection, but Ragans has been tearing it up since being dealt to KC and joining the rotation with a 1.51 ERA across eight starts. The Blue Jays are theoretically a formidable offense, yet are right in the middle of the league in terms of run production. Several Toronto hitters, like Vladimir Guerrero, have struggled at home. And with a southpaw like Ragans on the mound, a few other Toronto players may be out of luck.
Jon Gray, TEX vs. OAK ($9,300): Gray has produced a 3.85 ERA this year, which is totally expected. He's a decent pitcher, but that's all I need with Oakland as the opposition as the club is last in runs scored and team OPS. I'll take a shot on Gray in this matchup.
Top Targets
Cody Bellinger ($4,100) is sporting a batting average (.319) that would be a personal best and his 20 stolen bases are already a career-high. It's been nice to see the former MVP regain his footing at the plate, and Brandon Pfaadt offers an opportunity to flash his peak form. The rookie has slumped to a 6.27 ERA and has allowed 2.05 homers per nine innings while lefties have hit .293 against.
Though his numbers aren't up to his lofty standards, Paul Goldschmidt ($3,500) has gone .273 with 23 home runs and 10 steals. He's mainly lost his swing against lefties, who he used to crush, though his .827 OPS against righties is in line with career numbers. Hunter Greene has a 7.24 ERA at home and has let fellow right-handers to bat .299 against.
Bargain Bats
Seeing Spencer Torkelson show off his power is nice for Tigers fans (like me) in need of hope, but Kerry Carpenter ($3,000) has been a pleasant surprise and also a better overall hitter. The lefty has slashed .293/.355/.519 with 20 homers with a .901 OPS against righties and a .930 at home. Jesse Scholtens pitched out of the bullpen for a while, and starting hasn't been working out for the righty with a 6.30 ERA from his last six outings while giving up 1.8 homers per nine innings.
With 19 home runs on the campaign, Andrew Vaughn ($2,900) has already set a new personal-best. The righty has also slugged .447 against fellow right-handers. Sawyer Gipson-Long will make his MLB debut for the Tigers on Sunday. He's not a prospect, just a live arm, and his ERA at Triple-A was 5.45.
Stacks to Consider
Reds vs. Cardinals (Miles Mikolas): TJ Friedl ($3,000), Jake Fraley ($2,900), Christian Encarnacion-Strand ($2,700)
To me, Mikolas is synonymous with "hittable". This season has been a perfect example of that as he's only struck out 6.00 batters per nine while walking 1.84. Mikolas doesn't allow many home runs either and yet he carries a 4.63 ERA. His groundball rate is 38.5 and his line-drive rate is 23.5. Lefties have hit .283 against and righties .277. Mikolas is the inverse of a "three true outcomes" pitcher, but instead his starts are characterized by the opposition spraying doubles around the park.
Friedl has racked up 12 homers, six triples, and 24 stolen bases, and having a righty on the mound will help Cincinnati's base stealers. He also has an .839 OPS at home. Fraley has registered 15 home runs and 20 steals, and just needs to be kept away from lefties based on an .872 OPS against righties and .855 in home games. Encarnacion-Strand has been getting regular playing time with Joey Votto out. He's been much better against righties with a .779 OPS in those matchups. And as noted, Mikolas struggles with just about everybody.
Dodgers at Nationals (Trevor Williams): Freddie Freeman ($4,200), J.D. Martinez ($3,500), Max Muncy ($3,400)
In three of his last five starts, Williams has given up at least three home runs. That's wild, but I also had to say "at least" because he gave up four to the Marlins last time he took the mound. On the year, the righty has posted a 6.00 FIP and has allowed 2.21 long balls per nine, so I specifically targeted power bats here.
Freeman does a bit of everything as his 25 homers are paired with a .335 average and 18 stolen bases. He's also slugged .624 on the road, so the power should be in play Sunday. Martinez recently returned from the IL after 26 homers in 94 games. In his first season with the Dodgers, he's managed an .879 OPS against his fellow righties and a .959 on the road. Muncy will never win a batting title, though that hasn't stopped him from dispatching 34 homers and producing an .892 OPS the last three weeks.
Red Sox vs. Orioles (Grayson Rodriguez): Rafael Devers ($3,900), Justin Turner ($3,500), Triston Casas ($3,200)
With a massive fastball, Rodriguez racked up strikeouts as soon as he hit the majors. But like a lot of hard-throwing young arms, he gave up plenty of homers. After a trip to Triple-A, Rodriguez got his home runs in check for a bit before giving up three across his last four starts. The righty has posted a 4.91 ERA and has allowed 1.45 homers per nine innings, so I'm stacking some Red Sox sluggers.
A power drought has kept Devers at 29 homers, though he's still produced six doubles from his last seven games. The southpaw has a .920 OPS against righties and an .881 at home since 2021. In his first season with Boston, Turner has hit .284 with 23 home runs. Fenway Park has been great for him with an .861 OPS there. Casas has posted a 1.002 OPS the last three weeks. Like many lefties, he enjoys hitting in Boston with a career .897 OPS at home.
