The fireworks have been blown up real good. But just because it's the day after the 4th of July doesn't mean a bunch of people won't still be setting them off today (or for the next week). As the holiday fell on a Saturday, Sunday's MLB schedule is slightly unusual. Every team will be in action which is normal, though the start times aren't. There are only six games on FanDuel's main DFS slate with the first pitch at 1:35 p.m. EDT. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Casey Mize, DET at TEX ($9,500): Tarik who? Mize has been quite impressive this season, even if that's just bolstering what the Tigers could get in a trade return. It's only been 12 starts due to injury where he's posted a 2.63 ERA, a 4.96 K/BB ratio, and 0.55 HR/9 rate. Both teams offer below-average offenses, though the Rangers are the one that's bottom-10 for runs scored.
Erick Fedde, CWS at CLE ($6,600): This recommendation is about two things, neither of which is related to Fedde's performance. He's the pitcher with the lowest salary on Sunday. And the Guardians are bottom-four in both runs and team OPS. If you're willing to roll the dice, you could get some real bang for your buck with Fedde.
See which projected starters are going and when with RotoWire's Probable Pitchers page!
Top Targets
You know who hits a lot of homers? Byron Buxton ($4,200) dispatched 35 last year and is already at 25. He's also missed significant time as a result of injuries and has recently returned from a hip issue. Southpaw Ryan Weathers has allowed 1.61 home runs per nine innings over his career, so I'm willing to bet Buxton is healthy enough for his power to be on display Sunday.
Peter Lambert has allowed eight homers from his last five starts while his fellow righties have batted .271 against. If you know anything about the Rays, you likely know where this is going. Junior Caminero ($3,900) is on a tear having gone deep 11 times across his last 11 outings. And his slugging percentage during that time is 1.125. (Not his OPS, his slugging percentage.)
Bargain Bats
I advise you not to look at Colson Montgomery's ($3,200) walk-to-strikeout ratio before you roster him. Instead, focus on the fact he's a shortstop with 22 home runs and 16 doubles through 84 games. Tanner Bibee isn't a strikeout pitcher and has given up 1.50 homers per nine innings, so Montgomery can hopefully manage.
Some players need a moment to adjust to MLB, and Jac Caglianone ($3,100) is one of those. Last season was a mess, but he's currently carrying an .820 OPS against righties and an .841 at home. Whatever Aaron Nola used to have (and to be fair, whatever it was yielded decent-at-best results), he's struggled to an ERA over 6.00 the last two campaigns.
Stack to Consider
Tigers at Rangers (Kumar Rocker): Kevin McGonigle (3,400), Riley Greene ($3,000), Kerry Carpenter ($2,800)
The Tigers' lineup isn't great by any means, yet it's driven by lefties and reasonably suited to a matchup against Rocker as southpaws have hit .287 against him over his career while registering six of the eight homers he's conceded this year. And after being much better at home in 2025, his home mark of 4.00 is higher than the 3.60 on the road. As far as stacks go, this one doesn't eat a lot of your cap.
McGonigle's batting eye drew raves through his minor-league run, and here he is as a leadoff hitter with a .393 OBP as a rookie. He doesn't boasts a lot of power, though he's slugged .450 against righties and has stolen 11 bases. Though Greene is only at 12 home runs after 36 last season, his change of approach has helped with less Ks while recording a .287 average and .375 OBP. Carpenter's numbers are actually slightly improved, even if he feels like he's been scuffling at times. And this is one of those cases where someone who was already mostly in the order to face righties has been even worse than usual against lefties, which has dropped his overall stats. Carpenter has slugged .518 against right-handed pitchers and .484 away from Detroit after experiencing road issues last year.
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