Sunday only features one World Cup game, so it's a perfect day to focus on MLB baseball (unless you're a Toronto Blue Jays fan, I suppose). There are 11 games on the DFS slate, and the action starts at 1:35 p.m. ET. Here are some MLB DFS lineup recommendations for your Sunday. Good luck!
Pitching
Jesus Luzardo, PHI at NYM ($9,900): Luzardo has a 3.12 FIP compared to a 4.00 ERA, which makes sense given that he has a 10.72 K/9 rate and a 0.88 HR/9 rate. There's also the fact the Mets are in the bottom six in runs scored and team OPS, and I don't think firing their manager is going to completely changed things around for them.
Emerson Hancock, SEA at CLE ($9,400): Hancock's last two starts have been poor, but his five starts before that were really good. All told, through 15 starts he has a 3.60 ERA. Cleveland, dealing with injuries to key bats such as Jose Ramirez, now finds itself in the bottom three in runs scored and team OPS.
Anthony Kay, CWS vs. KAN ($7,500): After a couple years in Japan, Kay has returned to MLB. While he has a 4.24 ERA, I'm definitely down to roster him against the Royals. One, Kay is a southpaw, and he's held lefties to an .171 average. He'll be able to neutralize Kansas City's left-handed batters. Two, he's struggled on the road, but Kay has a 2.66 ERA at home. Both of those things, combined with the Royals being below average in terms of runs scored, make Kay worth it for me.
Top Targets
He got Saturday off because he's been scuffling a bit, and because a lefty was on the mound for the Tigers, but I'm not worried about Yordan Alvarez ($4,200). He still has an 1.046 OPS with 25 homers and 16 doubles in 83 games. I bet he plays Sunday against Jack Flaherty, and he will welcome it. The righty has a 5.35 ERA through 15 starts.
Through the prism of counting stats and the offensive output one can find at shortstop, I'm good with rostering Gunnar Henderson ($3,300) on Sunday. Yes, his batting average has careened off a cliff, but he has 16 homers, 14 doubles, two triples and six stolen bases through 83 games. Plus, he's a lefty. Zack Littell has a 5.52 K/9 rate, a 2.52 HR/9 rate and a 6.51 FIP. Oh, and lefties have hit .301 against him.
Bargain Bats
Over the last three weeks, Andres Gimenez ($2,700) has an .835 OPS. He also has 10 stolen bases in 78 games, and twice he's swiped 30 bags in a campaign. In his career, southpaws have hit .286 against Kumar Rocker, and then on top of that his away ERA is a whopping 6.55.
He completely lacks for power, but Jake Mangum ($2,700) has hit .304 with seven doubles and 14 stolen bases through 63 games. Also, to the extent he "has power," he's slugged .398 at home (you don't want to know what he's slugged on the road). Brady Singer has a 6.32 ERA on the road, and lefties have hit .306 against him. As such, I figure this is the kind of day to try and save a little salary in your outfield with Mangum.
Agree with these recommendations? Give them a spin with various combinations of other players in RotoWire's MLB DFS Lineup Optimizer.
Stacks to Consider
Rays vs. Diamondbacks (Merrill Kelly): Junior Caminero ($3,400), Jonathan Aranda ($3,400), Cedric Mullins ($2,700)
This is my second time going with this very stack this weekend, but it is also the second time the Rays have gotten to face a longtime Diamondback whose career has fallen off a cliff. Kelly has an 1.42 K/8 ratio and an 1.78 HR/9 rate. As such, it isn't surprising that he has a 5.72 ERA. Righties have hit .271 against Kelly, but lefties have hit .292 against him with twice as many homers. That's why I have two southpaws in this stack.
Caminero hit 45 home runs last season, and this year he's up to 21. On top of that, in his career he's slugged .527 against his fellow righties. Aranda is more reliant on facing righties, which is not uncommon for southpaw hitters. That being said, over the last two seasons he's posted an OPS over .900 against righties, so it's all good given this matchup. Mullins is here because of his salary and his potential for counting stats. He has seven homers, 13 stolen bases and, just to mention it, one triple in 70 games.
Twins vs. Rockies (Ryan Feltner): Byron Buxton ($4,100), Trevor Larnach ($2,800), Royce Lewis ($2,800)
Feltner has a career 5.14 ERA, and that isn't just about Coors Field. This season he has a 6.17 ERA on the road, and last season he had a 4.91 ERA in away outings. Thus, I'm good with stacking Twins on Sunday. I have two righties in this stack, because Feltner's fellow righties have hit .283 against him this year.
Buxton is an underrated power hitter of this generation, as he's slugged .544 since 2020. He struggles to stay healthy, but in 72 games this season he's hit 25 homers, with 14 of those coming at home. Larnach has a .922 OPS over the last three weeks. He's missed games in that time, in part because he will be rested against lefties. This year, though, he has an .847 OPS versus right-handed pitchers. Lewis is a righty, but Feltner has struggled against righties, and Lewis can deliver counting stats. Through 50 games he has seven homers, seven doubles and five stolen bases.
