We have a big day game slate this Sunday, with 10 matchups to work with. For fantasy managers in weekly leagues, Sunday is crunch time as it’s the end of the week before a new matchup and/or new lineup. For DFS players, it’s often a chance to play with a full slate and watch a bunch of early games since it’s often a getaway day for MLB teams. Let’s take a peek at what we have today.
Remember to reach out on Twitter with questions anytime @mikeMaher.
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Sunday’s Starting Pitcher Strategy
There are some interesting price differences on DraftKings and FanDuel today, and I’m aiming to take advantage of a few of them. Pitchers with high price tags that I’m avoiding today are Kyle Gibson, Nathan Eovaldi, and Chris Bassitt. After the four names listed above, Marcus Stroman would be next on my list of pitchers I’m targeting. Stroman is $8,600 on DraftKings and $8,400 on FanDuel.
We have a big day game slate this Sunday, with 10 matchups to work with. For fantasy managers in weekly leagues, Sunday is crunch time as it’s the end of the week before a new matchup and/or new lineup. For DFS players, it’s often a chance to play with a full slate and watch a bunch of early games since it’s often a getaway day for MLB teams. Let’s take a peek at what we have today.
Remember to reach out on Twitter with questions anytime @mikeMaher.
Import your team to My Playbook for instant Waiver Wire advice
Sunday’s Starting Pitcher Strategy
There are some interesting price differences on DraftKings and FanDuel today, and I’m aiming to take advantage of a few of them. Pitchers with high price tags that I’m avoiding today are Kyle Gibson, Nathan Eovaldi, and Chris Bassitt. After the four names listed above, Marcus Stroman would be next on my list of pitchers I’m targeting. Stroman is $8,600 on DraftKings and $8,400 on FanDuel.
Cash Game Recommendations
Lance McCullers (HOU) vs. TEX
Lance McCullers is the most expensive pitcher on DraftKings at $9,600 but is sixth on FanDuel at $8,400. He’s thrown four straight quality starts and presents the high floor that I like to target in cash games. He currently has a 3.10 ERA, but that number would be under 2.00 if not for one disastrous start against the Tigers in early April. I don’t love targeting that Rangers lineup because it’s sneaky good and has the fifth-best team wOBA in baseball over the last two weeks. Still, I trust McCullers to limit the damage, strike out a decent amount of batters, and stick around long enough to get the win.
Freddy Peralta (MIL) vs. ATL
Freddy Peralta has quietly been one of the best pitchers in baseball this year. Through seven starts (eight total appearances), he has a 2.77 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 61 strikeouts over 39 innings. Those 61 strikeouts are currently the seventh-most in baseball, and he’ll be in the Top 5 after Sunday’s start. The issue here is that the Brewers, as I’ll get into a bit more below, have one of the worst offenses in baseball right now. Despite that, Peralta is still 3-1. He has struck out at least seven batters in all seven of his starts this season, with eight or more in four of those starts. This pick is about a pitcher with a high floor, and Peralta offers that because of his consistent strikeout totals.
GPP Recommendations
Huascar Ynoa (ATL) @ MIL
The Brewers have one of the worst offenses in baseball right now, thanks to Keston Hiura‘s fall from grace, Christian Yelich‘s injury, and a general lack of talent and depth. Ynoa is coming off four straight starts in which he has allowed two runs or fewer, with four quality starts in his last six trips to the mound. His ERA is down to 2.23 on the year and comes with a 0.89 WHIP and 44 strikeouts over 40 1/3 innings. Regarding what you’ll have to pay for him, he’s the fifth most expensive option on DraftKings and the seventh most expensive option on FanDuel. I’m rolling with him in GPP contests, especially on FanDuel, because of his run of success and excellent matchup.
Alex Wood (SF) @ PIT
I’m not sure why Alex Wood is so cheap on FanDuel, but I’m not asking any questions. He’s worth it in GPP contests just for that price alone on FanDuel. Even on DraftKings, where he is more appropriately priced (he’s second behind Lance McCullers), Wood has a good matchup against the Pirates that I want to take advantage of. Through five starts this season, Wood has a 1.80 ERA, 0.83 WHIPO, and 29 strikeouts over 30 innings. He hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his starts this season, has gone at least five innings in all five starts, and has gone six or more innings in three of the five.
Top Lineup Stacks
Boston Red Sox Projected Lineup
We seem to come back to this lineup often in DFS, but that’s because it has been one of the better lineups in baseball and offers a ton of value because of some of their moving pieces. Michael Chavis is likely to lead off today against left-hander Jose Quintana, and he is going for $2,000 on FanDuel and $2,300 on DraftKings. Bobby Dalbec has two home runs in his last three games and is $2,100 and $2,500. And even their studs like J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts aren’t prohibitively priced. Quintana should run into some trouble in Fenway Park on Sunday. Target this lineup to cash in on it.
Toronto Blue Jays Projected Lineup
We stayed in the AL East for this one because the Blue Jays have a matchup against Chase Anderson at TD Ballpark in Dunedin, which has been one of the most hitter-friendly (and home run-happy) ballparks since the Jays started temporarily playing their home games there. Chase Anderson is coming off a win over the Nationals and has managed to lower his ERA from 6.48 to 5.23 over his last three starts, but he isn’t a pitcher opposing hitters are afraid of at this point in his career. And a Sunday afternoon matchup against this lineup in this ballpark means trouble for him. Stack your Blue Jays today.
Core Studs
Value Plays/Punts
Sunday’s Hitter Strategy
The thing to be careful about on Sundays is it’s a getaway day, so it’s often an off day for many players. Especially with an early slate, you want to double-check your lineups before they lock because there will probably be at least one player resting. This Sunday, I’m definitely targeting Jose Quintana in Boston and Chase Anderson in Dunedin and stacking my lineups with Red Sox and Blue Jays hitters. There aren’t many studs that stand out as hitters I want to pay up for today, but I love the value plays. I could have listed a half-dozen more in our value plays/punts section above. I’m not sure why Kyle Tucker is so cheap despite how hot he has been, but I’ll take it. Renfroe is a righty power bat against the lefty Quintana, so I’m going to have a bunch of Renfroe and Chavis in my lineups today, as long as they both start. As for Grossman, if you read my Week 7 Quick Grades piece, you would know just how hot he has been.
That’s it for today. Feel free to reach out on Twitter @mikeMaher with questions or feedback anytime.
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Mike Maher is an editor and featured writer at FantasyPros and BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive, follow him on Twitter @MikeMaher, and visit his Philadelphia Eagles blog, The Birds Blitz.
