We had games spread throughout the day on Saturday, but we’re looking at a typical Sunday card here. That means almost every team is in action between 1ET and 4ET, with one morning game and one night game omitted from the slate. That leaves us with 13 games to look at, and there’s plenty to discuss. With that in mind, let’s kick things off with the pitchers.
Starting Pitcher Rankings
| PLAYER | DK SALARY | FD SALARY | VALUE | RISK |
| Justin Verlander (HOU) vs. MIA | $10,500 | $10,900 | Low | Low |
| Michael Kopech (CWS) vs. TEX | $8,100 | $9,200 | Medium | Medium |
| Kyle Wright (ATL) vs. PIT | $10,100 | $10,500 | Medium | Medium |
| Ranger Suarez (PHI) vs. ARI | $8,000 | $7,300 | High | High |
Starting Pitcher Strategy
Saturday’s slate was frustrating from a pitcher’s perspective, but I love the player pool here. We have three high-end arms and one cheap one. All of them are in supreme matchups, though, and any of these guys can be a great pairing. Our first recommendation is a future Hall-of-Famer, so let’s start there!
Cash Game Recommendations:
Justin Verlander (HOU) vs. MIA
It blows my mind how good JV has been after taking nearly two years off. The perennial All-Star has a 2.13 ERA and 0.84 WHIP this season, thanks to a 73:14 K:BB ratio. That has him as one of the highest-scoring players in fantasy, especially since he had a season-high 37 DraftKings points in his most recent outing. The Marlins’ offensive numbers are inflated because of a Coors Field series, but this is one of the worst lineups in baseball. That’s why he enters this matchup as a -250 favorite, with Miami projected for just three runs.
Kyle Wright (ATL) vs. PIT
The Braves are rolling right now, and Wright is a primary reason. The right-hander had one dud against Boston but has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his other 11 starts. He’s still got a 2.39 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 9.7 K/9 rates for the year, scoring at least 23 DK points in four of his last five games. That should continue against Pittsburgh, with the Pirates ranked 27th in wOBA, 29th in runs scored and 28th in OPS. We also don’t mind that Wright enters this matchup as a -270 favorite!
GPP Recommendations:
Michael Kopech (CWS) vs. TEX
Kopech just had the performance of his career earlier this week. He threw six one-hit innings against the daunted Dodgers lineup, bringing his season numbers to a 1.94 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 9.0 K/9 rate. That’s what we were hoping to see this season, and he should continue it against a Rangers team that ranks 23rd in OPS, 28th in OBP, and 24th in wOBA. All of that has Kopech entering this matchup as a -180 favorite.
Ranger Suarez (PHI) vs. ARI
This is undoubtedly our riskiest recommendation of the day, but I love the stuff Suarez possesses. This left-hander dazzled with a 1.36 ERA and 1.00 WHIP last season and is coming off one of his best starts of the year. The southpaw has allowed three runs or fewer in nine of his 10 starts this season and should keep that going against Arizona. The Diamondbacks rank 25th in OBP, 26th in xwOBA, and 24th in runs scored. We love that with the way Philly is playing, entering this matchup as a -230 favorite.
Top Lineup Stacks
Philadelphia Phillies (vs. Tyler Gilbert/Dallas Keuchel)
- Road (Citizens Bank Ballpark)
- Value: Medium
- Risk: Low
- Game Type: Both
- Game Total/Moneyline: 10 Runs/PHI -220
Tyler Gilbert in Citizens Bank Ballpark is a recipe for disaster. The Phillies are one of the hottest lineups in baseball right now, and Gilbert can’t get through a little league lineup. The D’Backs starter has a 7.88 ERA and 1.44 WHIP this season and might not even make this start. There’s some talk that Dallas Keuchel would start instead, but his 2.88 ERA and 2.16 WHIP are even worse.
Atlanta Braves (vs. Jose Quintana)
- Home (Truist Park)
- Value: Low
- Risk: Low
- Game Type: Both
- Game Total/Moneyline: 9 Runs/ATL -250
Quintana has been brilliant at times this season, but the regression wall is coming quickly. The left-hander has a 5.40 ERA and 1.86 WHIP over his last four starts, and that’s the guy we’ve seen for four years now. That’s scary against an Atlanta lineup averaging seven runs over the previous week, particularly since they possess some of the most dangerous righty bats in baseball.
Kansas City Royals (vs. Dean Kremer)
- Home (Kauffman Stadium)
- Value: High
- Risk: Medium
- Game Type: Both
- Game Total/Moneyline: 9.5 Runs/KC -110
Stacking the Royals is tough, but it could be profitable against a guy like Kremer. The Baltimore pitcher has a 6.23 ERA and 1.38 WHIP this season and a 7.55 ERA and 1.64 WHIP last year. Numbers like those would be intriguing against anyone, and the Royals have some cheap bats we’d love to use. If we can get five runs from this lineup, it’d be one of the sneakiest stacks on the board.
Core Studs
| POS | PLAYER | DK SALARY | FD SALARY |
| OF | Ronald Acuna (ATL) | $6,000 | $4,300 |
| 1B | Rhys Hoskins (PHI) | $3,800 | $3,200 |
| OF | Mookie Betts (LAD) | $5,800 | $4,100 |
| DH | J.D. Martinez (BOS) | $4,900 | $3,600 |
| OF | Aaron Judge (NYY) | $6,100 | $4,500 |
- We had Acuna in here on Saturday, and we’re going right back to the well. The perennial All-Star has a .442 OBP and 1.035 OPS over his last 24 games but has been slaughtering southpaws throughout his career. In fact, Ronald has registered a .433 OBP, .598 SLG, and 1.031 OPS against them since his call-up.
- We also had Hoskins on Saturday, and all the same rules apply. The slugging first baseman has his OPS north of 1.000 over the last week and has been destroying lefties since his call-up. Hoskins has a .385 OBP, .582 SLG, and .967 OPS against them since 2020! That certainly won’t go over well for Keuchel or Gilbert!
- Mookie is always one of the top MVP candidates, and he’s amid one of those fantastic stretches right now. Betts has belted his way to a .317 AVG, .386 OBP, .644 SLG, and 1.031 OPS over his last 44 games. Facing Carlos Rodon is tough on the surface, but the struggling southpaw has a 6.00 ERA and 1.75 WHIP over his last five starts.
- Martinez went deep again on Friday, and this dude is simply one of the hottest hitters in baseball right now. J.D. has a .383 AVG, .440 OBP, .577 SLG, and 1.017 OPS over his last 39 games. We love that since he faces a struggling lefty here, with Martinez maintaining a .512 OBP and 1.079 OPS against southpaws this season.
- Judge leads baseball in dingers, and he’s one of the safest bets on every slate. The big man has an OBP just shy of .400, thanks to 24 homers, and he should have success against whatever bad pitcher the Cubs decide to call up here!
Value Plays/Punts
| POS | PLAYER | DK SALARY | FD SALARY |
| OF | Marcell Ozuna (ATL) | $4,300 | $2,900 |
| OF | Andrew Benintendi (KC) | $3,900 | $2,900 |
| OF | Jordan Luplow (ARI) | $3,700 | $2,500 |
| OF | Charlie Blackmon (COL) | $4,100 | $3,200 |
| 3B | Alec Bohm (PHI) | $3,200 | $2,700 |
- Ozuna has been struggling, but the advanced numbers tell us he will get it going. The slugging outfielder still has an elite hard-hit rate and barrel percentage and typically provides 30 dingers a year! That makes him a bit too cheap but getting the platoon advantage against a lousy lefty makes him one of the best GPP plays on the board!
- It’s tough to pick which Royals you want to use, but Benintendi has been their best hitter this season. The former Boston bat has a .312 AVG, .378 OBP, and .783 OPS this season. That’s all you can hope for from such a cheap player, especially since Andrew gets to bat from the left side against one of the worst righties in baseball.
- Luplow has been a cheat code in DFS for years. This guy doesn’t even get in the lineup against righties, but he’s in the heart of it against lefties. It’s easy to understand why, with Luplow generating a .349 OBP, .537 SLG, and .886 OPS against them throughout his career. Good luck finding that from another player in this price range!
- Blackmon needs to check two of three boxes to be in play. Those boxes are being at home, facing a righty, or entering this matchup hot. The latter two are the case here, with Charlie flirting with a .900 OPS against righties throughout his career. He’s also scorching right now, totaling a .400 AVG, .700 AVG, and 1.100 OPS over his last seven games.
- Bohm is the best cheap Philly we could find. The top prospect has a .281 AVG, .347 OBP, .471 SLG, and .819 OPS against left-handers this year. That makes him a bit too cheap in this premium matchup, particularly since he has a .863 OPS over his last four games.
Hitter Strategy
Sunday slates are always full of value. We have three high-end pitchers we want to use, and they should be easy to pair with some of the bats we mentioned above. The Royals, Phillies, and Braves are our favorite stacks but don’t forget about the Yankees, White Sox, Rays, and Padres.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.