After a successful slate on Saturday, we’re back to more action on this Sunday card. Yesterday’s slate was challenging because of the lack of pitching available, but that’s certainly not the case here. We have many options to pick between, so let’s get started with the best pitcher of our generation.
Starting Pitcher Rankings
After a successful slate on Saturday, we’re back to more action on this Sunday card. Yesterday’s slate was challenging because of the lack of pitching available, but that’s certainly not the case here. We have many options to pick between, so let’s get started with the best pitcher of our generation.
Starting Pitcher Rankings
Starting Pitcher Strategy
After the horrific player pool on Saturday, we have an expansive one here. Many of the backend pitchers took the mound on Saturday, and it’s leaving us with some of the top-notch guys. We already discussed how we have the best pitcher over the last decade, and we even have him in the advertisement above! Let’s start there!
Cash Game Recommendations:
Clayton Kershaw (LAD) vs. SD
Kershaw had the worst start of his career in Coors Field earlier in the week, but it’s easy to ignore that nightmarish start. Almost every pitcher gets shelled in that ballpark, and we fully expect Clayton to bounce back here. The future Hall-of-Famer had a 2.00 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 9.4 K/9 rate before that rare stinker. We love that with his form against San Diego, posting a 2.08 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 9.5 K/9 rate in 44 career starts against them.
Brandon Woodruff (MIL) at PIT
Woodruff has gotten off to a slow start this season, but a trip to the IL did him some good. The right-hander had a 2.70 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 30 percent K rate between 2020 and 2021 and provided 10 Ks across five innings in his return off the IL earlier in the week. That’s the stud we’ve been waiting to see, and it should continue against a Pittsburgh team that ranks 28th in OBP, K rate, OPS, and runs scored.
GPP Recommendations:
Robbie Ray (SEA) vs. OAK
Ray took down AL Cy Young honors last season and is showing flashes of that guy recently. He’s allowed two runs over his previous four starts, tallying a 0.67 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, and 9.3 K/9 rate in that span. That is terrifying for Oakland, with the A’s ranked dead-last in nearly every offensive metric. That’s why Ray enters this matchup as a -160 favorite, with the A’s projected for only three runs.
Lucas Giolito (CWS) at SF
This is risky with how horrible Giolito has been this season, but this guy is too good to be this cheap. This righty had a 3.08 ERA and 1.07 WHIP between 2019 and 2021, striking out 526 batters across 428 innings. We’re encouraged that he threw a quality start in his most recent outing, and facing a weak offense in a pitcher’s park like AT&T might be the way to keep him on track.
Top Lineup Stacks
Houston Astros (vs. Jose Suarez)
This is the safest stack of the day. The Astros have one of the scariest lineups for opposing pitchers, particularly left-handers. Houston is full of powerful righty bats, and it certainly won’t go over well for Jose Suarez. The Angels lefty has a 1.64 WHIP this season, making guys like Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Jeremy Pena, Yuli Gurriel, and Yordan Alvarez all excellent plays.
Milwaukee Brewers (vs. Jose Quintana)
The Brewers’ offense hasn’t been great this season, but it’s kept them way too cheap on DFS sites. The main reason we love them here is the matchup, with Jose Quintana regressing recently. The lefty has a 4.62 ERA and 1.49 WHIP over his last eight starts, returning to the gas can we’ve seen over the last five years. That could be rough with guys like Willy Adames and Andrew McCutchen raking from the right side.
New York Yankees (vs. Triston McKenzie)
The Yankees are a good stack on every slate. This offense is Top-3 in runs scored, OPS, and home runs, making them a dangerous stack against anyone. McKenzie can be a great pitcher, but he’s allowed 17 hits and 13 runs over his last two starts, and that’s certainly not a good sign against the most dangerous offense in baseball.
Core Studs
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| OF |
Aaron Judge (NYY) |
$6,000 |
$4,100 |
| 2B |
Jose Altuve (HOU) |
$5,400 |
$4,100 |
| OF |
Mike Trout (LAA) |
$5,900 |
$4,300 |
| OF |
Garrett Cooper (MIA) |
$3,100 |
$2,800 |
| 2B |
Luis Arraez (MIN) |
$5,000 |
$2,900 |
- Judge is a good play on every slate. He’s leading MLB with nearly 30 bombs and is just shy of a .400 OBP. That’s been McKenzie’s primary weakness, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Judge rise again for another dinger.
- Altuve is one of my favorite plays of the day. The little second baseman has a .343 OBP, .679 SLG, and 1.022 OPS, with the platoon advantage in his favor this season. He’s also owned Suarez throughout his career, amassing a .429 AVG and 1.100 OPS against him in 16 career at-bats.
- Trout is an excellent play on every slate, and we always love him against left-handers. The future Hall-of-Famer has a .387 OBP, .650 SLG, and 1.033 OPS this season. Getting the platoon advantage is a bonus, especially since he has a .400 OBP and 1.262 OPS over his last 18 games.
- We had Cooper in this section on Saturday, and we’re going right back to the well. This guy is flirting with a .400 OBP and .900 OPS but is being priced around a bunch of bench players, making him tough to fade against a pitcher with a 4.40 ERA and 1.44 WHIP.
- Arraez has earned the leadoff spot in this tricky Twins lineup, and he’s simply one of the best pure hitters in our sport. He’s also leading the AL with a .340 AVG, providing a .420 OBP. Getting to face Baltimore’s pitching staff isn’t too bad either, particularly with Arraez accruing a .445 OBP and .917 OPS against right-handers this year.
Value Plays/Punts
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| 3B |
Alex Bregman (HOU) |
$4,900 |
$3,000 |
| OF |
Andrew McCutchen (MIL) |
$3,500 |
$3,200 |
| 1B/OF |
Andrew Vaughn (CWS) |
$3,500 |
$3,000 |
| 1B/OF |
Trey Mancini (BAL) |
$3,700 |
$2,900 |
| 1B |
Christian Walker (ARI) |
$NA |
$3,400 |
- Bregman is starting to turn his season around. The slugging third baseman has a .390 AVG, .510 OBP, .659 SLG, and 1.168 OPS over his last 12 games. That looks even better when you consider his splits, with Alex approaching a 1.000 OPS against left-handers throughout his career.
- McCutchen has been batting cleanup for the Brewers, and it’s easy to understand why. The former All-Star has a .350 AVG, .447 OBP, and 1.009 OPS over his last 22 games. His numbers against lefties are even more impressive, accumulating a .380 OBP, .564 SLG, and .944 OPS, with the platoon advantage in his favor since 2020. We also don’t mind that Cutch has a 1.008 OPS in 21 at-bats against Quintana.
- Vaughn has been one of the best rookies in the sport, and he remains a fantastic value in this price range. The righty masher has a .333 AVG, .384 OBP, and .858 OPS over his last 33 games. That looks even better since he faces a TBD for a spot that the Giants have to fill with a minor leaguer or a bunch of bullpen arms.
- Mancini has quietly had a brilliant season in Baltimore, leading the team with a .280 AVG and .356 OBP. The best part is that he faces a lefty, with Mancini maintaining a .286 AVG, .356 OBP, .488 SLG, and .843 OPS against left-handers since 2020.
- Walker is the best power hitter in Arizona, and we love him in a place like Coors. He’s got 21 homers and is just shy of a .500 SLG this season, and is easily one of the best plays in this D’Backs stack. Chad Kuhl went off in his last start, but that’s flukey since he had a 3.95 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP before that rare gem. Walker went yard twice on Saturday, and it could happen again.
Hitter Strategy
We want to pay up for pitching on this slate, but that should be easy with all the value in the hitter pool. You can easily stack the Colorado-Arizona game and squeeze in some bats from the Houston matchup. The Astros are my favorite stack of the day, and building around them will be the first thing I do! Other offenses that we like include the Marlins, Brewers, Blue Jays, Cubs, and White Sox.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
