Sunday cards are always my favorite. We have all but two games making up the slate, giving us a massive player pool to dive into. We had a ton of dominant pitching on Saturday, and it has us looking at some weak pitchers here. With that said, there are still four guys we love, so let’s start there!

Starting Pitcher Rankings

Starting Pitcher Strategy

This could be a challenging slate to pick pitchers. After having a ton of aces on Saturday, we’re looking at a much weaker pitching pool here. That means we’ll pay up for hitting and save at pitcher, but there’s one high-end player we love. With that in mind, let’s kick things off with the best pitcher in the NL.

Cash Game Recommendations:

Sandy Alcantara (MIA) at NYM

Alcantara might be on his way to starting the All-Star game. The right-hander has thrown at least seven innings in 11 straight starts, generating a 1.33 ERA and 0.74 WHIP in that span. Those are absurd numbers, and it’s led to Sandy scoring at least 36 FanDuel points in 10 of those. Getting to pitch in Citi Field is also friendly, with two of those starting to come against this Mets offense.

Julio Urias (LAD) vs. CHC

Urias got off to a slow start this season, but he’s recaptured the form that made him a stud throughout his career. In fact, the southpaw has at least 25 FD points in nine straight starts, posting a 2.26 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 9.9 K/9 rate in that span. He should keep that fantastic form against Chicago, with the Cubs ranked 26th in K rate and only projected for 3.5 runs in this spot. We also don’t mind that Urias is a -300 favorite.

GPP Recommendations:

Michael Kopech (CWS) vs. DET

Kopech has struggled recently, but we’ll bet on a bounceback performance here. We’re still talking about one of the most talented pitchers in baseball, with Kopech collecting a 1.92 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 8.9 K/9 rate through his first 11 starts. We’ll trust that sample size over the four-game dud because a matchup with Detroit is delicious. The Motor City Kitties rank bottom-two in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA. That’s why Kopech and the Sox are a -200 favorite in this spot!

Eric Lauer (MIL) vs. PIT

Lauer has been a breakout pitcher in Milwaukee, and we want to ride him against Pittsburgh. The Pirates are one of the worst offenses in baseball, sitting bottom three in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, xwOBA, and K rate. That’s excellent news, with Lauer totaling a 3.46 ERA and 1.16 WHIP since the start of last season, dropping 40 FanDuel points on this team earlier this year. The oddsmakers agree, making Milwaukee a -200 favorite.

Top Lineup Stacks

Houston Astros (vs. Cole Irvin)

• Road (Oakland Coliseum)
• Value: Low
• Risk: Low
• Game Type: Both
• Game Total/Moneyline: 8,5 Runs/HOU -200

The Astros facing a lefty is hard to overlook. This is a Top-5 offense in nearly every metric, and they’re even better against southpaws. Irvin has been solid this season, but his 5.30 xERA would indicate that he has some negative regression headed his way. Vegas believes that will start here, with the Astros projected for five runs. In four starts against Houston last year, Irvin had a 7.40 ERA and 1.45 WHIP.

Chicago White Sox (vs. Drew Hutchison)

• Home (Guaranteed Rate)
• Value: Medium
• Risk: Medium
• Game Type: Both
• Game Total/Moneyline: 9 Runs/CWS -200

The White Sox offense has been a shell of itself this season but getting Tim Anderson, Eloy Jimenez, Yoan Moncada, and Luis Robert all back should get them back on track. That makes them a team worth stacking, but a matchup with Drew Hutchinson is incredible. The journeyman pitcher has been one of the worst arms in baseball since 2015, amassing a 5.31 ERA and 1.52 WHIP since then.

Colorado Rockies (vs. Tyler Gilbert)

• Road (Chase Field)
• Value: High
• Risk: Medium
• Game Type: Both
• Game Total/Moneyline: 9 Runs/COL -120

Stacking the Rockies on the road is as risky as it gets, but this is a good spot for them. This team has been slaughtering southpaws all year, sitting Top-10 in nearly every offense category against lefties. We’re not scared of a guy like Tyler Gilbert, generating a 6.86 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. These Colorado bats are also cheap, making them one of the sneakiest stacks on the board.

Core Studs

• Don’t look now, but Altuve has returned to the stud we’ve been waiting for. The diminutive second baseman has a .441 OBP, .660 SLG, and 1.102 OPS over his last 15 games. That looks even better behind his sensational splits, providing a 1.129 OPS against left-handers this season.
• Goldy is the frontrunner for NL MVP, and it’s easy to understand why. The former D’Back has a .372 AVG, .451 OBP, .684 SLG, and 1.135 OPS over his last 70 games. That’s over two months of dominance, and we’re certainly not worried about him facing a pitcher who’s only thrown 33 innings at this level.
• It’s tough to fade Schwarber right now. The beefy leadoff hitter has nine dingers over his last 14 games, generating a .389 OBP, .707 SLG, and 1.095 OPS over his last 35 games. He’s also been much better against right-handers, and he should do fine against a pitcher with a 1.40 WHIP.
• Ramirez is in a bit of a slump right now, but he’s still on pace for 30 homers and 25 steals while leading the AL in RBI. That shows just how dominant he can be from a fantasy perspective, and he’s an easy play from his more favorable left side against Zach Greinke’s 4.85 ERA.
• Arraez has been incredible atop this Twins lineup. He leads baseball with a .354 AVG and has been even more absurd against righties. Arraez has accumulated a .383 AVG, .450 OBP, and .917 OPS against them this year. Dane Dunning is not a daunting pitcher either, posting a 4.15 ERA and 1.35 WHIP.

Value Plays/Punts

• Bregman’s career splits are genuinely absurd. The third baseman has an OPS north of .900 against left-handers and enters this matchup amid his best stretch of the season. Over his last 18 games, Bregman has a .462 OBP and 1.035 OPS.
• We hate using the Rockies outside of Coors, but this is an excellent spot for Rodgers. He’s been batting cleanup against lefties, and it’s no surprise since he has a .277 AVG, .346 OBP, .497 SLG, and .843 OPS against southpaws this season. Those aren’t as good as the rest of the splits we’ve seen, but it’s plenty from a cheap player, particularly against a guy with a 6.86 ERA.
• Suarez has quietly been one of the best power hitters in baseball. He ranks Top-3 in homers since 2018 and comes into this matchup with a hot bat. Eugenio has a .295 AVG, .386 OBP, and .861 OPS over his last 15 games. He was supposed to face Yusei Kikuchi but facing some random Triple-A arm isn’t too shabby either.
• Cutch has been crushing lefties throughout his career. The former Pirates All-Star has a .377 OBP, .558 SLG, and .935 OPS, with the platoon advantage in his favor since 2020. That makes him a fantastic value, but he’s also got a .407 OBP and .902 OPS over his last 27 games.
• Hall has slid into the heart of this Phillies lineup and has been doing severe damage ever since his call-up. The slugging first baseman has a .290 AVG, .742 SLG, and 1.032 OPS through his first eight games. That makes it hard to understand why he remains so cheap, especially since he gets the platoon advantage against a pitcher with a 1.40 WHIP!

Hitter Strategy

We have a ton of value at hitter and pitcher today, and that should make lineup construction a breeze, but picking the right teams to stack will be challenging. While there aren’t many aces out there, we don’t have many gas cans either. That means it will be a balanced slate all the way around, and it could be the rare slate where we want to spread the love. Making multiple two-man stacks is how I will approach this slate because I’m not so sure one team will go off for double-digit runs.

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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.