Saturday’s slate went really well, and we’re ready to keep rolling here. Unfortunately, MLB has to compete with the NFL today, and that’s never a profitable endeavor from a revenue perspective. In any case, every team is in action for this Sunday card, and it’s one of the most important weekends of the season. That will lead to some smaller prize pools as well, but that shouldn’t sway you from playing. With that said, let’s dive into the arms for this Sunday slate!

Starting Pitcher Rankings

Starting Pitcher Strategy

I adore these types of slates. We have the perfect balance between elite aces and cheap arms in brilliant spots, which always makes lineup construction a breeze. It’ll be nearly impossible to pay up for both studs but pairing them with some of the GPP options is the way to go. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the two aces toeing the rubber for this slate!

Cash Game Recommendations:

Dylan Cease (CWS) vs. DET

Cease has been creeping into Cy Young discussions, collecting a 2.13 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. His strikeout stuff is what’s most essential when discussing DFS, with Dylan donning an 11.3 K/9 rate as well. That’s one of the best marks among starters, and it’s hard to imagine Detroit doing anything against him. Cease and the Sox enter this matchup as a -260 favorite, with the Motor City Kitties projected for only three runs.

Max Scherzer (NYM) at OAK

It’s fun to watch these vets like Verlander and Scherzer slice through these lineups. Mad Max is amid another fantastic season, amassing a 2.15 ERA< 0.88 WHIP and 10.9 K/9 rate. You might be concerned that he just came off the IL, but six perfect innings in his return is a sign that he’s ready to go. Oakland is one of the only offenses worse than Detroit, sitting bottom-three in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and xwOBA.

GPP Recommendations:

Edward Cabrera (MIA) vs. WAS

Cabrera has been limited for most of his rookie season, but he looks like an ace in the making. The 24-year-old has a 2.91 ERA and 1.09 WHIP this year, despite posting one dud against the Dodgers. That’s common for anyone, and he should be more acclimated with the Triple-A lineup Washington sends out. They traded Juan Soto and Josh Bell, sitting 25th in runs scored. In their one matchup earlier in the year, Cabrera allowed just two hits across six one-run innings.

Luis Ortiz (PIT) vs. CHC

Ortiz has some nasty stuff. This Pittsburgh righty was throwing over 100 MPH in Yankee Stadium earlier in the week, allowing one run across five innings. That gives him a 0.84 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, and 8.4 K/9 rate through his first two starts. The stuff is matching the statistics, and it’s clear these DFS sites are slow to react. The Cubs are not a concerning matchup either, sitting 23rd in runs scored and 25th in K rate.

Top Lineup Stacks

New York Mets (vs. JP Sears)

• Road (Oakland-Alameda)
• Value: Medium
• Risk: Low
• Game Type: Both
• Game Total/Moneyline: 7 Runs/NYM -320

Oakland has the worst roster in baseball, and they continue to send out crappy arms daily. Sears is another one of those subpar southpaws, totaling a 9.00 ERA and 1.91 WHIP across his last three starts. He should be worried about facing a Top-5 Mets offense, especially since they tend to do better against left-handed pitchers.

Houston Astros (vs. Austin Voth)

• Road (Camden Yards)
• Value: Low
• Risk: Low
• Game Type: Both
• Game Total/Moneyline: 7.5 Runs/HOU -160

The Orioles used to have the worst pitching staff, but things have changed this year. With that said, Austin Voth is at the backend of the rotation and has really struggled behind his 4.32 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. Having to pitch against Houston is horrendous, too, with the Astros ranked Top-10 in almost every offensive statistic.

Atlanta Braves (vs. Kyle Gibson)

• Road (Citizens Bank Ballpark)
• Value: Medium
• Risk: Medium
• Game Type: Both
• Game Total/Moneyline: 8.5 Runs/ATL -130

Gibson can be a good pitcher against poor competition, but that’s not the case here. The righty has to face the Braves, who own a Top-5 offense since the opening month of the year. The veteran righty has really slid recently, too, posting a 9.68 ERA and 2.15 WHIP across his last four starts. Pitching in this hitter’s haven is horrifying, with Atlanta projected for nearly six runs in this spot.

Core Studs

• If the Mets are one of the best stacks of the day, we have to use Alonso. This monster has been hitting third for NY all season, collecting 37 homers and 121 RBI. He’s amid a hot stretch, too, totaling a .927 OPS across his last 15 games.
• Bregman has been bashing baseballs for two months now. The third baseman has a .424 OBP and 1.011 OPS across his last 39 games. That’s tremendous since he faces a pitcher with a 1.41 WHIP.
• There aren’t many dangerous lefties in this Atlanta lineup, but Olson is undoubtedly the best option of the bunch. The first baseman has some of the best power numbers around, accruing a .501 SLG and .250 ISO since his rookie season. Not to mention, Olson has a .478 OBP and 1.526 OPS in 23 at-bats against Gibson.
• Manny facing a lefty in Coors Field sounds like a can’t-miss opportunity. This guy is just shy of a .900 OPS against lefties throughout his career and should go off in a place like Coors. He’s one of the league leaders with 10 DK points per game and should do damage among the highest projected lineups on this slate. Machado has some of the best BvP numbers as well, sporting .390 OBP and .862 OPS in 41 at-bats against Freeland.
• We had Abreu in here on Saturday, so let’s go right back to the well. All of the statistics from yesterday apply, with Jose having the platoon advantage in his favor. Abreu has owned Alexander throughout their careers, collecting a .500 AVG and 1.125 OPS in 24 at-bats against him

Value Plays/Punts

• Drury has really struggled since he joined San Diego, but a matchup against a lefty in Coors could get back on track. In 142 at-bats against southpaws this season, Drury has a .296 AVG, .637 SLG, and .961 OPS. Freeland is far from a fearful matchup, owning a 4.38 ERA and 1.36 WHIP.
• Gonzalez has been hitting fifth for this fantastic Guardians lineup, generating a .288 AVG and .776 OPS in a breakout season. His hard-hit averages are even more impressive, which is enticing since Oscar has a .368 OBP and .899 OPS across his last 19 games. He also faces a weak lefty from the right side, with Cole Ragans registering a 5.40 ERA and 1.57 WHIP.
• Santana is one of the hottest hitters in baseball right now. The switch-hitting first baseman has seven homers over his last 12 games, producing a .946 OPS in that span. That’s the All-Star we saw in his Cleveland days, and he could keep this going against Zach Greinke’s soft-tossing ways.
• The Sox are one of the safest stacks on the board, and Vaughn would be the best value of the bunch. This youngster has been slaughtering southpaws all year, accumulating a .300 AVG, .388 OBP, and .887 OPS against them since his call-up. This is another one these White Sox could wallop, with Tyler Alexander accruing a 4.91 ERA and 1.32 WHIP.
• There is not much in the Angels lineup outside of Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, but Rengifo looks like their third-best bat. He’s been hitting leadoff over the last week, compiling a .364 AVG and 1.140 OPS across his previous eight games. That makes him way too cheap, particularly against a pitcher with a 4.78 ERA and 1.25 WHIP.

Hitter Strategy

This slate is open to interpretation. We already discussed how we will mix and match the cheap and expensive pitchers, so it’s up to you how to develop your lineup. We definitely want to have some exposure to the Coors Field game, but there’s plenty of value across the slate. Some of the other offenses we like include the White Sox, Astros, Mariners, Angels, Braves, Mets, and Twins. There’s plenty to pick from between all these teams, and it’ll be interesting to see what these lineups look like on the second-to-last Sunday of the season.

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