This should be an exciting slate! We have the trade deadline in the next 48 hours, and there will undoubtedly be some moves before then. It’s one of the most exciting times to be a baseball fan, but it can be infuriating from a DFS perspective. The lineups and rotations are always chaotic in this two-day span, and we’re just hopeful that all of our recommendations will take the field! With that in mind, let’s look at the pitchers for this Sunday slate!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
This should be an exciting slate! We have the trade deadline in the next 48 hours, and there will undoubtedly be some moves before then. It’s one of the most exciting times to be a baseball fan, but it can be infuriating from a DFS perspective. The lineups and rotations are always chaotic in this two-day span, and we’re just hopeful that all of our recommendations will take the field! With that in mind, let’s look at the pitchers for this Sunday slate!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
Starting Pitcher Strategy
Yesterday was one of the toughest slates of the season from a pitching perspective, but this one is interesting! We don’t have many top-notch aces, but it feels like there aren’t many pitchers we want to stack against, either. A bunch of mediocre pitchers makes things fascinating from a DFS perspective because there are many different routes for lineup construction. With all that said, there are two high-end guys we love, so let’s start there!
Cash Game Recommendations:
Justin Verlander (NYM) vs. WAS
Many people have discussed the demise of Verlander this year, but that’s an overreaction. This ace is still doing his thing, totaling a 3.24 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. JV is also rolling right now, registering a 1.46 ERA and 1.04 WHIP across his last six starts. That should be easy to duplicate against Washington’s woeful offense, ranked 22nd in runs scored and 28th in xwOBA. That’s why he’s a -270 favorite in this sensational spot.
Jesus Luzardo (MIA) vs. DET
Luzardo is really turning into Miami’s ace. This left-hander has a 3.22 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 10.8 K/9 rate. His form over the last month has been even better, providing a 1.48 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 11.6 K/9 rate across his last nine starts. The icing on the cake is facing this disastrous Detroit offense, ranked bottom four in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA, and K rate. All of that has Jesus entering this matchup as a -160 favorite.
GPP Recommendations:
Tarik Skubal (DET) at MIA
Skubal had one dud against the Royals but has been unstoppable outside of that. Unstoppable might be an understatement because Skubal hasn’t surrendered a run in any of his other three starts! That pairs beautifully with his 12.2 K/9 rate, which should continue against Miami. The Marlins rank 21st in wOBA and 26th in runs scored. We love both of these guys because this 6.5-run total is the lowest on this slate!
Kenta Maeda (MIN) at KC
Much like Skubal, one lousy start has hurt Maeda’s season-long numbers. If you remove that 10-run shelling before hitting the IL, Maeda has maintained a 2.96 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 11.0 K/9 rate across his other nine starts. That’s quite the run, but we’ve seen Maeda do this for months at a time in the past. A matchup with KC is far from concerning, with the Royals ranked 29th or 30th in runs scored, OBP, and wOBA.
Top Lineup Stacks
We had Los Angeles in here yesterday, and we’re going right back to them. This is one of the best offenses in baseball, and they should slice right through this subpar Cincy pitching staff. Graham Ashcraft is the one taking the mound today, tallying a 5.64 ERA and 1.55 WHIP. That’s why the Dodgers are projected to score five runs, one of the highest totals on this slate.
Strikeouts have held Minnesota back all year, but that shouldn’t be an issue against Yarbrough. This Royals lefty has one of the worst K rates in the game, generating a 4.70 ERA. That’s a terrifying ERA against a hot Minnesota team, especially since most of their potent bats hit from the right side.
Atlanta Braves (vs. Colin Rea)
The Braves have been bludgeoning pitching staffs all year, ranked Top 3 in almost every offensive category. That makes them a worthy stack on every slate, and we certainly don’t want to fade them against Colin Rea. The Brewers righty has allowed at least four runs in seven starts this year, totaling a 4.53 ERA and a nightmarish 7.4 K/9 rate.
Core Studs
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| OF |
Ronald Acuna (ATL) |
$6,600 |
$4,600 |
| OF |
Mookie Betts (LAD) |
$6,300 |
$4,300 |
| 3B |
Rafael Devers (BOS) |
$5,000 |
$4,000 |
| OF |
Julio Rodriguez (SEA) |
$5,200 |
$3,700 |
| OF |
Byron Buxton (MIN) |
$5,000 |
$3,200 |
- I’ve had Acuna in here in almost every article I’ve written, and it usually pans out well. This guy is a lock for NL MVP, leading all players with over 12 DraftKings points per game. Hitting atop the best lineup will do that, with Acuna collecting 88 runs, 23 homers, and 48 steals in an unbelievable season.
- Mookie has been mauling opposing pitchers throughout his career, and that’s just what he’s doing right now. The MVP candidate has a .390 OBP, .608 SLG and .997 OPS since April 28. That’s nearly 80 games of dominance, and we have to use him atop LA’s lineup if we stack the Dodgers.
- Devers got off to a slow start this season but is scorching right now. The third baseman has five homers over his last nine games, amassing a .431 OBP, .678 SLG, and 1.109 OPS over his last 24 games in total. Getting the platoon advantage against Ross Stripling is the icing on the cake, sporting a 5.77 ERA and 1.37 WHIP.
- J-Rod also got off to a rough start, but it looks like the Home Run Derby has him going. The talented youngster has four homers over his last five fixtures! He’s also got 17 homers and 23 steals on the year and will likely be one of the best players over the closing months. Ryne Nelson could keep J-Rod hot, accruing a 4.97 ERA and 1.41 WHIP.
- Buxton has been struggling with his average all year, but the power stroke is still there. Byron has a .526 SLG since the 2019 season! Not many people can match up with that, and we cant fade BB in such a tasty matchup. He gets a matchup with Yarbrough’s 4.70 ERA and has much better splits against left-handers throughout his career.
Value Plays/Punts
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| SS |
Trea Turner (PHI) |
$5,600 |
$3,100 |
| OF |
Jarren Duran (BOS) |
$4,100 |
$3,200 |
| SS |
Carlos Correa (MIN) |
$4,500 |
$3,000 |
| OF |
Teoscar Hernandez (SEA) |
$3,300 |
$3,000 |
| OF |
Jake Fraley (CIN) |
$4,600 |
$3,400 |
- Turner has been getting booed in Philly, but this is a good spot for some cheers. This is still one of the most talented hitters around, and a familiar matchup might be what the doctor ordered. In 15 at-bats against Rich Hill, Turner has tallied a .467 AVG, .733 SLG, and 1.200 OPS.
- Duran has quietly had a tremendous second half atop this Red Sox lineup. The speedster has a .365 AVG, .411 OBP, .615 SLG, and 1.024 OPS across his last 34 outings. More importantly, he has 13 steals in that span, hitting leadoff for this team every day. We already talked about how poor Stripling has been, and it also gives Duran the advantage from the left side.
- Correa has not lived up to the contract that Minnesota rewarded him in the offseason, but he’s starting to show some signs of life. This former All-Star has a .360 OBP since becoming the leadoff hitter and should get plenty of chances against Yarbrough. We also love Correa’s splits against lefties, posting a .387 OBP, .469 SLG, and .856 OPS against them over the last three years.
- Teoscar has been moving up and down the Mariner’s line along with his form, but it’s hard to overlook someone this talented. Hernandez has 73 homers and 23 steals since the 2021 season and is playing much better recently. He’s got a .748 OPS across his last 45 games and could thrive in a sexy matchup with Nelson.
- The Reds have stumbled into one of the best lineups in baseball, and Fraley is a significant reason why. The slugger had 14 homers and 17 steals but has done most of his damage against right-handers. Fraley has a .364 OBP, .508 SLG, and .876 OPS against righties this year. Michael Grove is a guy who can add to those averages, accruing a 6.19 ERA and 1.55 WHIP.
Hitter Strategy
There weren’t many offenses we wanted to stack, but there are plenty of good options out there. We usually like to do three and four-man stacks on certain teams, but we will limit it to two-man stacks today. A balanced lineup is the best approach on this type of slate because we don’t necessarily believe any one team will go wild! The offenses we like today include the Braves, Dodgers, Twins, Reds, Mariners, Red Sox, Phillies, Mets, Cubs, and Guardians.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
