Sunday slates are always the best! We have all but two games to talk about, fading the morning matchup and Sunday Night Game. That leaves us with almost every other team in MLB to talk about, and it was tough to limit the options. With that said, let’s look at the pitchers for this Sunday slate!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
Sunday slates are always the best! We have all but two games to talk about, fading the morning matchup and Sunday Night Game. That leaves us with almost every other team in MLB to talk about, and it was tough to limit the options. With that said, let’s look at the pitchers for this Sunday slate!
Starting Pitcher Rankings
Starting Pitcher Strategy
This slate is stacked! There were about six pitchers that I wanted to recommend, but we limited it down to four. One of the top options is Eury Perez against the Yankees, but we’re concerned about his workload. He’s one of the best pitchers in baseball right now, but we can’t use anyone who likely won’t get past the fifth inning. Our top recommendation is his counterpart, so, let’s start there!
Cash Game Recommendations:
Gerrit Cole (NYY) at MIA
Cole has quietly had another monster year in New York, totaling a 2.75 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 9.6 K/9 rate. That’s the ace we’ve seen for years now, with Cole scoring at least 40 FanDuel points 13 times this year! One of those is definitely in play against Miami, with the Marlins ranked 26th in runs scored. That’s why Miami is only projected to score 3.5 runs in this matchup.
Zach Eflin (TB) vs. CLE
It looked strange when Tampa handed Eflin a large contract in the offseason, but he’s lived up to it. The Rays righty has a 3.34 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, scoring at least 28 FanDuel points in 17 of 22 starts this year. That consistency is all you can hope for from a cash game option, and we’re not concerned about Cleveland. The Guardians rank 23rd in OBP, 27th in runs scored, and 26th in xWOBA.
GPP Recommendations:
Freddy Peralta (MIL) at CWS
Peralta’s upside always makes him one of the most dangerous GPP options out there. That was on full display when he dropped 67 FanDuel points in a home start against the Rockies last week, giving him a 3.54 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 13.4 K/9 rate across his last seven starts. That sort of run is rare from a player in this price range, and we don’t mind that Chicago sits 25th in runs scored, 28th in wOBA, and last in wOBA.
Julio Urias (LAD) vs. COL
It’s been a disappointing season for the LA lefty, but he’s going to go off in this matchup. We talked about it yesterday, but the Rockies are the best matchup anytime they’re on the road. They rank last in runs scored, OBP, and OPS on the road in each of the last two years and are typically even worse in Dodgers Stadium. Urias has been unbelievable there throughout his career, amassing a 2.71 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in LA. That’s why he’s a -350 favorite in this magical matchup.
Top Lineup Stacks
Los Angeles Dodgers (vs. Chris Flexen)
We had the Dodgers in here yesterday, and you can bet they’ll be in this section every time they face the Rockies. Colorado is near the bottom of almost every pitching statistic, while Los Angeles is near the top of every offensive category. That’s a simple recipe for fantasy success, especially since they face Chris Flexen‘s 7.92 ERA and 1.94 WHIP.
Taillon has been better recently, but he’s still been terrible this season. The Cubs righty has a 5.17 ERA and 1.34 WHIP. That’s bad news against a bludgeoning Blue Jays lineup, with Toronto ranked Top 5 in AVG and OBP. Wrigley Field is also a great environment to go off, and this terrifying Toronto lineup should have its way with Taillon.
Washington Nationals (vs. Ken Waldichuk)
Stacking the Nationals is not usually something we want to do, but this matchup is too good to pass up. Oakland ranks last in both ERA and WHIP, with Ken Waldichuk wailing a 6.30 ERA and 1.71 WHIP. That makes him one of the worst pitchers in baseball, and there are enough talented righties in this lineup to make them an intriguing stack.
Core Studs
- We had Freeman in here yesterday, and we’re obviously going back to the well for all the same reasons. The perennial All-Star has a .439 AVG, .504 OBP, .816 SLG, and 1.320 OPS across his last 28 games. That’s hard to fathom, and we love the fantastic matchup against Flexen because it gives Freddie the platoon advantage as well.
- It’s been a slightly disappointing season for Vlad in Toronto, but this guy is still a beast. Guerrero has a .355 OBP, .493 SLG, and .848 OPS since his call-up. He also bats third for Toronto every day and needs to be the key piece to a Blue Jays stack. In 24 at-bats against Taillon, Vlad has tallied a .304 AVG, .565 SLG and .898 OPS.
- It’s hard to believe what Shohei is doing. He’s elite whether he’s pitching or hitting, but his bat is on another planet. He’s leading the league with 40 bombs, tallying a .469 OBP, .823 SLG, and 1.292 OPS across his last 61 outings. He’s also had his way with right-handers, registering a 1.139 OPS against them this year. Jose Urquidy has been horrid for Houston all year, amassing a 6.10 ERA and 1.58 WHIP.
- Soto got off to a slow start, but he’s returned to stud status in the second half of the season. The former Washington slugger has a .433 OBP, .564 SLG, and .997 OPS across his last 88 games. That’s a large sample size of raking, and we’re obviously not concerned about home facing a rookie pitcher with a 7.16 ERA and 1.47 WHIP.
Value Plays/Punts
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| OF |
David Peralta (LAD) |
$3,000 |
$2,600 |
| 1B/OF |
Joey Meneses (WAS) |
$4,100 |
$3,000 |
| 1B |
Brandon Belt (TOR) |
$3,500 |
$3,000 |
| 3B |
Ke’Bryan Hayes (PIT) |
$3,700 |
$3,100 |
| OF |
Jordan Luplow (MIN) |
$2,300 |
$2,200 |
- Peralta is strictly a platoon player in LA, but he’s always a worthy GPP play against righties. DP has a .350 AVG, .500 SLG, and .848 OPS across his last eight games. It’s a tiny sample size, but Peralta has a .750 OBP, 1.285 OPS, and 2.035 OPS in eight at-bats against Flexen!
- Meneses bats third for the Nationals every day, and we’re finally seeing some power from this talented bat. Over his last 15 outings, Joey has a .311 AVG, .364 OBP, .607 SLG and .970 OPS. That’s incredible from such an affordable player, especially since he has a .855 OPS against left-handers since his call-up.
- Belt is always way too cheap. This guy is in the heart of Toronto’s lineup whenever they face a righty, registering a .360 OBP, .505 SLG, and .865 OPS against them over the last three years. That looks even better when considering Belt’s recent form, accruing a .875 OPS across his last 42 outings. If we’re stacking Toronto, we need to use Belt with how cheap he is!
- Hayes has always been a talented player in Pittsburgh, but we’ve only seen flashes of his greatness. The top prospect has been showing major glimpses recently, generating a 1.802 OPS over his last three games. That’s a small sample size, but picking up nine RBI in a three-game span is truly absurd. Luke Weaver is a wonderful matchup as well, producing a 6.75 ERA and 1.63 WHIP.
- Luplow has made a career of slaughtering southpaws, sporting a .340 OBP, .499 SLG, and .839 OPS against them throughout his career. That’s incredible because Luplow has been lovely since being claimed off waivers, compiling a .545 OBP, .500 SLG, and 1.045 OPS across his last eight outings. Ranger Suarez has not been a scary southpaw either, accumulating a 4.95 ERA and 1.73 WHIP across his last six starts.
Hitter Strategy
It’s rare to find this many value bats that remain so cheap! It’s amazing just how affordable some of these guys are, and it should make lineup construction a breeze. That’s even more imperative on a slate like this because we’re going to have to pay up for some of the arms. The teams we want to stack include the Dodgers, Blue Jays, Nationals, Athletics, Nationals, Padres, Angels, and Pirates.
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
