After breaking down the last two days, we’re finally at the end of the week. Sunday slates are always my favorite because it’s one of the few times all week when every lineup is submitted on time. That’s an underrated facet of MLB DFS because it’s nice to see every eligible player with a green check mark next to their name. We have all but four teams on the main card for this Sunday card, omitting the morning and night games from the schedule. There’s a ton to discuss, so let’s start with the arms.
Starting Pitcher Rankings
After breaking down the last two days, we’re finally at the end of the week. Sunday slates are always my favorite because it’s one of the few times all week when every lineup is submitted on time. That’s an underrated facet of MLB DFS because it’s nice to see every eligible player with a green check mark next to their name. We have all but four teams on the main card for this Sunday card, omitting the morning and night games from the schedule. There’s a ton to discuss, so let’s start with the arms.
Starting Pitcher Rankings
Starting Pitcher Strategy
We’ve had some lackluster pitching options over the last two days, but this one is not like that. There were three that really stood above the rest, and all three are in brilliant spots. With that said, we don’t have many value plays to talk about because we have so many high-end guys in such tasty spots. With that in mind, let’s start with a Tampa’s best pitcher!
Cash Game Recommendations:
Tyler Glasnow (TB) at DET
Glasnow got off to a slow start this season, but he’s been unstoppable recently. The Rays righty has allowed one run or fewer in five of his last seven starts, sporting a 2.08 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 13.1 K.9 rate in that span. That’s the Cy Young candidate we’ve come to love, and there’s no chance the Tigers get to him here. Detroit ranks bottom four in runs scored, OBP, wOBA, and K rate. All of that has Glasnow entering this matchup as a -200 favorite.
Kyle Bradish (BAL) vs. NYM
Bradish has had an unbelievable season in Baltimore, providing a 3.32 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. He’s actually been one of the best pitchers in the AL over the last two months, allowing two runs or fewer in seven of his last nine starts. The Mets sound like a scary matchup on paper, but New York ranks 20th in runs scored. Bradish has been lights out in Baltimore all season, too, totaling a 2.39 ERA and 0.92 WHIP at Camden Yards.
GPP Recommendations:
Andrew Heaney (TEX) vs. MIA
Heaney has struggled in the second half of the season, but he’s coming off one of the best starts of the year. The lefty stuck out 11 batters across six scoreless innings. That’s the stud we saw in the opening months, totaling a 3,23 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 9.6 K/9 rate through the opening three months of the year. We believe he can sustain those numbers in a home start against the Marlins, with Miami ranked 21st in xwOBA and 24th in runs scored.
Top Lineup Stacks
We had St. Louis in here on Friday and Saturday, so why not go back to them? We always want to stack against the Rockies, ranked 29th in ERA and WHIP. Gomber hasn’t helped those god-awful numbers, generating a 5.68 ERA and 1.55 WHIP. It’s also beneficial since many of these sluggers hit from the right side, making them an enticing stack against the left-handed Gomber. In two starts against St. Louis last year, Gomber had a 10.50 ERA and 2.00 WHIP.
Cincinnati Reds (vs. Jake Irvin)
The Reds have developed into one of the most dangerous offenses in baseball. Numerous call-ups have helped turn this lineup around, but hitting in GABP is a massive boost as well. Having all of those stud bats against Jake Irvin is the icing on the cake, with the Washington righty amassing a 4.86 ERA and 1.43 WHIP.
Philadelphia Phillies (vs. Zack Greinke)
It’s sad that Grinke’s career is ending like this. The veteran righty is throwing meatballs right now, producing a 1-11 record and a 5.32 ERA. He simply doesn’t have the stuff to get out hitters anymore, especially a lineup like this. The Phillies are a Top 10 offense in almost every metric over the last two months, projected to score five runs in this sensational spot.
Core Studs
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| 1B |
Paul Goldschmidt (STL) |
$5,800 |
$3,500 |
| 3B |
Elly De La Cruz (CIN) |
$6,200 |
$4,200 |
| OF |
Christian Yelich (MIL) |
$5,300 |
$3,600 |
| 3B |
Alex Bregman (HOU) |
$5,300 |
$3,400 |
| OF |
Kyle Schwarber (PHI) |
$4,900 |
$3,600 |
- We had Goldy in here on Friday, and it’s easy to understand why. The Rockies rank near the bottom of every pitching category, sending out Gomber’s 5.68 ERA here. That’s really scary because it gives Goldschmidt a massive boost from the right side, generating a .427 OBP, .624 SLG, and 1.051 OPS against lefties since 2021.
- De La Cruz took the league by storm in his opening weeks, but it’s been a struggle since then. In any case, this is still one of the most talented players in the league, collecting eight homers and 17 steals in just 47 games. He’s also getting out of his slump, totaling a .889 OPS across his last 10 outings. If we want to stack the Reds against Irvin, De La Cruz needs to be the heart of that stack.
- Yelich has been unbelievable this season. He’s in the heart of Milwaukee’s lineup every day, picking up 16 dingers and 22 steals. He’s also got a .408 OBP and .946 OPS across his last 57 outings. Yelich also gets the platoon advantage against Johan Oviedo, who’s got a 4.42 ERA and 1.34 WHIP.
- Don’t look now, but Bregman is starting to get hot again! He always does this at the end of every season, tallying a .417 OBP, .645 SLG, and 1.067 OPS across his last 17 games. He’s also slaughtered southpaws throughout his career, which is impressive since Carlos Rodon has a 6.29 ERA and 1.48 WHIP.
- Schwarber is a risky option, but he’s always one of the best bets for a homer! This guy has 95 dingers over the last three years and continues to hit atop this talented Phillies lineup. His strikeouts have held him back, but that shouldn’t be an issue against Greinke since he has one of the lowest K rates in baseball.
Value Plays/Punts
| POS |
PLAYER |
DK SALARY |
FD SALARY |
| 1B |
Brandon Belt (TOR) |
$3,300 |
$2,800 |
| 1B |
Ryan Mountcastle (BAL) |
$3,800 |
$3,500 |
| 2B |
Brandon Lowe (TB) |
$4,500 |
$3,300 |
| OF |
Will Benson (CIN) |
$3,300 |
$3,000 |
| OF |
Joc Pederson (SF) |
$4,200 |
$3,000 |
- It’s hard to understand why Belt remains so cheap. This guy is always in the heart of Toronto’s lineup against righties, and he’ll be in there every day. BB has a .360 OBP, .507 SLG, and .867 OPS against right-handers since 2021. He’s also hot, registering a .872 OPS across his last 20 outings.
- We had Mountcastle in here on Friday, and we’re going back to him for all the same reasons. This guy has 11 hits across his previous four games going into Friday and has clobbered left-handers since his call-up. In fact, Mountcastle has a .351 AVG, .691 SLG, and 1.080 OPS against southpaws this season. Jose Quintana is far from a scary southpaw, amassing a 4.21 ERA and 1.36 WHIP over the last five years.
- Lowe has developed into a platoon player, but he’s a beast whenever the Rays face a righty. He always bats third in these circumstances, collecting a .839 OPS against them over the last three years. What we really love is his form, accruing a .424 OBP, .767 SLG, and 1.191 OPS across his last eight games.
- Benson bats at the bottom of Cincy’s lineup, but it’s hard to understand why they keep him so low. The rookie has a .379 OBP, .524 SLG, and .902 OPS in two months at this level. Most of that damage has come against right-handers, and he makes for a sneaky stack with Cruz since these two bat next to each other in this lineup.
- Pederson has made a career of pummelling righties and is doing it again this year. Joc has a .363 OBP, .483 SLG, and .850 OPS with the platoon advantage in his favor. That’s why he always hits cleanup in these spots, and he should keep that sparking form going against the worst pitching staff in baseball.
Hitter Strategy
It’s rare to have so many cheap players in great spots, but that’s what we have today! That’s going to make lineup construction a breeze because we have a ton of great pitchers to pick from. We didn’t even write up some of the great arms out there, but you can go whatever route you like from that perspective. You’ll have to save at the hitting positions because there are too many high-end pitching options on this slate. The good news is we have numerous cheap offenses to pick from, with the Giants, Cardinals, Rays, Reds, Orioles, Blue Jays, Brewers, and Phillies all looking like outstanding options!
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
