This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Next weekend is a holiday, but DFS success can happen now if you want a little extra cash for hot dogs or fireworks. There are 11 MLB games on Sunday, with the first pitch at 1:05 p.m. EDT. To try and help you pay for those burgers and buns, here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Carlos Rodon, NYY vs. CWS ($9,800): Rodon will be facing his former team Sunday. While his first year with the Yankees went poorly, he's currently at a 3.31 ERA. More to the point, he faces a great matchup as the White Sox are comfortably last in runs scored and it feels like they're on pace to become a historically-poor offense.
Corbin Burnes, BAL vs. SEA ($9,700): Burnes has delivered everything the Orioles could have wanted. He's recorded a 2.68 ERA through nine starts and hasn't allowed more than three runs in any appearance. The Mariners are just trying to avoid being in the bottom-five in runs scored, so Burnes shouldn't be allowing more runs than usual.
Nick Pivetta, BOS at STL ($9,200): Pivetta has managed a 3.48 ERA over four starts and has mainly looked solid other than a poor outing against Atlanta as he hasn't conceded more than two runs in any of his other three appearances. Atlanta may be middling in offense, but St. Louis ranks 28th in runs scored.
Top Targets
As a rookie, Anthony Volpe ($3,500) produced 21 homers and 24 steals, but with a .283 OBP. This year, he's at six and nine in those departments while batting .270. Chris Flexen, who lists a career 4.91 ERA, is in his first season starting for the White Sox. While a righty, his fellow right-handers have gone .296 against since 2022.
It's only taken Brice Turang ($3,100) 42 games to steal 17 bases, and the second baseman has also hit .306 during his sophomore campaign. The lefty has struggled at home, but carries a .939 road OPS. Spencer Arrighetti has struggled as an MLB pitcher with a 7.52 ERA through six starts.
Bargain Bats
Now a Ray, Richie Palacios ($2,800) has gotten on base at a .368 clip with four homers and seven stolen bases. He's also a lefty. Alek Manoah has a 6.12 FIP from two starts with a 6.01 last year. And this season, lefties - like Palacios - have batted .321 against.
So far, it seems like Brett Baty ($2,700) is struggling to live up to his prospect status. However, he's still produced three homers and hit nine across 104 games last season. In this scenario, Baty is worth rostering at this salary. Sixto Sanchez hasn't done much to gain confidence by posting a 5.96 ERA while lefties have hit .359 against.
Stacks to Consider
Guardians vs. Twins (Chris Paddack): Jose Ramirez ($4,000), Josh Naylor ($3,800), Andres Gimenez ($3,000)
Paddack is back to being a full-time starter, which hasn't been the case since 2021. He's so far registered a 4.89 ERA while giving up 1.49 home runs per nine innings. Ever since a promising rookie campaign with the Padres, Paddack has scuffled with a 4.86 ERA the last five seasons. While righties have managed a robust .290 against the last couple year, lefties have gone .338 and I'll take three players who can hit left-handed here.
Even though Ramirez - a career .278 hitter - has batted .258, he's still helping fantasy-minded folks with 11 homers and seven stolen bases to put him on pace for his fourth straight 20/20 campaign. Naylor's power has been on an uptick and he's already notched 12 home runs. And since 2022, he's slugged .511 against righties. Gimenez produced 15 homers and 30 steals last year. This season, his power is down yet he's already swiped seven bags. While the second baseman has struggled at home this year, he slugged over .400 in Cleveland during each of the previous two seasons.
Cubs vs. Pirates (Mitch Keller): Christopher Morel ($3,500), Cody Bellinger ($3,400), Seiya Suzuki ($3,400)
Keller has been better than 2021 when he slumped to a 6.17 ERA, though he doesn't seem primed to ever really turn into an above-average pitcher. He's now 28 with a 4.06 the last three seasons. And the last two years, lefties have gone .262 against Keller while righties are currently at .281.
In 2023, Morel hit 20 homers across 107 games. And this year, he's at nine alongside four steals. He's struggled against righties this season, but has a .767 OPS versus righties over his career and an .806 at home. The lefty Bellinger has oddly stolen no bases after 20 last year, yet he's still hit seven homers. And since joining the Cubs, he's recorded an OPS over .900 at home. Suzuki's missed time with injury, yet he's slashed .270/.330/.461 when available. In his MLB career, he's posted an .804 OPS versus his fellow righties and an .822 at home.
