This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
What's on the docket Sunday for DFS players in the world of baseball? The primary slate of consists of 10 games this afternoon, the first of which starts at 1:35 p.m. EDT. MLB's addition of an 11:35 a.m. EDT start on Sundays has really messed with those of us who like to play an all-day slate. Ah well, 10 games still gives us plenty of options. Here are my recommendations.
Pitching
Freddy Peralta, MIL vs. WAS ($10,500): Peralta has a 3.53 ERA, but a 2.02 FIP. He's also struck out 12.11 batters per nine innings. Maybe he won't strike out Juan Soto, but there will be plenty of opportunities for Peralta.
Shane Bieber, CLE vs. DET ($9,000): Bieber's start was pushed from Saturday to Sunday because of the fear of inclement weather. The one-time Cy Young winner has a 3.72 ERA, but he's really only had one bad start and it's still early. I don't expect a bad outing against the Tigers, who are last in runs scored.
Ian Anderson, ATL vs. MIA ($8,200): Anderson is in a similar boat to Bieber, in that he's had one bad start this year. For him, though, it was in the season opener. Since, the 24-year-old has a 2.70 ERA in six starts. The Marlins are middle-of-the-pack in runs scored, but they finished 29th last season.
Top Targets
It has been a bit of a dip for Cedric Mullins ($4,600) this year, though to be fair he had a .291 average last year and 30 homers and 30 stolen bases and that would be hard to replicate. The lefty does have five home runs and seven swiped bags in 2022, though. Mullins faces righty Corey Kluber, who has a 4.29 ERA.
Although Randy Arozarena ($4,600) is off to a slow start, over the prior three seasons he posted an .839 OPS. He had 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in 2020, and this year he has four homers and six stolen bases. Spenser Watkins has a career 6.20 FIP, and he's allowed 2.02 home runs per nine innings as well.
Bargain Bats
Ty France ($3,800) is a career .288 hitter, but he's gunning for a batting title this season. He's hitting .323 with a .391 OBP on top of that. Nathan Eovaldi just allowed five home runs in his last start, but what sticks out to me more is the fact he's allowed righties to hit .280 since 2020. France can knock around a pitcher like that.
Since 2020, Kole Calhoun ($2,600) has an .824 OPS against righties. This is his first season with the Rangers, but he does have six home runs this year. Jose Urquidy has allowed 1.60 home runs per nine innings, which is a partially why he has a 4.81 ERA.
Stacks to Consider
Astros vs. Taylor Hearn: Jose Altuve ($5,400), Alex Bregman ($5,200), Jeremy Pena ($4,700)
Primarily pitching out of a bullpen, and as a lefty to boot, Hearn came into this season with a 4.80 ERA. This year as a starter he's posted a 5.46 ERA. Since he is a lefty, I do have three righties in my stack.
Altuve is basically hitting like he did last season, when he averaged .278 with a .350 OBP. The difference is an uptick in power, as he's slugged .549 and hit eight home runs. Bregman's been much better at home in 2022, as he's posted a .910 OPS in Houston. He also has a .241 BABIP and has been unlucky on that front. As a rookie, Pena has replaced Carlos Correa quite adequately. He's hit .279, slugged .508 and has seven home runs and three stolen bases.
Brewers vs. Aaron Sanchez: Christian Yelich ($5,000), Hunter Renfroe ($4,700), Luis Urias ($4,500)
Sanchez is getting absolutely batted around this year. Not only does he have a 7.94 ERA, righties have hit .420 against him. Obviously, Sanchez isn't going to turn every righty into Rogers Hornsby all season, but that's a staggeringly bad way to start the season.
Yelich can take advantage of a right-handed pitcher, as he has an .811 OPS against righties this year. He also has five home runs and six stolen bases. Walking is not part of Renfroe's game, but power is. He slugged .501 with 31 home runs last year and this season he has a .514 slugging percentage and nine homers. Urias' on-base skills should come into play, as he's hit .293 with a .408 OBP. Last year he went yard 23 times as well.
Dodgers vs. Zach Eflin: Freddie Freeman ($5,400), Max Muncy ($5,300), Cody Bellinger ($4,100)
Sure, Eflin's 2.59 FIP is decidedly better than his 3.90 ERA, but he's only allowed 0.30 home runs per nine innings in 2022. He's allowed 1.41 homers per nine in his career, so I don't expect that to continue. On top of that, he's allowed lefties to hit .281 since 2020, so I have an all-southpaw stack.
Freeman hasn't skipped a beat since joining the Dodgers, batting .311/.402/.480. Also, since 2020 he has an 1.010 OPS against righties. Muncy is off to a slow start, but he has reasonable OPS marks against righties (.727) and on the road (.714), and he's hit more than 30 home runs in each of his last three full seasons. I think he'll be fine in the long run. Bellinger is a bit all-or-nothing, but when he's on he can still do damage. That's helped him tally five homers and four stolen bases in 2022.
