FanDuel MLB: Sunday Picks

FanDuel MLB: Sunday Picks

This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.

The first Sunday of the season offers another maxed-out, 15-game all-day slate, which begins at 1:05 PM Eastern time. Read on to see which pitchers, chalk/value hitters and stacks stand out in this slate. 

Pitchers 

This slate is lighter on elite arm talent than the season's first three, so expect most owners to pay up for premium sluggers rather than a top arm. After posting a robust 29.5 percent strikeout rate last season, Carlos Carrasco ($10,200) should headline lineups for owners with the funds to afford him against the Twins.

Chris Paddack ($7,600) posted a minuscule 1.76 ERA in spring training for the Padres and gets a great opportunity to translate that success to a game that counts against an offensively-challenged Giants team. Another pitcher in a favorable matchup and coming off a strong preseason is Jon Gray ($7,900), who gets a great opportunity to kick off a bounce-back campaign on a high note against the light-hitting Marlins in Miami.

Chalk/Value Plays

Corey Dickerson went yard on Opening Day and has a great chance to build on that accomplishment in Pittsburgh's first action since. He'll face off against right-hander Sonny Gray, who brings more questions than answers into his tenure with the Reds after posting a 4.90 ERA with the Yankees last season en route to losing his spot in the rotation.

After boasting a .378 wOBA at home against left-handed pitching last season, Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus is primed to thrive in such a situation against ex-teammate Cole Hamels

Whether you're looking for a lineup building block (Jose Ramirez, $4,400) or a cheap filler (leadoff man Leonys Martin, $2,900), the Indians have what you need against Minnesota's oft-injured Michael Pineda, who will be making his first start since July of 2017.

The Mets have scored 13 runs through two games despite facing Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg. The thought of facing Patrick Corbin shouldn't scare right-handed slugger Pete Alonso ($3,000), who's 4-for-9 to start his career after Saturday's pair of doubles.

Stacks 

Boston's most potent right-handed sluggers, such as Mookie Betts ($4,900) and J.D. Martinez ($4,900) should live up to their lofty valuations against Mariners southpaw Wade LeBlanc. Their wOBAs against lefties were .488 and .406, respectively, last season. Sticking in the AL East, the Yankees' top sluggers are well positioned to go deep against Orioles righty Dylan Bundy, who surrendered 41 long balls last season. Third baseman Miguel Andujar ($3,700) in particular looks primed to capitalize on Yankee Stadium's sixth-ranked home run park factor from last season at 1.17, as his .368 wOBA in righty-on-righty matchups exceeded his .344 mark against lefties as a rookie.

The Astros should also be a popular stacking option against unproven Rays commodity Yonny Chirinos, with proficient sluggers like George Springer ($4,400), Jose Altuve ($4,300), Alex Bregman ($4,200) and Michael Brantley ($3,900) all capable of providing nice value for owners willing to pay up for them. 

Detroit's Matt Moore is among the league's most vulnerable lefties, so Toronto's better right-handed bats such as Brandon Drury ($2,200) can be used to round out lineups without breaking the bank.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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