This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
It's a Sunday in Major League Baseball, and you know what that means. There are 15 games on the slate, and a good chunk of them start at 1:00 p.m. EDT. You'll need to get your DFS lineups in early to play an all-day slate or even the main FanDuel slate, which only includes the early afternoon contests. Looking for recommendations? I've got them right here!
PITCHING
Johnny Cueto, SF vs. CHC ($7,800): Cueto has revitalized himself in his age-35 season with a 3.45 ERA but a 2.63 FIP. In fact, his ERA at home is 2.59 and this matchup is taking place at the pitcher-friendly confines of the Giants' ballpark. The Cubs are doing just fine offensively, but I still like Cueto at home in most matchups. Maybe steer clear of the Dodgers or Padres, but otherwise…
Chris Paddack, SD vs. NYM ($7,000): Speaking of pitcher-friendly stadiums, none beat Petco Park. Paddack hasn't looked great in 2021, but he's posted a 3.56 ERA at home since 2019. He's also wiped out lefties this year by only allowing a .189 average. Also, the Mets rank last in runs scored. They've only played 51 games, but they're also near the bottom of the league on a per-game basis.
Sandy Alcantara, MIA at PIT ($8,700): The aforementioned Mets are the only team below the Pirates in runs scored, who don't have the excuse of several postponements. I'm not surprised, as they ranked last in that category in 2020. Alcantara produced a 2.72 ERA prior to getting smashed by the Dodgers on the road, but has improved with a 2.70 mark in three starts since.
TOP TARGETS
Juan Soto, WAS at PHI ($4,100): Soto's power is starting to show up again with a .500 slugging percentage over his last 21 outings. That's actually still low for him considering he's slugged .544 over his career. Soto might be able to tee off on Vince Velasquez in this game as the latter has struggled to a 5.55 FIP this season while allowing 2.04 homers per nine innings.
Yoan Moncada, CWS vs. DET ($3,500): In MLB's last full season, Moncada managed a .915 OPS. His power isn't back to that level yet, but he's getting on base at a career-best .427 clip. Moncada is a switch hitter, but I imagine he'll be hitting from the left side to start this game. Jose Urena has allowed southpaws to hit .329 against him since 2019 with a 4.14 ERA on the year.
VALUE BATS
Cesar Hernandez, CLE at BAL ($2,400): Hernandez is off to a slow start, but has a career .274 batting average and .349 OBP. That's why Cleveland occasionally lets him hit leadoff. Hernandez's .245 BABIP is well below his career number of .333, so more luck should eventually be coming. Perhaps facing Jorge Lopez will help, as he comes in with a 5.29 ERA that is actually worse than his career 5.90 ERA while producing a 6.31 home ERA.
Corey Dickerson, MIA at PIT ($2,300): Since moving to Miami, Dickerson has had issues hitting at home. But on the road, he's registered an .832 OPS since 2019. Chad Kuhl has a 6.41 ERA, but his FIP is actually even worse at 6.74. Dickerson has batted .284 over his career, so he knows how to make contact and Kuhl seemingly knows how to allow contact.
STACKS TO CONSIDER
Giants vs. Kyle Hendricks: Evan Longoria ($3,400), Alex Dickerson ($2,000), Brandon Crawford ($2,800)
Hendricks has managed to get by with a fastball that doesn't approach 90, but that isn't cutting it in 2021 as his 4.62 ERA and 5.50 FIP both mark career highs. He's also given up a whopping 2.11 homers per nine innings. For some reason, the Cubs hurler is also struggling immensely against southpaws. It's a small-sample size, but Hendricks has faced 120 lefties and let them hit .342 against. That's why I had to include two left-handed hitters in this stack.
Longoria is not a lefty, but his slash line this season is .280/.376/.516. Now, onto the southpaws that might feast on Hendrick's not-so-fastball. Dickerson hasn't done a lot this year, but compiled a .952 OPS against righties in 2020 and .855 in 2019. Crawford has slugged .537 with 12 homers this year and his slugging percentage against righties is .584.
Angels vs. Logan Gilbert: Anthony Rendon ($3,300), Jared Walsh ($3,800), Justin Upton ($3,000)
Gilbert has made four starts over his MLB career. They have not gone swimmingly. He's so far posted a 5.94 ERA, and that's with starts against two of MLB's worst offenses in Cleveland and Detroit. The Angels may not have Mike Trout right now, but they still have a better offense than either of those teams.
Rendon's season has been slowed by injury, but his career slash line is .288/.369/.485 and hit 34 homers and racked up 126 RBI in his last full campaign. Walsh has produced an OPS over 1.000 in each of the last two seasons. Gilbert is a righty and has allowed lefties like Walsh to bat .300 against. You only really want to have Upton on your roster considering he had an .861 OPS at home in 2020 and .962 this year. Also, 10 of his 12 homers in 2021 have come in Anaheim.
