This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
There are a smattering of games left in the MLB regular season. Sunday is heavy on the afternoon action with eight on the DFS docket. The first pitch is at 1:35 p.m. EDT for the contests I'm focused on. Here are my lineups recommendations.
Pitching
Shane Bieber, CLE vs. KC ($10,600): This season, Bieber reeled back the strikeouts a bit - though 9.00 per nine innings is still impressive - but still posted a 2.88 FIP, so clearly it worked for him. Kansas City's offense seldomly worked this season as it ranks 24th in that department.
Zack Wheeler, PHI at WAS ($9,500): Wheeler is primed to have an ERA below three for his third straight season, which also happens to coincide with his tenure in Philly. He's managed a 2.96 ERA across his last 11 starts, which admittedly features a couple poor road starts. However, they were against two top sides in the Mets and Blue Jays. However, the Nationals enter 26th in runs scored.
Luis Garcia, HOU vs. TAM ($9,000): Garcia is headed into the playoffs in solid form with a 3.00 from his last six starts. This is a battle of playoff teams, but the Rays are a side with a .688 OPS as a squad trying to avoid finishing in the bottom-10 in offense.
Top Targets
Who has more to play for on the Yankees than Aaron Judge ($5,200)? With one more homer, he sets an American League record. Kyle Bradish could be the one to serve it up considering his 5.11 ERA while allowing righties hit .285 against.
Though he's a righty, Alex Bregman ($3,600) has an .892 OPS at home that is decidedly superior to his numbers against lefties. He's also posted an 1.007 at home. That pairs well with a matchup against righty Corey Kluber on Sunday, who's produced a 5.15 ERA on the road in 2022.
Bargain Bats
Over the last three weeks, Bryan Reynolds ($2,800) has an .895 OPS. This season, the switch hitter has preferred to face righties (.813 OPS) and to be on the road (.850). Adam Wainwright has really scuffled down the stretch witha 6.38 ERA in September. Given that he's 41, that takes on extra concern.
Before his injury, Nico Hoerner ($2,700) was playing quite well, and has hit .282 on the season with nine homers, 19 steals and an .820 home OPS. Since the start of 2020, Chase Anderson has pitched 104.2 innings in MLB. During that time, he's struggled to a 6.45 ERA.
Stacks to Consider
Phillies at Nationals (Patrick Corbin): Rhys Hoskins ($3,200), Nick Castellanos ($2,600), Alec Bohm ($2,500)
One last time, we get to take advantage of a Corbin start. He's posted a 6.08 ERA, giving him a 5.72 across the last three seasons. Righties have hit .320 against him in 2022, and .312 since 2020. The Phillies' two biggest bats are lefties, but there's still opportunity for a right-handed stack.
Hoskins has crushed 30 home runs, not to mention a clear love of facing lefties with a .976 OPS in those matchups and a .994 the last couple campaigns. It's been a tough season for Castellanos, who's missed plenty of time with injury. However, he does have a .726 OPS against lefties and a .735 at home. Bohm has even starker splits versus southpaws OPS with a .927 this year and an .872 since 2020.
Guardians vs. Royals (Max Castillo): Steven Kwan ($3,900), Andres Gimenez ($3,400), Amed Rosario ($3,200)
The Royals decided to take a shot on Castillo and see what he could potentially provide them in their rotation. So far, that's resulted in a 7.90 ERA since coming over from Toronto. The sample size is small, but the numbers are horrendous. Therefore, I'm not deterred from stacking three Guardians.
Clearly, Kwan has a batting eye with a .301 average, but also speed with 19 stolen bases and seven triples. His .817 OPS against righties also includes a .428 slugging percentage, so he can even show power in the right matchup. Gimenez has established himself as arguably the best second baseman in baseball this season, in part due to hitting .302 with 17 homers and 19 steals. He's heading into the playoffs in form with an .864 OPS the last three weeks. Rosario doesn't display power versus his fellow righties, but has hit .280 in those matchups with 14 stolen bases. His home OPS is also .752.
Cardinals vs. Pirates (Roansy Contreras): Nolan Arenado ($3,800), Tommy Edman ($3,200), Brendan Donovan ($2,900)
Contreras' 3.72 ERA as a rookie isn't good, but his 4.21 FIP is even worse. He's also posted a 4.15 ERA in away games. While the Cardinals could end up sitting any assortment of key players with the division locked up, I'm still aiming to use this stack if everything shakes out.
For his second time in as many seasons as a Cardinal, Arenado has produced 30 home runs and posted 102 RBI, not to mention adding 42 doubles. His average also really jumped from 2021 with a .293 this season. Edman offers more power against lefties, but that's not really his game. What stands out is that 25 of his 31 stolen bases have come against righties and his .732 OPS at home is better than his road numbers. Donovan has poor power numbers, but with a .281 average and .396 OBP. The rookie has stark home/road splits and actually maintains a .901 OPS in St. Louis.
