This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Sunday's main slate features 11 games going off by 2:15 PM EST. While it's a usual getaway day for teams that can lead to early swings and shorter game times, this schedule could take that to the extreme with the All-Star break looming. Maybe that's a myth, but I think today will shape up to have plenty of value on the mound and some surprisingly lower scoring games than usual.
For those interested, we've started an MLB DFS Slack channel for paid RotoWire subscribers. (There is a season-long one as well.) To join those channels, e-mail support@rotowire.com.
PITCHER
Patrick Corbin, ARI at ATL ($8,700): Atlanta is in a wicked funk and probably needs the break more than any team out there, making them ripe for the picking Sunday. Losers of eight of their past 10, they've scored one run in their last 18 innings, and have been held to three or fewer tallies six times during this stretch. They've hit lefties well, but I'm willing to go against that season-long trend given their current form. Corbin has been far better on the road, posting a 2.49 ERA and 2.96 xFIP while also boasting a 31.6 percent strikeout rate.
GPP Fade: Masahiro Tanaka, NYY at CLE ($8,800): This isn't so much a fade, as it is suggesting loading up on Indian bats and keeping Tanaka far away from your lineup. There just isn't a clear reason to take a huge risk on him at this price. He's allowed 17 homers in 77 innings, has made one start in a month and needed 80 pitches to get into the fifth inning. Also, Cleveland ranks fifth in the league against righties with a .329 wOBA.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Mike Minor, TEX at BAL ($6,800): Philadelphia's Enyel De Los Santos ($5,700) qualifies as the obvious choice here against Miami, but Minor could be your target if you're looking to pivot. Baltimore is another squad that would prefer to pretend the first half of the season didn't actually happen, as they rank 28th against lefties, posting a meager .288 wOBA and 79 wRC+. That they fan only 21.4 percent of the time is a bit surprising, and won't help Minor's upside if you're hoping he can compete against the aces on Sunday's schedule. But he's in good form, putting up at least 22 points in seven straight, averaging 27 over that span. That seems to suggest a safe floor at a huge discount over the top arms, offering plenty of roster flexibility offensively.
CATCHER/FIRST BASE
Omar Narvaez, CWS vs. KAN ($2,400): Hopefully I didn't lose you when you saw the name. This is the kind of cheap play that can pay huge dividends, and allow you to fit in a Justin Verlander on the bump. Narvaez leads White Sox regulars with a .362 wOBA against righties, and has been white hot by going 9-for-17 in his last five games. He didn't start Saturday, so he should be behind the dish for the day game Sunday. The matchup against Burch Smith couldn't be much better, with the righty surrendering a .380 wOBA to same-handed bats.
SECOND BASE
Asdrubal Cabrera, NYM vs. WAS ($3,200): Cabrera slots in nicely at an average price at the keystone, where there are some high-end options and largely a bunch of nothing else. His .246 ISO provides sound upside, while the .370 wOBA suggests a moderately stable floor. Nats' starter Jeremy Hellickson has allowed 18 hits and 11 earned runs over his last 13.2 innings, and that includes a five-inning, two hit, shutout in his last outing.
THIRD BASE
Mike Moustakas, KAN at CWS ($3,300): This Royals-White Sox game looks like a GPP paradise with bad offenses facing worse pitching, but there's a plethora of cheap bats in favorable spots. Of course, it could also be the spot where we see both pitchers cruise into the seventh inning on 80 pitches. But if we're playing the matchup, Moustakas makes a lot of sense against Lucas Giolito. The White Sox starter is getting pelted at home, allowing an 8.65 ERA while lefties are producing a .398 wOBA against him. The 8.24 xFIP opposite-handed bats are providing further suggests targeting him here, and Moustakas' .259 ISO brings upside even if he's been slumping the last month.
SHORTSTOP
Xander Bogaerts, BOS vs. TOR ($4,100): Bogaerts kills two birds with one stone: he gets you in on the Red Sox offense while also plugging a hole at the always punt-or-pay position at short. He brings a .384 wOBA, 142 wRC+ and .267 ISO against righties to the table, somehow ranking no better than third in any one category among Sox regulars. There's less BvP totals than you'd like for a divisional matchup, but Bogaerts has fared well (.385/.385/.577) over 26 at bats against Marcus Stroman.
OUTFIELD
Teoscar Hernandez, TOR at BOS ($3,200): This game checks in with the highest total, and it's not just about the Red Sox bats against Marcus Stroman. Brian Johnson is listed as the Sox starter and is set to make his first appearance since July 3, which may actually be to the detriment of Hernandez as Johnson is unlikely to work deep into the game. But Hernandez has shown great power against lefties, boasting a .298 ISO, adding a 42.6 percent fly ball rate with 21.4 percent of those leaving the yard. Even if he gets just two cracks at Johnson, he seems to have a chance to push one over the fence.
David Peralta, ARI at ATL ($3,100): Picking on Julio Teheran at home has long been profitable, where his ERA was 5.86 a year ago and 4.65 this year and sub-3.50 totals on the road over that period. He's been particularly susceptible to lefties by allowing a .361 wOBA against a .284 to same-handed bats, which plays right into Peralta's wheelhouse. Peralta leads the D-Backs with a .395 wOBA and 149 wRC+, while his .246 ISO ranks second and suggests plenty of big fly potential.
Jose Bautista, NYM vs. WAS ($2,700): Featuring two Mets with such a large slate seems blasphemous, but here we are. Bautista has been surprisingly useful since coming to New York, boasting a .389 wOBA, 150 wRC+ and .232 ISO against righties. He's also walking 16.2 percent of the time and finding ways to produce without logging hits, giving him an incredibly stable floor at this tag. He's 12-for-35 with three homers, a double, a triple and six walks in his career against Hellickson. And 41 plate appearances feels like a large enough sample size to consider here, even with a multiple-season layoff between matchups.
UTILITY
Alex Bregman, HOU vs. DET ($4,400): Stats upon stats upon stats here, as Bregman is absolutely dialed in at the dish. For the year, his .439 wOBA, 187 wRC+ and .311 ISO against lefties are worth paying for. Then factor in he produced a .447/193/.407 line in June and has started off July with a .465/205/313 tally and he's clearly worth paying for against Francisco Liriano, who has surrendered a .364 wOBA to righties against just a .194 to same-handed bats.
