This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
It's another fine Sunday of MLB action on the docket. It's late July and the All-Star break is behind us. There are 12 games on the DFS slate to pick your players from with the first pitch at 1:05 p.m. EDT. Here are a few MLBers I like quite a bit for Sunday DFS lineups.
Pitching
Seth Lugo, KC vs. CWS ($10,800): Lugo represents the keep-it-simple option. You don't need to overthink things sometimes! The Royals righty has posted a 2.48 ERA and an 11-4 record. Chicago ranks last in runs scored and team OPS while unsurprisingly accumulating plenty of losses.
Spencer Schwellenbach, ATL vs. STL ($8,700): Schwellenbach's first two MLB starts were tough, yet lists four quality outings over his last six - including his last two. He also got a couple extra days of rest thanks to Friday's game being rained out. The Cardinals are bottom-10 in offense, so Schwellenbach's in line for another decent effort.
Christian Scott, NYM at MIA ($8,100): After tearing up Double-A last season, Scott emerged as the Mets' top pitching prospect. He produced a 2.76 ERA and 11.76 K/9 rate at Triple-A to earn a promotion to the majors. While Scott has a 4.36 ERA through eight appearances, the Marlins offer a favorable matchup as they're 29th in runs scored and team OPS with a large gap between the 28th-worst offense and the duo of Chicago and Miami.
Top Targets
Few people hit the ball as hard as Christian Walker ($3,600) with an average exit velocity is 91.0 and 38.7 percent of his hits well-barreled. And since 2022, he's slugged .501 on the road. Shota Imanaga came out of the gates on fire in his first MLB season, but has struggled to a 5.61 ERA across his last eight outings with an overall 3.40 at home (and 2.51 on the road) while giving up 1.4 homers per nine innings at Wrigley.
After earning his first All-Star appearance thanks largely due to a .917 OPS versus righties, Riley Greene ($3,400) will look to keep that form going. The southpaw registered an .826 OPS versus right-handed pitchers last year, so he's a viable DFS option even if he falls back down to that level. Kevin Gausman has slumped to a 7.19 home ERA while lefties have batted .273 against.
Bargain Bats
In many of the ways that matter, Daulton Varsho ($2,800) isn't a good hitter. But for fantasy-minded folks, the fact he manages to accrue some counting stats is valuable. The lefty has contributed 11 homers, six triples, and nine stolen bases, even with a sub-.300 OBP (yet again). Keider Montero was called up out of necessity based on a 4.20 FIP in Triple-A, and that number has increased to 5.25 in MLB.
The Nationals lack for power and good right-handed hitters. That's a concern as Andrew Abbott is a lefty whose big issue is giving up the long ball having conceded a career 1.7 homers per nine innings at home. Even though Harold Ramirez ($2,200) has endured a tough season and got jettisoned by the Rays, he at least offers some potential having slugged .463 against southpaws the last couple campaigns.
Stacks to Consider
Reds vs. Nationals (Jake Irvin): Elly De La Cruz ($4,100), Jake Fraley ($2,800), Will Benson ($2,600)
In each of Irvin's two starts prior to the break, he allowed six runs and two homers. He now has a 3.85 FIP on the year, which is better than the 5.30 as a rookie campaign yet still not good. Lefties have hit .261 against Irvin over his career and lefties have produced 24 of the 34 home runs he's conceded during his career.
De La Cruz's 47 stolen bases in only 98 games is really impressive, but don't sleep on his power as he's slugged .519 against righties and .511 at home. Though Fraley's power is down, he's batted .281 with 12 swipes across 69 matchups. He did notch 15 homers and an .815 OPS versus righties last year, so there's some potential power. Benson is hitting below the Mendoza line and may not be playing if TJ Friedl were healthy, yet he's currently at 10 home runs and 11 steals with a .938 OPS versus righties in 2023.
Padres at Guardians (Ben Lively): Manny Machado ($3,100), Ha-Seong Kim ($2,900), Jackson Merrill ($2,800)
While Lively's posted a 3.58 ERA, he also has a 4.56 FIP and 1.53 HR/9 rate. He's also recorded a 5.29 ERA from his last six starts. I have two righties in this stack as Lively has let fellow righties bat .272 against.
It hasn't been Machado's best season, but he does have an .869 OPS the last three weeks. And away from Petco, he's managed a .772 OPS with a .450 sluging percentage. Though Kim only has 10 homers, he's also chipped in with three triples and 18 stolen bases. The shortstop swiped 38 last year, and it's easier to steal on righties. Kim's .721 OPS against righties is better than his number against lefties alongside a .751 on the road since 2022. Rookie Merrill is a lefty who's somewhat flawed, though still has tallied 12 home runs and 10 stolen bases. His issues have largely been versus his fellow southpaws and at home, but he's done well with an .813 OPS against righties and an .805 on the road.
