This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Happy Easter, if you're celebrating. Should you be on the hunt for Sunday DFS recommendations for MLB, you're in the right place. There are 10 games on the slate, with the first starting at 1:05 p.m. EDT. Here are some suggestions for your lineups.
Pitching
Carlos Carrasco, NYM vs. MIA ($8,500): Carrasco blamed his first start going poorly on the pitch clock, but hopefully he's had a chance to adjust. He produced a 3.53 FIP in 29 starts with the Mets last year, and his 3.56 home ERA was decidedly better than his road performance. Carrasco will be at home Sunday, and will be facing a Marlins team that ranked 28th in runs scored in 2022.
Drew Rasmussen, TAM vs. OAK ($8,200): Rasmussen's debut start of the season was stellar as he went six innings of shutout ball while only allowing two hits and striking out seven. Granted, that was against the Nationals. But guess what? The Athletics are just as terrible offensively having sported the league's lowest team OPS last season while trading Sean Murphy away during the offseason.
George Kirby, SEA at CLE ($8,100): Kirby's first outing of 2023 wasn't great, but obviously it was only one appearances. As a rookie last year, he posted a 2.98 FIP and struck out 9.21 batters per nine innings. The Guardians don't offer a power-heavy lineup having finished 29th in homers last year. They also have a few key lefty bats, and last year Kirby held southpaws to a .210 batting average.
Top Targets
In each of the last two seasons, Kyle Tucker ($5,400) hit 30 home runs. He also went from 14 to 25 stolen bases, making him a 30/30 threat. The lefty will face Tyler Mahle on Sunday, who comes in with a career 4.18 FIP and has allowed 1.36 home runs per nine innings.
Healthy and off to a fast start, this could finally be the year for Wander Franco ($5,000). He's a career .287 hitter, and already has three homers and two steals. James Kaprielian carries a career 4.56 FIP, even though his home ballpark is pitcher-friendly. He's also coming off a campaign where he only struck out 6.58 batters per nine innings.
Bargain Bats
He doesn't bring a lot of power, but Andrew Benintendi ($4,100) has maintained a career .279 average and can do some damage against righties with an .812 OPS in 2022. Johan Oviedo registered a FIP over 5.00 in his first two seasons as a starter. He pitched in relief last year, but he's back to starting in Pittsburgh and gave up three homers over 4.2 innings in his first start.
In the realm of the post-hype sleeper, look to Riley Greene ($3,700). He was considered a top prospect, but his rookie campaign with the Tigers featured an unremarkable 93 games - though he did produce four triples and displayed some speed. Kutter Crawford has a career 6.37 ERA, and in his first start allowed seven runs across four innings to the Pirates.
Stacks to Consider
Mariners at Guardians (Zach Plesac): Julio Rodriguez ($5,700), Ty France ($4,800), Kolten Wong ($4,100)
When a pitcher's first start sees him pulled after one inning where he gives up six runs to the Athletics, it doesn't bode well. That is what happened to Plesac, who's managed a career 4.51 FIP, doesn't strike out many batters (6.98 K/9 rate), and allowed a lot of homers (1.41 per nine innings). Seattle's lineup is formidable now, and this stack looks good to me.
Rodriguez is building off of his AL Rookie of the Year campaign. If you need a refresher, he posted an .854 OPS with 28 homers and 25 stolen bases. France doesn't boast much power, though he did hit 20 homers last year. And in his three full years with the Mariners, he's batted .284 with a .354 OBP. Wong is off to a slow start with his new team, but recorded 15 homers and 17 steals last season. Maybe he just needs a chance to tee off on righties since he's posted an .801 OPS against them since 2021.
Mets vs. Marlins (Braxton Garrett): Pete Alonso ($5,900), Starling Marte ($5,500), Mark Canha ($3,600)
With Johnny Cueto on the injured list, the expectation is Garrett - who was recently called up from Triple-A - will be the starter. Over the last couple campaigns, he's posted a 5.08 road ERA while letting righties hit .290 against. So I'll stack three righties. And in case things change in terms of the Marlins' pitching plans, righties represent a safer option anyway.
Alonso's power is present, and he's already crushed five homers. While he hasn't hit for average to start 2023, his career mark is .260. In his first season as a Met, Marte managed an .874 home OPS. He's also two seasons removed from stealing 47 bases. And if swipes are up this year, Marte is a smart pick to benefit. Canha was also new to the Mets in 2022, and he went .266 with a .367 OBP. Getting on base is his top skill since he's gotten on base at a .374 clip the last four seasons.
Brewers vs. Cardinals (Jake Woodford): Willy Adames ($5,300), Christian Yelich ($4,900), Rowdy Tellez ($3,200)
Previously a relief pitcher for the most, Woodford is currently in the rotation. His first start of 2023 didn't go well as Atlanta racked up six runs and three homers over 4.1 innings. It's also notable he's allowed lefties to hit .311 against since 2021, and I'm offering two of them in this stack.
Adames isn't a lefty, but he's recorded over 30 doubles in each of his last two seasons and 31 homers in 2022. That was with a .238 average, well below his career .256. Yelich has lost his power stroke, but he still gets on base and boasts a career .376 OBP. And the southpaw still notched 14 homers to go with 19 steals last year. Tellez may have posted a .219 average in 2022, but hit 35 homers by swinging for the fences with an .801 OPS versus righties and .866 at home.
