This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
We're in the hammock between the weekend and the 4th of July holiday, but you might be enjoying a day off Monday due to that fact. If you don't have a day off, though, fortunately the MLB DFS slate doesn't start until 7:05 p.m. ET. With six games on the slate, let's start the fireworks early with these lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Joe Ryan, MIN vs. KC ($9,900): Ryan has a 3.38 FIP, though it hasn't always been smooth sailing. However, his bad starts have usually occurred on the road. Ryan has a 2.70 ERA on the road. Granted, the Tigers just benefited from a trip to Coors Field, but the fact remains they have jumped the Royals, and the Royals are now last in runs scored among real MLB teams (i.e., teams other than the Oakland Athletics).
Bryce Elder, ATL at CLE ($9,700): It's the battle between the team that got rid of its dicey imagery and the team still working on it. Elder has a 3.78 FIP in his sophomore season, right in line with his 3.77 FIP in 10 appearances in 2022. This year, though, his ERA is down to 2.47, with his walks down and his groundball rate way up. The Guardians are 27th in runs scored, largely because they are last in runs scored.
Top Target
So, um, complaints about Juan Soto ($3,700) are over, right? He's now slashed .277/.424/.502 with 14 homers and six stolen bases. That includes an 1.002 OPS against righties. Jaime Barria has a 2.92 ERA, but he's pitched a lot out of the bullpen as the sixth man in the rotation. He has a 4.59 FIP on the campaign, and he has a 5.87 ERA over the last four seasons.
Bargain Bat
As per usual, Joc Pederson ($3,200) sat to start Sunday's game with a lefty on the mound for the Giants' opponent. However, he's slugged .500 against right-handed pitchers this season. He also has an OPS over .900 at home since joining San Francisco. Rookie Bryan Woo has only pitched 12.0 innings on the road, but he has a 6.00 ERA in those starts. By the same token, he's only faced 37 left-handed batters, but they've hit .412 against him.
Stacks to Consider
Atlanta at Guardians (Gavin Williams): Matt Olson ($4,400), Ozzie Albies ($3,600), Michael Harris ($3,000)
We don't really know much about Williams yet. He has made two starts at the MLB level, and he has a 2.84 ERA and 3.91 FIP. That's only two starts, though, and also they came against the Athletics and Royals, which I noted earlier are the two lowest teams in runs scored. So yeah, I'm down to stack three hitters from Atlanta's elite lineup.
Olson has emerged as the top power hitter in the National League. He's slugged .576 with 28 home runs. Mostly he's destroyed righties, as he has an 1.001 OPS against them. Albies just picked up his 20th home run. Yes, the switch hitter is usually better against righties, but I am still down to stack Albies for a couple other reasons. One, over the last three weeks he has a .911 OPS, and on the road he has a .904 OPS. After having 19 homers and 20 stolen bases as a rookie, he has seven homers and 10 stolen bases this year. He also has an .882 OPS versus righties in his career.
Yankees vs. Orioles (Tyler Wells): Anthony Rizzo ($2,900), Anthony Volpe ($2,800), Jake Bauers ($2,700)
Wells has a 3.21, but he has a 4.57 FIP. It's hard to keep your ERA that low when you allow 1.85 home runs per nine innings. In fact, he has a 4.17 ERA on the road where he has given up 2.7 homers per nine. The Yankees have disappointed offensively, but I'll still take a shot on this stack.
Rizzo has a .360 OBP, and though he is a lefty who hits southpaws better, I still want him in my lineup Monday. Why? Because he has a .923 OPS at home after having an .840 OPS at Yankee Stadium in 2022. Volpe is purely a counting-stats guy, but that's not a problem for DFS players, especially with a shortstop. The rookie has 10 homers and 16 stolen bases. Plus, over the last three weeks he has a .998 OPS. Bauers has gotten regular action for New York because of his success against righties. The southpaw has an .801 OPS versus right-handed pitchers, and a .781 OPS at home as well.
