This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Halfway through August, we get a Sunday with eight games on the DFS docket with the first few beginning at 1:35 p.m. EDT. If you're pondering your options for your lineups, here's a few suggestions I've got to end the weekend.
Pitching
Freddy Peralta, MIL at CWS ($10,700): Peralta has struck out 11.14 homers per nine innings, right in line with his career 11.56 K/9 rate. He's also been on fire in his last three outings with a 1.89 ERA and 15.6 K/9. The White Sox rank bottom-10 in runs scored largely because they're last in OBP.
Eury Perez, MIA vs. NYY ($9,400): Gerrit Cole may be starting for the Yankees in this matchup, but don't overlook the other starter. The rookie Perez has posted a 2.79 ERA, including an impressive 1.10 at home. The Yankees are on the fringes of the bottom-10 in offense with a .233 average, so I expect a low-scoring affair.
Top Targets
It's been an up-and-down season for Wander Franco ($3,800), where he's sometimes looked like an MVP candidate and other times where he's been benched. All in all, he's hit .281 with 17 homers and 30 stolen bases, and that's excellent production from the shortstop position. Franco also lists an .850 home OPS. Tanner Bibee has a 2.92 ERA as a rookie, but a 3.73 FIP. And his home ERA is 1.70, while it's 4.25 on the road.
The excitement around Elly De La Cruz ($3,800) proved unsustainable, though hestill has nine homers and 17 stolen bases through 56 games. While a switch-hitter, his .844 OPS against righties is decidedly better. Mitch Keller had a nice run in the middle of the season, but is now at a 4.39 ERA on the year after posting a 9.11 from his last five starts. And since 2021, lefties have hit .292 against so De La Cruz can step up to that side of the plate and take advantage.
Bargain Bats
Switch-hitter Ian Happ ($3,300) has a .367 OBP with 13 homers and nine stolen bases. He's better against righties, though his .723 OPS versus lefties the last couple seasons is pretty solid. Happ also has a .799 OPS on the road this year. Over the last three seasons, Hyun Jin Ryu has produced a 5.38 ERA at home and righties have hit .269 against the southpaw.
The Joey Meneses ($3,000) magic didn't last, but he does have a .276 average with 11 homers and 25 doubles. It's mostly about him being a righty at home against Ken Waldichuk. In his career, Waldichuk has a 7.43 road ERA and has let righties go .284 against.
Stacks to Consider
Angels at Astros (Jose Urquidy): Shohei Ohtani ($4,600), Brandon Drury ($2,900), Hunter Renfroe ($2,700)
Urquidy has only struck out a career 7.36 batters per nine innings and allowed 1.52 homers per nine. And he's been worse on both fronts this season, so it's not surprising he carries a 6.00 FIP. While Urquidy is a righty, right-handers have hit .318 against him this year, so I have two of them in this stack.
Ohtani is a lefty but, well, he's also Ohtani. You know, the one with 40 homers, 16 stolen bases, and an 1.131 OPS against righties? Drury is in his first campaign with the Angels and has hit .277 and slugged .494. Usually better against lefties, he's slugged .510 against right-handed pitchers. Renfroe is used to hopping around, but still boasts some power with 17 home runs and is likely to hit at least 20 for his fourth franchise in five seasons. He's alsoslugged .462 against righties, and since 2021 has a .482 slugging percentage versus right-handers.
Pirates vs. Reds (Luke Weaver): Bryan Reynolds ($3,600), Andrew McCutchen ($3,300), Ke'Bryan Hayes ($3,100)
The Pirates don't boast a dynamic offense, but stacking them is still viable as Weaver has been one of the five worst starters in MLB this year. He's made 20 starts, posted a 5.81 FIP, and has allowed 2.12 homers per nine innings. Lefties have also hit .274 against Weaver while righties have gone .330, so I've leaned toward right-handed bats.
Reynolds is a switch-hitter with an .824 OPS against lefties and an .851 against righties the last two seasons. He's also been hot with a .990 OPS the last three weeks. McCutchen lists a .379 OBP with 10 homers and 10 stolen bases, a nice bit of nostalgia for Pirates fans. He's also recorded a .782 OPS at home. Hayes has picked up eight homers, six triples, and nine stolen bases from 83 games. He's posted massive home/road splits, but his home OPS is .914 to highlight Sunday's matchup.
