This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Be ready to get your lineups in earlier than expected as the Twins and Tigers moved their game up to 12:10 p.m. EDT to try and avoid rain. And that's the DFS deadline with 10 games on the docket. Here are my recommendations.
Pitching
Zack Wheeler, PHI vs. NYM ($10,500): WAR isn't a fantasy stat, but Wheeler is one of the top pitchers in baseball in fWAR even though he lists a 3.48 ERA. That's because he's managed a 2.66 FIP and barely allows any home runs. The last time Wheeler finished a season with an ERA over 2.92 was 2019, his last season as a Met. His former team has disappointed in 2023 and is right in the middle of the league in terms of runs scored, so that shouldn't be a problem for him.
Corbin Burnes, MIL at CLE ($9,900): Burnes has experienced trouble getting on track this year as his strikeouts are down while his ERA and homer rate are up. The long-ball issues aren't likely to come into play in this matchup as Cleveland sit 27th in offense and last in home runs.
Bailey Ober, MIN at DET ($9,700): I won't be recommending a pitcher against the Athletics on Sunday because Yusei Kikuchi is too risky. That means the worst offense I'm willing to target belongs to the Tigers. And Ober has been quite good with a 2.83 ERA and a 1.96 on the road.
Top Targets
Baseball's top prospect has hit the ground running. Elly De La Cruz ($4,200) has hit .359 with three homers and eight stolen bases. While a switch hitter, he hasn't hit lefties so far, but has posted a 1.326 OPS versus righties. Charlie Morton is a righty, and the 39-year-old has a 3.94 FIP.
Though Bo Bichette ($3,500) has been lukewarm of late, he's still produced a .317/.347/.509 slash line on the season. A career.300 hitter, he'll face Luis Medina on Sunday. The rookie pitcher has struggled to a 7.06 ERA while righties have gone .308 against.
Bargain Bats
After mashing at Triple-A with a .931 OPS across 38 games, Edouard Julien ($2,700) has been called up by the Twins. He can't hit his fellow lefties, though he's recorded an .867 OPS versus righties in MLB. Michael Lorenzen is a righty with a 4.41 FIP in his first season starting for the Tigers.
Jose Caballero ($2,500) offers no power, though has a .377 OBP while stealing 11 bases over 47 outings. Kyle Bradish hasn't given up many homers, but lists a 4.53 ERA while righties have hit .271 against. And he's a righty, so it's usually easier to steal against one.
Stacks to Consider
Phillies vs. Mets (Carlos Carrasco): Bryce Harper ($3,700), Nick Castellanos ($3,400), Trea Turner ($3,300)
Carrasco bounced back from a tough first campaign with the Mets in 2022, but has fallen back in 2023 with a 6.65 FIP while striking out 5.73 and walking 4.30 batters per nine innings. He's also had righties go .288 against since 2021, so I've included two righties in this stack.
Harper is a lefty, yet he's so good against righties it doesn't matter with a 1.052 OPS in those matchups the last two seasons. Castellanos' second season with Philadelphia has been a real step forward for the former Red having slashed .317/.362/.497 with nine homers and five stolen bases. Turner's first season with the Phillies has been tough, though he's still at seven home runs and 13 swipes. His .302 BABIP is well below his career .341, so hopefully his luck can turn around. And facing Carrasco could help.
Rays vs. Royals (Daniel Lynch): Randy Arozarena ($4,100), Yandy Diaz ($3,800), Wander Franco ($3,700)
Lynch comes in with a career-low 4.45 ERA, but also with a career-high 4.95 FIP. And he's faced the Nationals, Tigers, and Rockies in KC during his last five starts. Both lefties and righties have hit .284 against Lynch during his career, but I'll go with three batters who can hit from the right side since he's a southpaw.
Arozarena loves to face a lefty at home with a .920 OPS against southpaws and an .877 in Tampa since 2021. Diaz has slashed .305/.396/.510 and has an .852 OPS versus left-handed pitchers. Franco has recorded a .290 average while already racking up 24 stolen bases. Even though he's a switch-hitter, he's managed a career .912 OPS against lefties.
Atlanta at Reds (Levi Stoudt): Ronald Acuna ($4,600), Ozzie Albies ($3,700), Michael Harris ($3,100)
Ben Lively was scheduled to go Sunday, but he's now on the IL and Stoudt is projected to get the start. The Reds have four healthy starting pitchers with a game Monday, so somebody is likely to get a promotion. On the chance Stoudt isn't the one or barely pitches in a bullpen game, I decided to mix-and-match with one righty, one switch-hitter, and one lefty.
I figured that if I don't have a great sense of a matchup but expect below-average pitching, I might as well shell out salary on the best player in baseball in 2023. Acuna has been incredible having slashed .328/.403/.558 with 16 homers and 34 stolen bases. And since 2021, he's registered an .881 OPS against lefties and an .886 versus righties. Albies is the switch-hitter of this trio, though he greatly prefers to face lefties. However, he's also posted a .903 OPS on the road with a 1.015 the last three weeks. Harris has looked more like the hitter who notched 19 homers and 20 stolen bases as a rookie with six and eight on the year. The southpaw struggled against lefties in 2022, but his .750 OPS versus them is encouraging - if that matchup presents itself Sunday.
