This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
It's Father's Day, and the first game of Sunday's MLB slate begins at 1:05 PM ET. Hey, that means you can get your daily fantasy lineup in early and then spend the rest of the day with your dad and/or kids. Here are some recommendations for your lineup…
STARTING PITCHER
Lance McCullers, HOU at KAN ($43): McCullers has struck out 8.85 batters per nine innings, which is good, but actually the lowest of his career. Over the previous three seasons he had a 10.12 K/9 rate. He also has a career FIP of 3.21, a better number than his current 3.77 FIP. The Royals have scored the fourth fewest runs per game, having plated 258 players in 70 contests. They also only have a .306 OBP.
Clay Buchholz, ARI vs NYM ($38): Buchholz has been enjoying a comeback season, as he has a 3.21 ERA in five starts. Before his last start, he had a 1.88 ERA, so he was looking even better before the Pirates roughed him up a bit. The Mets are in the bottom three in runs scored, and they have a team batting average of .225, which is also bottom three. The pitchers in action Sunday aren't exactly a murderer's row, so focusing on the matchup, and not necessarily the pitcher, makes sense.
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CATCHER
Francisco Cervelli, PIT vs. CIN ($16): Cervelli got the day off Saturday, but catchers get rest on the regular, so there's nothing to worry about there. He's been having a strong season at the plate, posting an .897 OPS and hitting nine homers already. Anthony DeSclafani missed the entire 2017 season with an injury, and in two starts this year he has a 5.40 ERA and 1.90 WHIP.
FIRST BASE
Cody Bellinger, LAD vs. SFG ($20): Bellinger hit 39 home runs in 132 games as a rookie, and this season he has 12 in 68 outings. He hasn't hit for quite the same power as last season, but the 22-year-old still has plenty of pop. Plus, he's hit for more power against righties so far in his career, and San Francisco's Chris Stratton is right handed. Stratton also has a 4.56 ERA through 14 starts this season.
SECOND BASE
Ketel Marte, ARI vs. NYM ($18): Marte got off to a slow start to the season, but over the last month he has a slash line of .292/.337/.552. He has a .275 BABIP, well below his career BABIP of .305, so his upswing is not necessarily surprising. Zack Wheeler has a 4.98 ERA this season after having a 5.21 ERA last year, his first since returning from a two-year injury absence.
THIRD BASE
Eduardo Escobar, MIN at CLE ($20): Escobar is absolutely raking this year, as he's slashed .294/.347/.565. Though he's never been quite this good in the past, he did hit 21 homers and pick up 73 RBI in 129 games last season. Adam Plutko will be getting the fifth start of his career Sunday, and so far he hasn't shown he can hack it at the major-league level. He has a career FIP of 6.76.
SHORTSTOP
Trevor Story, COL at TEX ($23): Story hit 27 home runs in a mere 97 games as a rookie, had 24 more dingers last season, and has 14 this year in 70 games. He also has a .521 slugging percentage this season, an impressive number for anybody, let alone a shortstop. Yovani Gallardo has only pitched 2.3 innings, so the fact he has a 30.86 ERA is not relevant. However, his 5.72 ERA last season is worth noting, in terms of explaining why this matchup looks so enticing.
OUTFIELD
Aaron Hicks, NYY vs. TAM ($17): Hicks had a breakout campaign last season, posting a .266/.372/.475 slash line with 15 home runs and 10 stolen bases. This year, his numbers aren't quite on the same level, but he does have seven homers and six stolen bases. Wilmer Font may not get a full start for the Rays, but the fact remains he has a career ERA of 9.08 and a career FIP of 8.28. Even if he doesn't stick around long, the Rays don't have a particularly impressive bullpen either.
Bryce Harper, WAS at TOR ($16): Don't worry about Harper's batting average. His .219 BABIP is guaranteed to improve, and he still has a .361 OBP and .489 slugging percentage. The 25-year-old already has 19 home runs, and he's added six stolen bases as well. Toronto's Sam Gaviglio has a career FIP of 5.32, and he's allowed 1.78 home runs per nine innings as well.
Nick Castellanos, DET at CWS ($14) Castellanos has come into his own as a hitter the last few years. Last season, he had 26 home runs and 101 RBI. This year, he has a .351 OBP and .493 slugging percentage and just hit two dingers Saturday. James Shields hasn't had a FIP below 4.50 since the 2014 season, and he averaged 1.78 home runs per nine innings over the previous three seasons.
