This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Usually, Sunday is a fine day to watch a bunch of baseball before having to go back to work. But we've got Memorial Day on Monday, making it an even better baseball weekend. Still, it's a busy Sunday, as per usual. There are 15 games, every team is in action, the weather seems primed to be largely nice, and basically every contest is taking place in the afternoon. So get your daily fantasy lineups in early! Here are some recommendations for how to optimize your lineup decisions.
PITCHING
Honestly, this is a bad day for ace pitchers. Justin Verlander and Trevor Bauer are pitching, but are facing the Red Sox and Rays respectively. Fortunately, there are a few pitchers I still like going Sunday.
Zack Wheeler ($43) comes in with a 4.74 ERA, which is considerably higher than the 3.31 ERA he posted last season. However, he's recorded a 3.19 FIP, which is the exact same FIP from 2018. He's at home against the Tigers, who rank 29th in runs scored and fairly recently completed a nine-game losing streak.
Luke Weaver's ($43) move to Arizona has gone well. The former Cardinal has managed a 3.14 ERA, but sparkled with a 2.51 road ERA. It's much easier to pitch in the Giants' stadium, especially since the Giants sit in the bottom-five in runs scored.
Lastly, I can't resist recommending anybody starting against the Marlins. Miami's offense is a level lower than anybody else's in the majors. Washington's Erick Fedde ($35) is coming off a game where he only allowed one run in five innings. That's good enough for me when the Marlins are on the docket.
KEY VALUES/CHALK
Of course, when the pitchers on the mound don't get you salivating, that usually means you've got more hitting options out there to choose from. For example, Max Muncy ($21) burst onto the season last year when he hit 35 homers in his first season with the Dodgers. This year, his numbers are a little down, but he's still slugged 10 home runs and most of his 'issues' have come from his .689 OPS at home. He's on the road here, and Pittsburgh's Chris Archer owns a 5.15 FIP.
Kolten Wong ($11) has some issues hitting lefties, like many southpaws, but he's walking more and has already notched six homers and seven stolen bases. Wong is facing off with Julio Teheran, who has a 4.27 FIP to start this year, which is better than the 4.36 FIP he averaged over the last three campaigns.
Last season, Alex Bregman ($22) carried a .926 OPS with 31 homers and 103 RBI, not to mention 10 stolen bases. So far this year, his power has gone up another level by posting a .547 slugging percentage with 15 homers in 51 games. Meanwhile, Boston's Eduardo Rodriguez has a staggering 7.77 road ERA. Small sample size? Sure, but it's still a gaudy number.
Danny Duffy has gotten off to a decent start to this season for the Royals, but since 2017 has a 4.84 ERA at home and a .267 BAA versus righties. A lot of Yankees are hurt, but Gary Sanchez ($25) isn't one of them. In fact, not only is he healthy, but he's slashed .276/.350/.675.
STACKS
Twins vs. Dylan Covey (White Sox)
Jorge Polanco (SS - $25), Miguel Sano (3B - $21), Eddie Rosario (OF - $19)
You look at Covey's 5.31 ERA and you think: "That's bad". Then, you see his 7.31 FIP, putting him on pace to have a FIP over 7.00 for the second time in his career, and you realize his woeful ERA is actually flattering him. Now he's on the road, facing the league's top offense. Yeah, you're going to want to stack in this one.
Polanco has been something of a revelation this year, even if it seems unlikely he will be able to keep his OPS over 1.000 until the end of the campaign. For right now, though, he's a red-hot bat. Sano has only just returned from injury, but he already has smacked five homers in only eight games. Did I mention Covey has allowed 1.57 home runs per nine innings in his career? Then there's Rosario, a lefty who sports an .866 OPS against righties, and an .889 OPS at home since 2017.
Rockies vs. David Hess (Orioles)
Nolan Arenado (3B - $27), David Dahl (OF - $17), Daniel Murphy (1B - $17)
How can a matchup possibly be as enticing as the Twins going up against Dylan Covey? Try this on for size. Hess has given up 2.36 homers per nine innings in his career…and he's pitching at Coors Field. Honestly, if you wanted to make your lineup all Twins and Rockies, I wouldn't blame you.
Arenado needs no introduction. He hasn't recorded an OPS lower than .932 since 2015 and he's hit at least 37 homers in each of his last four seasons. Dahl has had issues staying healthy, but he's excelling right now with a .308 batting average. Plus, he's a lefty, so he gets to take advantage of a matchup with a right-handed pitcher. That's the reason Murphy is here too. He's struggled to start this season, but has a .901 OPS against righties since 2017.
