This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
This late into the MLB season, I believe we are experiencing a first. All 15 MLB games Sunday are included in the main slate of DFS contests on Yahoo. The early Peacock game isn't happening, so every game is starting at 1:05 p.m. ET or later. That means you have as many options as possible, so here are some recommendations to help navigate a busy slate.
Pitching
Aaron Nola, PHI vs. WAS ($47): Nola's 3.35 ERA is plenty impressive, but his 2.64 FIP is what really stand out. So does this matchup, to be fair. The Nationals are 25th in runs scored, and while they've managed without Juan Soto, that loss is still significant.
Johnny Cueto, CWS at OAK ($40): It's been a truly resurgent season for Cueto, who has a 2.87 ERA. Not only that, he has an 1.78 ERA on the road. Oakland has a pitcher-friendly ballpark, but on top of that, it's home to a team that ranks 29th in runs scored and last in team OPS.
Jose Quintana, STL at PIT ($34): When he was a Pirate, Quintana surprisingly had a 3.50 ERA, which generated trade interest. The lefty moved to St. Louis, where's he's been even better through seven starts, notching a 3.15 ERA. Quintana returns to Pittsburgh on Sunday, where he'll face a team that ranks 28th in runs scored and team OPS.
Top Targets
The Rangers added Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, and their best hitter has been…Nathaniel Lowe ($23)? Indeed, Lowe has slashed .304/.358/.502 with 24 home runs. He also has an 1.202 OPS over the last three weeks. Jose Berrios has struggled all season and has a 6.19 ERA on the road. Lefties like Lowe have hit .300 against him.
Over the last three weeks, Alex Verdugo ($19) has an .829 OPS. He also has an .833 OPS against right-handers since 2020. Kyle Bradish has a 5.30 ERA in his rookie campaign, but in his new home ballpark his ERA soars to 6.46.
Bargain Bats
Sure, Bryce Harper ($18) is facing his old team this weekend, and that's fun. It's not the primary reason why I want him in my lineup, though. Since 2020, Harper has an 1.055 OPS versus righties and an 1.018 OPS at home. The Nationals are trotting out Anibal Sanchez, who has a 6.30 ERA this season and has allowed 2.10 home runs per nine innings.
After missing a few games, Kolten Wong ($12) is back in the lineup. That's good, as he has an .837 OPS against right-handed pitchers and an .807 OPS at home. Justin Dunn has a career 5.94 FIP, but this season that number jumps to 7.57 in six starts, an almost unheard of mark.
Stacks to Consider
Diamondbacks at Rockies (Ryan Feltner): Jake McCarthy ($26), Christian Walker ($25), Alek Thomas ($11)
It's been a big weekend for me stacking Diamondbacks. The Rockies have the best hitters' park in the league and a collection of bad pitchers in their rotation. This time around, it's Feltner taking the mound. In his career, he's posted a 6.29 ERA and has allowed 1.83 home runs per nine innings.
McCarthy has only played in 79 games this year but has eight homers and 16 stolen bases. He also has a .935 OPS on the road. Feltner has allowed righties to hit .307 against him in his career, which is why I'm including Walker. The slugger has 32 home runs this season, not to mention a .915 OPS over the last three weeks. Thomas's rookie season has left something to be desired, but he has potential in this matchup. The lefty has a .723 OPS against righties and a .734 OPS on the road.
Braves at Mariners (Marco Gonzales): Austin Riley ($19), Vaughn Grissom ($19), Dansby Swanson ($16)
Gonzalez is a pitcher whose back-of-the-baseball-card stats can flatter him. Last year, he had a 3.96 ERA but a 5.27 FIP. This year, his ERA is 3.98 but his FIP is 4.99. He allowed a decent amount of homers (1.35 per nine innings) and doesn't strike anybody out (4.86 punch outs per nine). That's not a recipe for success.
Riley is definitely no fluke, as he has 35 home runs after hitting 33 last season. He also has a 1.166 OPS against lefties. The rookie Grissom has hit the ground running in MLB. Through 28 games, he's slashed .333/.382/.529 with five home runs and four stolen bases. Swanson has hit .286 and has the chance to join the 20-20 club, as he has 19 homers and 17 stolen bases.
Cardinals at Pirates (Mitch Keller): Nolan Arenado ($19), Brendan Donovan ($14), Nolan Gorman ($10)
Keller doesn't allow many home runs, but he still has a 5.24 ERA in his career. This year, he has a 4.36 ERA at home. Clearly, he still gets knocked around plenty, and since 2020 righties have hit .269 against him, while lefties have hit .303. Thus, we'll go with two southpaws in this stack.
Arenado has slashed .298/.360/.548 with 28 home runs. He also has a .945 OPS on the road. Donovan has no power, but he has a .291 average and a .392 on-base percentage. He's a lefty as well, which is a good thing given Keller's issues with southpaws. All 14 of Gorman's 14 home runs have come against righties. He's posted a .786 OPS in away games as well.
