This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
The final weekend of June is ending. Soon, we will be hitting the halfway point of the season. Surprises and disappointments have locked themselves in. For Sunday, we have nine games on the DFS slates. Time to get to the recommendations. Good luck!
Pitching
Shane McClanahan, TAM vs. PIT ($11,400): Here, we have a pitcher having a great season against an offense that's not doing too well. McClanahan enters with a 1.81 ERA, which has helped him to a 7-3 record. Meanwhile, the Pirates rank 28th in runs scored and team OPS.
Dylan Cease, CWS vs. BAL ($10,500): Strikeouts are plentiful in MLB, but even in the modern era Cease is particularly impressive. He's struck out 13.14 batters per nine innings this year, which has helped him to a 2.58 FIP. The Orioles rank in the bottom-10 in runs scored and also carry a .300 team OBP.
Roansy Contreras, PIT at TAM ($8,100): Let's go back to this matchup. Contreras has only pitched in 10 MLB games - seven of those starts - and has recorded a 2.68 ERA. He's also only 22, so there's plenty of time for him to improve. The Rays aren't that much better than the Pirates in runs scored as they rank 26th.
Top Targets
Admittedly, Vladimir Guerrero ($4,100) has seen his power dip since he swatted 48 homers and slugged .601 last year. However, there's no reason to dismiss 17 home runs and a .498 slugging percentage. He now gets to face Chi Chi Gonzalez, who's produced a career 5.71 ERA and has allowed 1.39 homers per nine innings in MLB.
It's improbable how Juan Soto ($4,100) is hitting in 202, but he still maintains a .362 OBP with 14 home runs and five stolen bases. He also still has an .891 OPS against righties. Soto will be facing a righty in Glenn Otto on Sunday, who comes in with a career 6.08 ERA.
Bargain Bats
It's been a slow start for AJ Pollock ($2,800) with the White Sox, but this is someone who boasts a career .811 OPS with an .891 last season. Though he's 34, it seems unlikely he completely fell off just like that. Maybe what Pollock needs is a matchup with somebody like Jordan Lyles and his career 5.19 ERA where righties have hit .290 against him since 2020.
Once upon a time, Max Kepler ($2,600) hit 36 home runs. Last year, he had 19 to go with 10 stolen bases. The lefty has produced an .806 OPS against righties across the last three seasons, and Sunday he'll be facing right-hander Ryan Feltner and his career 6.50 ERA.
Stacks to Consider
Red Sox at Guardians (Aaron Civale): Trevor Story ($3,800), J.D. Martinez ($3,700), Xander Bogaerts ($3,500),
It's been a rough season for Civale considering his 7.25 ERA. His 4.39 FIP is better, but still not good. Civale has also given up 1.50 home runs per nine innings this year. And since 2020, he's allowed righties to hit .287 against and that's why I'm stacking three right-handed batters.
Story isn't hitting for average, but he's recorded 11 home runs and nine stolen bases. He's also registered three 20-20 seasons, and it seems like he might do it for a fourth time. Martinez is batting .324, and he's been great on the road with a 1.081 OPS. Bogaerts doesn't need help to hit for average with a .333 this year and a career .292/.356/.460 slash line.
Cardinals vs. Cubs (Matt Swarmer): Tommy Edman ($3,700), Nolan Gorman ($3,200), Brendan Donovan ($3,000)
Through five MLB starts, Swarmer has struggled to a 5.84 ERA. That's bad, but his 8.18 FIP is even worse. He's also allowed 4.01 home runs per nine innings, which is admittedly bolstered by ceding six to the Yankees. That's not encouraging, and the Cardinals also offer some potent bats.
Edman and his .347 OBP are often leading off and he's swiped 17 bases after 30 in 2021. The rookie Gorman has excelled when facing a righty with an .849 OPS against with all six of his home runs coming in those matchups. Donovan, like Gorman, is a freshman lefty and he's .311 with a .422 OBP with a .975 home OPS.
Royals vs. Athletics (James Kaprielian): Bobby Witt ($3,400), Andrew Benintendi ($2,900), MJ Melendez ($2,600)
Kaprielian has posted a 6.27 FIP this season, thanks in part to giving up 2.12 home runs per nine innings. He's also compiled a 5.01 ERA away from the friendly confines of Oakland's spacious ballpark during his career. Lefties have also hit .277 against Kaprielian in his career, so I have two of them in this stack.
Witt has experienced issues getting on base, but he's posted reverse splits with an .800 OPS against fellow righties. He's also produced 11 homers and 10 stolen bases. Melendez is riding a rough patch, but has an .833 home OPS on the year. Benintendi hasn't displayed much power, but he does have a .299 average and .366 OBP while slugging .435 against righties.
