This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Welcome (technically) to fall, though that'll vary depending on your location. What won't be different is the MLB schedule as there are 10 games on the Sunday slate with the first pitch at 1:10 p.m. EDT. Here are my MLB DFS recommendations. We lost the Red Sox-Twins due to a rainout leading to a doubleheader, but we'll be able to manage.
Pitching
Shota Imanaga, CHC vs. WAS ($9,500): Imanaga fell out of the Rookie of the Year race, yet that was very competitive. He's still got a 3.03 ERA on the season and a 2.88 in his last eight starts. Imanaga's primary issue is his 1.46 HR/9 rate, and the Nationals rank 29th in homers.
Chris Bassitt, TOR at TAM ($8,000): It makes sense for the Blue Jays to slot in Bassitt for Sunday's start in Tampa. After all, he's posted a 4.58 home ERA with a 3.58 on the road. Also, the Rays are a decidedly easy matchup as the club has now fallen behind the Marlins into 29th for runs scored.
Andrew Heaney, TEX vs. SEA ($7,400): Mariners starter Bryan Woo has certainly compiled the better campaign, but I like Heaney's DFS potential with a 3.42 ERA at home. While the Rangers offense has been poor, the Mariners have scored fewer runs and their higher OPS is based on walking more. And perhaps best of all for Heaney, Seattle sits 30th in strikeouts.
Top Targets
In addition to 35 homers and 33 doubles, there's a good chance Yordan Alvarez ($5,900) hits .300. While he's been much better on the road, the matchup is still favorable enough. Griffin Canning just blanked the White Sox for six innings, and that lowered his ERA all the way to 5.16. The righty has allowed 1.55 homers per nine innings over his career, so facing Alvarez isn't great.
Over the last three weeks, Matt Olson ($5,300) has produced a .930 OPS. Even though he's had a down year, he might still reach 30 homers, 40 doubles, and 100 RBI. Darren McCaughan has only pitched 47.0 innings during his MLB career where he's so far managed a 7.47 ERA.
Bargain Bats
Though Nolan Arenado ($3,900) may not slug .400 on the year, he's hit .278 against his fellow righties and has slugged .433 at home. Gavin Williams' sophomore campaign has been tough with a 5.12 ERA while righties have gone .279 against.
If you like speed either on the basepaths or outfield, you like Pete Crow-Armstrong ($3,700). The southpaw's swiftness has helped him rack up six triples and 27 stolen bases in 115 games while only being caught twice. Jake Irvin's last two outings have been excellent, yet he's still registered a 6.90 ERA across his last 11 appearances. He's also a righty, which will make it easy for Crow-Armstrong to run on him.
Stacks to Consider
Guardians at Cardinals (Andre Pallante): Jose Ramirez ($6,400), Josh Naylor ($4,500), Lane Thomas ($4,100)
This is my replacement stack after losing out on a chance to use three Boston lefties against Zebby Matthews. Pallante is quite good at keeping the ball in the park, but he's a righty who's spent the bulk of his career in the bullpen and still only holds a 6.37 K/9 rate. He's posted a 4.18 ERA at home this year. Pallante's fellow righties have batted .294 against in MLB, so I went with two players who can hit right-handed.
Ramirez has hit 37 home runs, but he's also at 36 doubles and 40 stolen bases and on pace to notch over 100 runs scored and RBI. He's a switch-hitter with an .851 OPS against righties since 2022 and an .844 versus lefties, so he can handle pretty much any scenario. While Naylor may finish with the lowest batting average of his career, he's gone over 30 homers and 100 RBI for the first time. Over the last three seasons, he's recorded an .837 OPS against righties and an .810 on the road. After a 20/20 campaign last year, Thomas is at 14 homers and 32 steals split between Washington and Cleveland. The righty has a .932 OPS the last three weeks, and it's easier to steal on a righty like Pallante.
Brewers vs. Diamondbacks (Jordan Montgomery): William Contreras ($4,800), Willy Adames ($4,500), Jackson Chourio ($4,200)
The Diamondbacks are likely to return to the playoffs, even though Montgomery hasn't panned out with a 6.23 ERA and sub-2.00 K/BB rate. Righties have done the bulk of the damage by hitting .320 against the southpaw, so I'm taking three of them here.
Over the last two seasons, Contreras has an 1.012 OPS against left-handed pitchers. A catcher who may finish with over 100 RBI and 100 runs scored is a rarity, though he's primed to pull it off. The Brewers did give Contreras the day off Saturday due to a couple minor injurie and they won't hold him out all the way until the postseason. With 109 RBI, Adames is among the top run producers and he's done that as a shortstop. He's also slugged .500 the last three weeks with an .817 home OPS. The rookie Chourio has batted .271 with 21 homers and 21 stolen bases. He's concluding his first MLB campaign on a strong note with a .974 OPS the last three weeks.
