We're halfway through September with another busy Sunday of MLB action as there are nine games on the DFS docket and the first pitch at 1:35 p.m. EDT. It's time to close out another weekend, hopefully with some DFS success. Here are my lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Nolan McLean, NYM vs. TEX ($8,900): Among the trio of young Mets starters, McLean is the one with future ace potential after a 2.99 ERA in Triple-A and a 1.42 through five MLB starts. I don't believe he's finding big-league hitters easier to handle than those in the minors, but he's yet to find any issues while with the parent club. The Rangers, slightly below average in runs scored, shouldn't threaten McLean too much.
Shota Imanaga, CHC vs. TAM ($8,700): Imanaga does have a 4.55 FIP compared to a 3.21 ERA, owing to a poor HR/9 rate and a .209 BABIP that's unsustainable. However, his 0.93 WHIP means the homers he's allowed haven't done a lot of damage. Imanaga's last seven outings have been of the quality variety, and I trust him in this matchup. Though the Rays are slightly above average in terms of runs, they're reliant on southpaws and Imanaga is a lefty.
Slade Cecconi, CLE vs. CWS ($7,800): As the Guardians head toward a surprising AL Central title (I mean, as a Tigers fan, I assume that's what's coming), Cecconi will be looking to twirl another gem. In his last appearance, he went eight innings and allowed no runs alongside a single hit. That was against the Royals, who admittedly have a bad offense. However, the White Sox also have a futile offense, sitting bottom-five in both runs scored and team OPS.
See which projected starters are going and when with RotoWire's Probable Pitchers page!
Top Targets
As the Tigers figure out how to lose Sunday (I'm a little annoyed with them right now), at least Riley Greene ($5,100) offers a solid chance to deliver at 34 homers, 31 doubles, and a .586 slugging percentage against righties. The righty Adam Mazur enters with a career 7.04 ERA, so the Tigers will have to try harder than usual to figure out a way to blow this one.
What I wanted from Atlanta was somebody with some speed, and Jurickson Profar ($4,800) can provide that having produced 15 doubles, a triple, and eight stolen bases across 66 games to go with a .907 home OPS on the year. I wanted speed as Framber Valdez list a 5.95 ERA over his last seven starts and a 4.67 ERA on the road during 2025. And even with those numbers, he's remained solid at keeping the ball in the park.
Bargain Bats
Once Jose Altuve's foot got all problematic, I decided to pivot to Jeremy Pena ($4,800). His salary isn't as low while his positional value at shortstop is slightly lower, though he's a righty who's pretty much matched last season's totals with 15 homers, 28 doubles, and 20 steals - albeit in 40 fewer games. And Pena will see Joey Wentz on the mound Sunday. The lefty carries a career 5.61 ERA, and the fact he's on his fourth team in two seasons doesn't help his cause.
The second a lefty gets into the lineup, you can expect Kody Clemens ($3,600) to be glued to the bench, but just a couple shots at a righty would be enough for me as he's slugged .533 against righties this season with all 19 of his homers coming in those matchups. Nabil Crismatt has made five appearances for the Diamondbacks, yet one thing stands out and that's lefties have gone .342 against.
Stacks to Consider
Diamondbacks at Twins (Bailey Ober): Corbin Carroll ($5,700), Ketel Marte ($5,600), Geraldo Perdomo ($4,500)
How does one drop their BB/9 rate all the way to 1.95 but see their ERA rise from 3.98 to 5.08? Well, you let both righties and lefties bat over .270 against you and allow over two homers per nine innings. These are the stars of the show for the Diamondbacks, and they can all hit left-handed against the righty. Carroll solely hits left-handed, but the others are switch-hitters.
Carroll is up to 16 triples to go with 30 homers, 29 doubles, and a .935 OPS versus righties. Marte has been cold and dealing with a minor foot issue, though he's posted a .908 OPS against right-handed pitchers in 2025 with a .985 on the road. Perdomo has emerged as a star shortstop hitting .286 with 19 home runs and 26 stolen bases alongside an .893 OPS the last three weeks.
Brewers vs. Cardinals (Miles Mikolas): Christian Yelich ($5,200), Brice Turang ($4,900), William Contreras ($4,600)
Mikolas's style has always seen him give up plenty of contact, yet this has been his toughest campaign since returning from overseas in 2018. His K/9 rate has fallen to 5.60 with a 2.17 BB/9 rate that'll put him over 2.00 for the first time during a full season. Throw in a HR/9 rate ticking up to 1.53, and it's no surprise Mikolas's FIP is up to 4.88. His road ERA is also at 6.54, so I definitely wanted to stack Brewers on Sunday.
With 28 homers on the year, Yelich is primed to get to 30 for the first time since 2019. He's recorded an .875 OPS versus righties, so facing a homer-prone right-hander like Mikolas bodes well. I certainly didn't envision Turang being close to 20 home runs. And the 24 stolen bases? That makes total sense, but the power from the second baseman has surprised. He's certainly gunning for the power numbers with a .917 OPS the last three weeks. Since 2023, righties have gone .279 against Mikolas, so Contreras works for me as a catcher. He's also managed an .824 home OPS with 17 homers and six steals.
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