This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Sunday afternoon is great for baseball, and for DFS baseball. There are eight MLB games of the afternoon variety on the DFS docket. The first pitch is at 1:35 p.m. ET. And now, my DFS recommendations to help give your lineup a boost.
Pitching
Joe Ryan, MIN at CLE ($10,000): Ryan had a solid 2022 when he posted a 3.55 ERA. He's taken it up to a new level with a 2.37 through six starts. The Guardians are bottom-five in runs scored, in part because they rank last in home runs.
Josh Fleming, TAM vs. NYY ($7,000): This is a gamble as Fleming has only gone over four innings once this season. But that was two starts ago, and he could have gotten there against Pittsburgh in his last outing if not for being hit in the foot with a liner. Since 2021, Fleming has produced a 2.86 home ERA, and the banged-up Yankees sit bottom-10 in offense. While the Rays are using an open, Fleming is expected to be the bulk pitcher.
Hayden Wesneski, CHC vs. MIA ($5,600): Wesneski struggled early this year against the Mariners, which inflated his ERA. But the rookie has improved with a 2.42 mark from his last four starts. The Marlins are actually last in runs and finished 28th in that category last season.
Top Targets
A career .281 hitter, it's a little surprising Rafael Devers ($5,600) is currently at .255. However, he's slugged .562 with 11 homers and a .949 OPS versus righties since 2021. Taijuan Walker is right-handed and has registered a 6.28 FIP for the Phillies.
While Nolan Arenado is off to a slow start and Willson Contreras has been moved off of catcher, Paul Goldschmidt ($5,400) is just doing his thing - and that would be slashing .302/.396/.504. And the last couple years, Goldschmidt has managed a .969 OPS at home. Alex Faedo couldn't make the rotation for the Tigers to start the season, which probably says it all. I'll add that he had a 5.53 ERA with the Tigers in 2022.
Bargain Bats
Connor Joe ($4,300) is off to a surprisingly good start for the Pirates slashing .278/.364/.557 with four homers and three triples. He's smashed lefties, which isn't surprising as he's notched an .864 OPS versus southpaws since 2021. Lefty Yusei Kikuchi enters with a 4.02 ERA, but also a 5.42 FIP. That's not surprising given his career 5.03 FIP.
In each of the last two seasons, Ramon Laureano ($3,500) has recorded double-digit homers and stolen bases even though injuries limited him to under 100 games each time. This year, he's at three of each. Why am I going so far as to recommend an Athletic? Ryan Yarbrough has posted a 7.40 ERA for the Royals and doesn't strike anyone out. While he'll likely cede the mound before the fifth inning, I'm not worrying about Kansas City's bullpen either.
Stacks to Consider
Phillies vs. Red Sox (Tanner Houck): Bryce Harper ($5,600), Kyle Schwarber ($5,200), Bryson Stott ($4,200)
It's lefty time! Houck is a full-time starter for the first time during his MLB career, and that has yielded an uptick in homers allowed and a 5.34 ERA. Lefties have done most of the damage - including hitting every home run against him in 2023 - but that's not new as southpaws have gone .251 against Houck the last couple campaigns, and that's even when he was a reliever. Philly's lineup plays into this circumstance quite well.
Harper's return from Tommy John surgery is physiologically incredible, and he looks totally fine swinging the bat. He's also registered a 1.063 OPS against righties and an 1.001 home OPS since 2021. Schwarber crushed 46 home runs to lead the NL last season, and has seven this year even though he's off to a slow start. That includes doing worse than usual versus righties, but he's still done enough with a .921 OPS in those matchups the last two years. Stott produced 10 homers and 12 steals as a rookie last year, and has so far posted a .295 average while both of his homers and all three of his stolen bases have come against righties.
Mets vs. Rockies (Ryan Feltner): Pete Alonso ($5,800), Starling Marte ($4,800), Brandon Nimmo ($4,500)
Don't chalk up Feltner's terrible career numbers solely to Coors Field. He's posted a 6.34 ERA at home since his MLB debut, but also a 5.38 on the road. Righties smashed him last season while lefties have knocked him around this year, so at this point I figure you can't go wrong swinging from either side of the plate.
Everything is missing from Alonso's game except for the power as he's slugged .519 with 11 home runs. Feltner has actually allowed 1.5 home runs per nine innings on the road over his career compared to 1.3 at home, which plays into Alonso's one constant strength. Marte has swiped nine bags, even though he's started slowly. And only two years ago, he stole 47 bases. Marte managed an .874 home OPS during his debut campaign with the Mets, so I expect improvement in his slash numbers. Nimmo is a lefty who actually handles southpaws better than most with a career .386 OBP and a .404 in 2023. And all 11 of his stolen bases since 2021 - including three this year - have come against righties.
