This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
If seven is a lucky number, then Sunday (7/7) should be your lucky day. Of course, it's the same for everybody, so you can't rely purely on good fortune for your MLB DFS lineups. So take a look at these DFS recommendations. There are nine games on the slate, with the first pitch at 1:35 p.m. EDT. Good luck!
Pitching
Tarik Skubal, DET at CIN ($10,700): It's a rough afternoon for pitching, so I'll start with a Cy Young contender. Skubal has posted a 2.45 ERA, a 10.40 K/9 rate, and is primed to allow fewer than one homer per nine innings for the third straight season. The Reds are average offensively, like literally 15th in runs scored. That's not terrible, but not enough to be imposing to a pitcher like Skubal.
DJ Herz, WAS vs. STL ($8,000): Herz's six MLB starts have been a mixed bag, yet one thing does seem clear and that's his prowess as a strikeout pitcher racking up 12.33 Ks per nine innings. The Cardinals rank bottom-eight in offense and offer a few lefty hitters likely to struggle against a southpaw like Herz if they're even in the lineup.
Michael Mercado, PHI at ATL ($6,800): After tearing up Triple-A with 1.71 ERA across 47.1 innings, Mercado got a call-up by the Phillies. He's logged one relief outing and one start while posting a 1.50 ERA. I don't know what kind of pitcher Mercado will be, though I do know he has a strong offense behind him and Atlanta is below average when it comes to runs scored. With Ronald Acuna and Michael Harris out, that shouldn't be changing anytime soon.
Top Targets
When noting that Luis Robert ($3,800) has 10 homers and six stolen bases, it must also must be mentioned he's only appeared in 36 games. That comes after 38 and 20 of each last season. There's a good chance Edward Cabrera returns from the 60-day IL on Sunday, and he enters has a career 4.55 ERA. He likely won't be in the game long, though Miami's bullpen won't threaten Robert much either.
Steven Kwan ($3,800) hasn't been a power hitter before, but this season he's slashed .365/.421/.542 with nine home runs and two triples through 61 outings. He's slugged .427 against righties during his career and his speed - like the 21 steals last season - comes into play more often with a righty on the mound. Through two MLB starts, Hayden Birdsong has slumped to a 6.67 ERA and has only made a combined four starts above Double-A.
Bargain Bats
The power-hitting exploits of Jorge Soler ($3,000) have largely been built upon smashing lefties. That being said, the Cuban has slugged .461 in his career and claims two 30-homer campaigns. I'll take his power upside against Carlos Carrasco on Sunday as the hurler is at a 5.21 ERA while conceding 1.54 homers per nine innings. And since 2022, he's let his fellow righties go .298 against.
Max Kepler ($2,700) has never emerged as more than a middling MLB player, though he's produced a .748 OPS versus righties and a .776 at home the last couple years. Rookie righty Spencer Arrighetti has registered a 7.12 ERA on the road while lefties have hit .286 against.
Stacks to Consider
Tigers at Reds (Graham Ashcraft): Riley Greene ($3,600), Matt Vierling ($3,100), Colt Keith ($2,900)
Ashcraft has always been a poor strikeout pitcher with a career K/9 rate of 6.60. He's also always struggled at home with a 5.70 ERA overall and an 8.20 in 2024. Lefties have batted .288 against Ashcraft this season and righties have gone .295 against in the majors, which is why I wanted to get one righty in this stack (though the Tigers lack for quality righties).
Greene is the one high-level hitter on Detroit with 17 homers and 17 doubles. He's also slugged .542 against righties this season, but also .543 on the road. Vierling has accumulated 11 home runs alongside five triples. And since joining the Tigers in 2023, he's performed better against his fellow righties. While Vierling has been much better at home this year, he preferred the road last season. Rookie second baseman Keith has seven homers and four stolen bases and seems to have gotten comfortable at this level with an .899 OPS the last three weeks.
Nationals vs. Cardinals (Kyle Gibson): CJ Abrams ($3,600), Luis Garcia ($3,100) Jesse Winker ($2,800)
Gibson is on his fifth team in six seasons, and through it all he's been the picture of mediocrity. He carries a career 4.51 ERA, and only once has he posted a FIP under 4.00 since 2015. This year, Gibson has been good against righties while lefties have hit .243 against. And since 2022, southpaws have gone .270 against the right-hander, so I'm offering three lefties.
Abrams has emerged as a high-quality player in real life, but a particularly decent one for fantasy batting .280 with 14 homers, five triples, 14 steals and an .834 OPS versus righties. Garcia is at 10 homers and 12 stolen bases. The second baseman has also recorded a .937 home OPS. Winker has been kind of lost since leaving the Reds, though has found himself in his first year with the Nats with a .378 OBP on top of 10 homers, 12 swiped bags and a .939 home OPS at home. (That makes this a stack of three hitters with double-digit homers and steals.)
