This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
It's the first Sunday of the MLB season! Sundays are always built for baseball, and all 30 teams are in action. First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. ET. Need a few ideas for your DFS lineups? You're in luck!
Pitching
Jeffrey Springs, TAM vs. DET ($48): For the first time in his career last year, Springs got to show his stuff as a starting pitcher in MLB. It worked out, as he posted a 2.46 ERA on the season. The Tigers were last in runs scored and 29th in team OPS, and this year should be largely more of the same.
Joe Ryan, MIN at KC ($46): Ryan made 27 starts as a rookie last season after a five-start cameo in 2021. He managed a 3.55 ERA while striking out 9.24 batters per nine innings. The Royals were 24th in runs scored last year, and this early in the new season, barring major roster changes, that still means something to me.
Graham Ashcraft, CIN vs. PIT ($29): After an iffy rookie season, Ashcraft showed up this spring with a new slider and a fastball that flashed triple digits. Color me intrigued. I also like this matchup, as the Pirates hit .222 as a team last season.
Top Targets
Last year, Ronald Acuna ($23) did not regain his power swing, but he had a .351 OBP and stole 29 bases. He was caught stealing 11 times, but this year it definitely seems like stealing bases is easier. The Nationals will be starting MacKenzie Gore. Thought of as a top pitching prospect once upon a time, Gore had a 4.50 ERA in his debut campaign, so he still has a lot to prove.
You know you can really rake when you post an .882 OPS at home as a Padre, and indeed that is what Manny Machado ($20) did in 2022. He also batted .298 all in all with 32 home runs. Austin Gomber has actually been decidedly worse on the road since joining the Rockies, sporting a 6.12 ERA in away appearances.
Bargain Bats
In his first two seasons with the Guardians, Amed Rosario ($17) hit .282 with double-digit home runs and stolen bases. I like him against lefty Marco Gonzales on Sunday. Gonzales has had a FIP over 5.00 in both of his last two seasons, and he pitches to contact as much as anybody. He managed to strike out a mere 5.07 batters per nine innings in 2022.
The Twins have decided to make Max Kepler ($11) their new leadoff hitter. Maybe not ideal, given his career .317 OBP, but it lifts Kepler's fantasy upside. This matchup helps as well. Brad Keller has had an ERA over 5.00 in each of his last two campaigns.
Stacks to Consider
Dodgers vs. Diamondbacks (Zach Davies): Mookie Betts ($17), Will Smith ($17), J.D. Martinez ($16)
Moving from Chicago to Arizona helped Davies improve his numbers. However, that just means he went from a 5.44 FIP to a 4.83 FIP. He also had a 4.77 road ERA in 2022. I am stacking three righties against a right-handed pitcher, as Davies has allowed righties to hit .280 against him since 2021.
Betts' average has dropped the last couple of seasons (though it stayed above .260, fine for modern baseball), but he's still hit for a ton of power. Since joining the Dodgers, Betts has a .521 slugging percentage, and he hit 35 homers last year. Smith is one of the best hitters at catcher, as his career .859 OPS indicates. Also, while Dodger Stadium can be pitcher-friendly, Smith has an .835 OPS at home since 2021. Martinez joins the Dodgers after hitting 16 home runs with a .274 average with the Red Sox. Outside of the lost 2020 campaign, Martinez has been a reliable hitter since joining the Tigers all the way back in 2014, so I trust his bat.
Astros vs. White Sox (Mike Clevinger): Yordan Alvarez ($20), Kyle Tucker ($17), Jose Abreu ($15)
Things loom over Clevinger beyond his performance on the field, but on that front he had a 4.97 FIP with the Padres last season. This was his return from Tommy John, so now we have to wonder if he needed time to get back on track or if he simply isn't the same pitcher. Given the impressive bats in the Astros' lineup, I think this is a worthwhile stack against Clevinger, who is a big question mark.
Purely in terms of hitting, Alvarez is as good as any baseball player in the world. He has a career .976 OPS and had an 1.030 OPS versus righties last season. Tucker is no slouch himself, tallying 30 home runs in each of his last two seasons, plus 25 stolen bases in 2022. The lefty has an .886 OPS versus righties since 2021 as well. Abreu will be facing his former team, a team with which he put together a .292/.354/.506 in his career. He also had an .897 OPS on the road last season, so maybe a new home ballpark is going to be good for him.
Reds vs. Pirates (Vince Velasquez): Jake Fraley ($17), Jonathan India ($15), TJ Friedl ($14)
Being brought in to fill out the Pirates' rotation is not typically a reason for optimism. Indeed, Velasquez is a definitively below-average pitcher, a journeyman who bounces from team to team, from starter to bullpen pitcher. He has a career 4.93 ERA and has allowed 1.51 home runs per nine innings. I expect more of the same this year, and so I'm going to stack Reds.
Fraley will sit versus lefties all season, I assume, but last year he had an .861 OPS versus righties. He also had an .876 OPS at home. India will look to rebound from a sophomore slump, but as a rookie he had a .376 OPS with 21 homers and 12 stolen bases. Injuries may have played a role in India's struggles in 2022, so I have some confidence. Friedl is also a lefty, and he had eight homers and seven stolen bases in 72 games last year. He had an .837 OPS at home as well.
