It's a packed Sunday DFS slate with 12 games and the first ones starting at 1:35 p.m. EDT. You have options, and I have recommendations. Good luck!
Pitching
Ranger Suarez, BOS vs. TOR ($9,300): Suarez is returning from the IL, and the only question is if he goes deep enough on Sunday to pick up a win. He's so far posted a 2.60 FIP, a 9.56 K/9 rate and 0.49 HR/9 rate. The Blue Jays also rank last in runs. Like I said, it's just about Suarez lasting the minimum amount of innings to earn the W.
Jacob deGrom, TEX vs. SEA ($9,300): deGrom has an even better K/9 rate than Suarez at 10.94, though lists a 3.32 FIP partly due to a bigger issue with homers. Not so much at home, where he's managed a 0.9 HR/9. The Mariners also sit 29th in runs scored. deGrom and Suarez comes in at the same salary, so it's really a matter of which one you like better.
Framber Valdez, DET vs. KAN ($8,200): Valdez is coming off a horrendous start, yet these two teams are on the fringes of the bottom-10 offensively while the Tigers are at home and I believe he can rebound. Valdez's 4.57 ERA would be his worst since 2019, but he's still on a HR/9 rate below 1.00 and a groundball percentage over 50.0. There's been some bad luck in the mix. Maybe facing the Royals will help Valdez turn it around.
Find out which projected starters are going and when with RotoWire's Probable Pitchers page!
Top Targets
Instead of a third 20/20/20 season out of three, Jackson Chourio ($3,600) may have to settle for 15/15/15 due to injuries. He's posted an .890 OPS against lefties and an .841 at home. Kyle Freeland has struggled to an 8.28 road ERA and righties have hit 56 of the 64 homers he's allowed since 2024.
Thanks to three hits on Saturday, Freddie Freeman ($3,400) is on a .299 average. He just may reach .300 for the first time since 2023 (after regularly doing so). Being on the road should help as he's delivered an 1.002 OPS there. So should facing Freddy Peralta as he enters with a 5.40 ERA.
Bargain Bats
Though Tim Tawa ($2,600) is a righty, he's struggled against lefties while slugging .465 versus righties. He's also notched an .886 OPS the last three weeks. Miles Mikolas somehow only has a 4.68 K/9 rate, so maybe it's not surprising he holds a 5.60 ERA especially since he's also on a 1.93 HR/9 rate.
This isn't about the fact Jake Cronenworth ($2,500) got on base three times Saturday with a steal. It's because he's a lefty second baseman on a low salary with a matchup against Janson Junk and a a career 4.93 ERA who's let southpaws bat .320 against him the last couple campaigns.
Stacks to Consider
Pirates vs. Cubs (Jameson Taillon): Bryan Reynolds ($3,500), Brandon Lowe ($3,400), Ryan O'Hearn ($3,200)
Since 2024, Taillon has slumped to a 4.74 road ERA. And this year, that number is 6.21. He missed time with injury before coming back and conceding four runs in 4.1 innings that included two homers. I don't like Taillon's chances against the Pirates as they're one of MLB's top offenses.
Reynolds is a switch-hitter with an .800-plus OPS against righties and lefties. He's consistently been better at home, but this year his OPS in Pittsburgh is .968. Lowe has been cold, which probably played a role in getting Saturday off. However, the southpaw second baseman has collected 21 homers and 21 doubles through 96 games bolstered by a .525 slugging percentage versus righties. O'Hearn's first season as a Pirate is going well with an .867 OPS against right-handed pitchers alongside a .950 at home.
Marlins vs. Padres (Walker Buehler): Otto Lopez ($3,500), Liam Hicks ($3,100), Kyle Stowers ($3,000)
June went well for Buehler, yet it's terrible in July with a 11.88 ERA. He's struggled overall without the benefits of Petco Park based on a 6.05 road ERA. Lefties have hit .290 against Buehler the last two years, so I've included two southpaws in this stack.
Lopez is a righty, but I still want him on my roster as he's been so good. He's batting .331 with 27 doubles, 20 stolen bases, and six triples. Though Lopez has been great against lefties, his .814 OPS versus righties works for this matchup. Hicks has missed time, yet has gone .279 with 14 homers and an .884 OPS against righties and .869 at home. It's been a tough year for Stowers as he's dealt with injuries, but got on base twice on Saturday. He's also picked up 32 extra-base hits on the campaign and posted a .980 OPS against righties last season.
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