We're not quite in the home stretch yet, but the home stretch can be seen over the horizon. With the first weekend of August in the books, we have a busy Monday for MLB. There are nine games on the DFS docket, and the first pitch is at 7:10 p.m. ET. Here are my MLB DFS lineup recommendations.
Pitching
Quinn Priester, MIL at ATL ($9,900): Priester has been a pleasant surprise for the Brewers this year. He has a 3.27 ERA in 107.1 innings (five of his 20 appearances have been in relief), and even his 3.92 FIP is quite solid. Priester has proved capable of keeping the ball on the ground and in the park. Atlanta is in the bottom 10 in runs scored, and right now Ronald Acuna and Austin Riley are in the bottom 10 in runs scored.
Yusei Kikuchi, LAA vs. TAM ($9,000): In his first season as an Angel, Kikuchi has pitched quite well, especially at home. He has a 2.48 ERA in Anaheim (which is, just to note, not Los Angeles). Tampa is above average in runs scored, but its temporary home is hitter-friendly. Also, the Rays are dealing with a couple injuries, most notably to Jonathan Aranda.
Sean Manaea, NYM vs. CLE ($8,100): Building upon his success from last year, when he decided his path to success was to emulate Chris Sale's arm slot, Manaea has looked good since getting healthy. Through four appearances in 2024 he has a 2.08 ERA and 11.42 K/9 rate. There's potential for fluctuation, but the Guardians seem likely to finish 26th in runs scored.
Top Targets
This season, Ketel Marte ($3,800) has an OPS over 1.000 against righties. However, last season the switch-hitter had an OPS over 1.000 against lefties. The point: Marte is a great hitter. He also has a .903 OPS at home since 2023. Let's assume JP Sears will make his first start as a Padre as expected. He had a 4.95 ERA in 22 starts with the Athletics. Even if it isn't Sears, well, clearly Marte can handle a lefty or a righty.
I'll admit early this year I thought Trevor Story ($3,300) was toast. While his K/BB rate is truly atrocious, something more relevant to real baseball than DFS, he's been on a tear recently, and he's now up to 18 homers, 18 stolen bases and 19 doubles. He has an .839 OPS over the last three weeks and a .954 OPS over the last two weeks. For a shortstop, that's enticing. Bailey Falter will make his first start for the Royals, but he was really struggling with the Pirates. He has brought with him a 4.87 FIP and 5.56 K/9 rate.
Bargain Bats
I would say that Andy Pages ($3,000) was a pleasant surprise for the Dodgers last season except, well for starters, I already called Priester a "pleasant surprise" earlier and I don't want to be so repetitive. Also, it was more than a rookie in his age-23 season unexpectedly became a fixture in the outfield for a contending club. This season, while he still doesn't take walks, he's truly viable at the plate. Well, at least at home, where he has a .945 OPS. Sonny Gray is having a tough campaign for the Cardinals. He has a 5.84 ERA on the road, and his fellow righties have hit .296 against him.
You can roster Jake Cronenworth ($2,900) as a second baseman, where his nine home runs and 14 doubles in 87 games look better. Plus, he has a .350 OBP against right-handed pitchers. Brandon Pfaadt has actually regressed this year, as he has a 5.11 ERA. Additionally, in his career lefties have hit .284 against him.
Stacks to Consider
Blue Jays at Rockies (Tanner Gordon): Vladimir Guerrero ($3,900), Bo Bichette ($3,500), Addison Barger ($3,500)
Gordon has been better than he was last season, when he had an 8.65 ERA in eight games. That being said, he has a 4.85 ERA in five games. Also, his home ballpark is still Coors Field. Toronto's lineup leans righty heavy, but that's okay. In his career, righties have hit a whopping .373 against Gordon.
Guerrero isn't the homer hitter he appeared he might be when he had 48 in 2021. That being said, he's hit .289 with 16 homers and 24 doubles, and his bat will still play in Denver. Bichette has hit .297 and tallied an impressive 33 doubles. He also has a .915 OPS over the last three weeks. While the shortstop has been much better at home, I don't worry about that when the road park in question is Coors. Bo can do his best Dante impression Monday. Barger, Toronto's best lefty hitter, has popped 16 home runs in 89 games. He's also slugged .543 against righties.
Reds at Cubs (Michael Soroka): Elly De La Cruz ($4,200), TJ Friedl ($3,000), Gavin Lux ($2,600)
The Cubs picked up Soroka for rotational depth as they fight for playoff position, but his lifting of their floor is minimal. He had a 4.87 ERA with the Nationals, and over his last four seasons he has a 5.00 ERA. Of course, for that I had to go back to 2020, because Soroka missed all of 2021 and 2022, and has never been the same pitcher. Since he is a righty, all three of these Reds can hit left handed.
De La Cruz just picked up his 30th stolen base, and he's one home run short of 20. He's been slightly better against lefties, but he's really soared against righties. The shortstop has a .931 OPS in those matchups. Friedl was playing well, missed four games on paternity lead and has returned with the power of a newly minted father. With a .374 OBP, the southpaw leads off often, and he has an .809 OPS against righties and an .828 OPS on the road. I'm including Lux because you can roster him at second base or in the outfield. Also, because he has hit .289 against righties, .298 on the road and .333 over the last three weeks.
Try our FanDuel MLB Lineup Optimizer to discover more expert recommendations, customize the player pool, set exposure percentage and mass-enter DFS lineups.
