This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Fan Duel has a full 15-game slate for Major League Baseball (MLB) on Sunday. Remember that Sunday is a day when a lot of teams rest players, so check the lineups page to make sure these players are all active. Pitching is tricky on Sunday's slate as a lot of the studs started Saturday, so there are a lot of No. 2, 3 and 4 starters going in these matchups. Here are some of the plays to keep an eye on for Sunday:
Starting Pitcher
Hector Santiago ($7,800)
Over his last three games, Santiago has allowed 12 hits, seven walks, only two earned runs and struck out 18 in 19.1 innings. He gets a matchup today with a Red Sox team that is hitting .198 against left-handed pitching with a 20.7 percent strikeout rate. Santiago started as a +125 underdog and is down to +105 as a lot of the early Vegas money came in on both him and the under, which has an expected run line of nine. He should be lower-owned and has a great chance to return two points per thousand of cost, making him one of the best value plays at starting pitcher on the day.
Catcher
Brian McCann ($2,800)
McCann sat Saturday, so he should be in the lineup Sunday, and he'll likely will be hitting in the middle of the order at either the four or the five spot. He gets a matchup with Yovani Gallardo, who has already allowed five home runs in 25.1 innings to left-handed batters this year. With the short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium, that is a bad omen for Gallardo. McCann has not been good so far this year, but that is why you can get him for only $2,800. He has one of the better lineup spots for a catcher and the matchup favors his chances for some upside. His recent lack of production will keep others off him, and he could produce a nice upside game here.
First Base
Adam Lind ($2,800)
Lind is a left-handed hitter who should be in the middle of the lineup Sunday. He gets a matchup with Mike Foltynewicz, who has allowed a .350 batting average and a WHIP over 2.25 in 18 innings versus left-handed hitters over the last two seasons. Lind is really the only left-handed bat the Brewers have, but a lot of those right-handers do hit right-handed pitching well. Milwaukee is favored with a 7.5-run line expected, so Vegas thinks the Brewers will score a few runs as well. Lind's power has eluded him lately, but he should be able to pick up a few hits, and with the likelihood of runners on, he should be able to add a few RBI as well.
Second Base
Robinson Cano ($2,800)
If someone told you on Opening Day that you could get Robinson Cano in a matchup with a weak right-handed pitcher who struggles against left-handed bats in the Rogers Centre for under $3,000, you would have signed up for it right then and there and thought it was your lucky day. Cano has been very pedestrian this year and is now down to $2,800, so that is the present situation. He gets a matchup with Aaron Sanchez, who has allowed left-handers to hit .317 off him this year. Cano is still batting in the three hole, and is too good a hitter to not break out of this funk at some point. He is the 18th-ranked second baseman Sunday with a good splits matchup in a great hitter's park. There's so much upside at this price and he has played bad enough to keep his ownership down.
Third Base
Kyle Seager ($2,900)
Seager is starting to heat up. He has a nine-game hitting streak going and is 12 for his last 33. He gets an excellent matchup against the aforementioned Sanchez, who has allowed left-handed batters to hit .317. The game is being played in the Rogers Centre, which is a great hitter's park. Seager should again be hitting in the five hole, so he is in a good spot to drive in a few runs with the probability of a multi-hit game. His price is pretty cheap, so he has the chance for an outsized game with all the positives in his favor.
Shortstop
Erick Aybar ($2,600)
Aybar is heating up. The Angels' shortstop has been very good this month, posting a .316 batting average. He has hits in nine of his last 10 games and is currently 15-for-42 during this stretch (.357). He has been leading off lately and gets his preferred splits matchup against Wade Miley, who does not really show a big difference in splits between right and left-handed batters, but Aybar does better against left-handers, so the matchup is still in his favor. He is not a high-upside guy capable of smashing a few home runs, but he is solid and consistent for a few hits based on his recent history. He makes a great cash-game play or cheap bat to fill out a roster on this slate.
Outfield
Mike Trout ($5,400)
There are a lot of cheap infield bats and the money is being saved to pay up for these stud outfielders in good spots. Trout is at the top of that list for me. He gets a matchup with Wade Miley in a game Vegas expects to see some runs out of Los Angeles. The Angels' bats have started to hit a little more, and with Albert Pujols back and Aybar doing a good job leading off, Trout finally has some help on top of the order. He is a five-tool player who can hit for average and power, while also stealing a few bases for you. He can literally do everything you want for daily fantasy purposes.
Delino DeShields Jr. ($3,400)
DeShields has been on fire and it's time for daily fantasy players to stand up and take notice. He was up on top of the order Saturday against a left-handed pitcher, and there's a good chance he repeats that Sunday against an even worse left-hander in Chris Capuano. He is 11 for his last 34 with eight walks, nine runs scored, three RBI and two stolen bases over his last 10 games. That has been good for over 3.5 fantasy points per game, which would be a nice return at his price.
Hunter Pence ($3,400)
Pence has only been back from injury for about a week, but he has made the most of his at-bats, posting four multi-hit performances in seven games. He has 26 points over those seven games for an average of 3.7 per contest so far. He gets a matchup against Chad Bettis, who has allowed 59 hits to right-handed batters in 38 innings since 2013. The game is being played at Coors Field, which is a great place to hit, and Pence should be back in the cleanup spot. He is priced like a mid-tier option, yet is one of the higher-end outfield options when he is right. He should be in line for a huge upside day in a good matchup, at a good hitter's park, and at a discounted price.
