Happy Sunday! Today’s main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel features 11 games starting at 1:05. As of this writing, there doesn’t appear to be any games in danger of threatening rain, although there are a couple of spots where showers could occur – Cardinals/Pirates, Diamondbacks/Phillies, and Red Sox/Cleveland. Just something to keep an eye on leading up to lock. Let’s take a look at the implied run totals for each game, and then we’ll dive into the slate!
This is shaping up to be a fun slate. There are 10 teams with an implied total of 4.9 or more runs. However, the Rays are almost a full run ahead of the next closest team. They’ll likely be popular, but Tampa Bay will likely be my main stack. On the flip side, there are six teams with implied totals below 4.0 and an additional three teams below 4.2 runs. There should be plenty of quality options to choose from today. Let’s take a look at some options for our pitchers, and then we’ll check out our stacks.
Starting Pitchers
While I love when we have plenty of options in consideration for our pitchers, sometimes it is tough to make the ultimate decision on who to start. Hopefully, the numbers will help narrow down our choices so that we don’t have to make a choice as tough as Sophie’s.
I love when the numbers narrow down our choices for us. On the higher-end side, I like Tyler Mahle ($9,800 DK, $9,600 FD) and José Berríos ($9,100 DK, $8,500 FD). Dylan Cease ($10,000 DK, $9,300 FD) is a third name you can add to that for his strikeout upside. One of the things I like to do, especially on Sunday when veterans tend to rest, is waiting until lineups come out and see what lineup looks the weakest. As of now, I’m planning on rolling with Mahle as my SP1.
Right off the bat, the numbers lop off most of our cheaper options. Chris Archer ($6,200 DK, $6,500 FD), Kwang-hyun Kim ($7,400 DK, $8,500 FD), and Ranger Suárez ($6,000 DK, $6,800 FD) are off the board for me in cash games. Although, because of that strikeout upside, I’d consider Archer in GPPs. I’m likely locking in Tylor Megill ($7,200 DK, $7,000 FD) as my SP2. Tanner Houck ($8,100 DK, $6,700 FD) and his 31% strikeout rate are really intriguing also, but he’s gone 5.0 innings just once this year.
Hitter Stacks
As I mentioned earlier, the Rays and their 6.4 implied run total are going to be the focus of my main stack. Most of the top-end bats are properly priced up, but I’m going to try and get at least two of Wander Franco ($5,400 DK, $3,900 FD), Austin Meadows ($4,900 DK, $3,300 FD), Brandon Lowe ($5,500 DK, $3,900 FD), and Nelson Cruz ($5,300 DK, $3,800 FD). I don’t mind locking Joey Wendle ($4,100 DK, $2,600 FD) into my third base spot to further my stack as well. Let’s take a look at our other hitting options today:
Looks like the Red Sox and Astros are a close 1A/1B to the Rays. I really like the flexibility that provides us. Both lineups feature some much-needed value, like Alex Verdugo ($3,800 DK, $3,100 FD), Jake Meyers ($2,700 DK, $2,900 FD), and Martín Maldonado ($2,700 DK, $2,200 FD).
A team that I really like as a cheap, secondary stack is the Brewers. Christian Yelich ($4,800 DK, $3,600 FD) is the highest-priced hitter, with no one else topping $4,200. Anytime I can get a leadoff hitter below $4,000 on a team with a decent implied total I get excited, so Kolten Wong ($3,600 DK, $3,500 FD), come on down.
I’m avoiding the Reds today, but wish that Jesús Luzardo ($5,600 DK, $6,500 FD) was in better form so we could take advantage of the struggling Reds. Alas, I’m not looking to roster a pitcher that has allowed 21 runs over his last four starts.
Value Hitters
Here are some of the best value hitters on today’s slate. Keep in mind, this is being written well before lock. Make sure you check lineups once they’re posted to find the additional value that opens up.
If you stuck around, here’s the lineup I plan on using in cash games today:
Good luck today!
Design by J.R. Caines (@JRCainesDesign on Twitter and @caines_design on Instagram)