This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
College football begins next weekend, although Week 0 might only excite San Jose State fans hoping to see the Spartans smash Southern Utah. But for now, MLB continues to dominate the American sports landscape. There are the standard 15 games Sunday, and the first one starts at 1:05 p.m. ET. Here are some recommendations for your DFS lineups.
PITCHING
Framber Valdez, HOU vs. SEA ($9,700): Valdez posted a 3.57 ERA in 2020, and he's probably been the best pitcher in Houston's rotation this year with a 3.16 mark. The Mariners are around the bottom-10 in runs scored, but it's surprising they've been that good as they're battling the Rangers for last in the league for both batting average and OBP.
Adam Wainwright, STL vs. PIT ($9,600): It's quite impressive what Wainwright is doing as a 39-year-old having made 24 starts while producing a 3.26 ERA. And at home, that number is 2.79. The best thing for Wainwright today is the fact the Pirates rank last in runs scored by a wide margin.
Nathan Eovaldi, BOS vs. TEX ($8,800): While Eovaldi has managed a 3.91 ERA, his 2.89 FIP shows he's been a bit unlucky. That being said, he's recorded a 3.24 home ERA this year. The Rangers enter with the league's worst team OPS, led in part by a woeful .288 OBP that basically means they're pretty much guaranteed not to rise back above .300 in 2021.
Adrian Houser, MIL vs. WAS ($7,400): Houser is going to be coming off the COVID-19 list for this start, so it's not a total lock he'll be on the mound. But that's the plan, and he remains a solid play based on a 1.91 ERA over his last six outings. While the Nationals sit 18th in runs scored, let's remember their roster isn't the same when they still had Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and others.
TOP TARGETS
Trevor Story, COL vs. ARI ($4,300): Over the last 21 days, Story has produced a 1.117 OPS. So, good job not trading him at the deadline Rockies, I guess? He's also posted a .991 OPS at home since 2019. With 16 home runs and 17 stolen bases to his name this year, Story will be facing Taylor Widener and his 5.77 FIP.
Eloy Jimenez, CWS at TAM ($3,800): Now that Jimenez is healthy, he's reminding us he can really hit. Not much in the way of walks, although he's still logged a .301 average and a .590 slugging percentage. And over Jimenez's career, he's slugged .536. Chris Archer has not pitched since April, but struggled to a 5.19 ERA last season.
VALUE BATS
Patrick Wisdom, CHC vs. KC ($3,200): Since the Cubs' fire sale, there are opportunities in this lineup and Wisdom has stepped up. The 29-year-old is making a major-league impact for the first time in his career slugging .546 with 20 home runs. Cesar Hernandez has managed a career 4.64 FIP while allowing righties – like Wisdom – to hit .284 against him during his career.
Jean Segura, PHI at SD ($2,900): Segura has recorded a career .286 batting average with a .297 this year. He's also accumulated five seasons with double-digit home runs and stolen bases over his career and this should be the sixth considering he's at eight homers and nine swiped bags. The last four starts for Ryan Weathers have been brutal with a 14.36 ERA. Don't breathe a sigh of relief because this game is in San Diego, as he's struggled with a 6.54 home ERA.
STACKS TO CONSIDER
Blue Jays vs. Drew Hutchison: Vladimir Guerrero ($4,400), Teoscar Hernandez ($3,900), Lourdes Gurriel ($3,200)
The Tigers want to keep their young arms from getting overworked, opening an opportunity for Hutchinson to start down the stretch. That would be the same Hutchison and his career 5.12 ERA who last pitched in MLB in 2018. In case his start is short, I wanted to go with three righties as lefties traditionally are more matchup dependent.
Guerrero isn't going to win the Triple Crown, but he's going to come close to leading in all the major categories and that's still incredibly impressive. His OPS is over 1.000 and he's crushed 36 home runs. Hernandez is also in the AL batting title race with a .312 supplemented by 22 home runs and eight stolen bases. Gurriel has somewhat struggled on the road, but he's notched an .800 home OPS.
Red Sox vs. Kolby Allard: Xander Bogaerts ($4,100), J.D. Martinez ($3,900), Enrique Hernandez ($3,600)
Allard has logged a 4.88 ERA this year, which is actually his best mark in a season since his career number sits at 5.77. It's not about his home park either, as he's posted a 5.59 on the road. Since Allard is a lefty, I'm once again going with three right-handed hitters.
Bogaerts is going to finish with an average over .300 and a slugging percentage over .500 for the third straight season. He's also produced an 1.009 OPS over the last 21 days. Martinez has a .958 OPS at home in 2021 with a 1.025 OPS versus lefties since 2019. Hernandez has occasionally been given the chance to lead off for the Red Sox this season, and his .340 OBP is a big reason why. And when you bat first, you have more opportunities to get on base and therefore more chances to score runs.
