This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Sunday features nine MLB games on the DFS slate with the first pitch is at 1:05 p.m. EDT. Here are my lineup recommendations for this Father's Day. If you're a dad, you've earned the opportunity to spend a few minutes setting your DFS lineups.
Pitching
Dylan Cease, SD at NYM ($10,300): Cease has rebounded nicely in his first season with the Padres with a 3.01 FIP and 4.39 K/BB rate. It's not all Petco Park as he's posted a 3.86 ERA at home and a 3.00 on the road. The middling Mets offense is average in terms of runs scored, so that doesn't worry me with the way Cease has pitched.
Mitchell Parker, WAS vs. MIA ($8,200): Parker has avoided any disastrous starts, which is impressive for a rookie. He's offered his team and fantasy-minded folks with a nice floor in terms of performance. Parker has also recorded a 2.45 ERA at home. The Marlins have found their floor offensively ranking 29th in runs scored and team OPS, and I fully expect them to stay there on both fronts the rest of the season.
Chris Paddack, MIN vs. OAK ($8,100): The Twins and Athletics didn't end up playing Saturday, leading to a doubleheader Sunday. And the first half is still being including on the slate. Paddack has managed an 8.20 road ERA, but a 2.80 at home. Also, the Athletics are 28th in offense with a collective .219/.290/.369 slash line.
Top Targets
Amidst all the (fair) handwringing around Atlanta's lineup, Marcell Ozuna ($6,100) has gone out there and knocked the cover off the ball with a 1.010 OPS versus his fellow righties and a 1.120 at home. Zach Eflin has been two different pitchers in two different ways. He's produced a 2.90 ERA at home with a 5.02 on the road. Lefties have also hit .228 against while his fellow righties have gone .301.
You can certainly say Christian Yelich ($5,700) has proven last season wasn't some fluky rebound campaign. After posting an .817 OPS, the lefty has slashed .33/.410/.509 this year. Frankie Montas hasn't been a valuable addition to the Reds' rotation with a 4.65 FIP while lefties have batted .289 against.
Bargain Bats
Usually lefties have batting profiles in the vein of Lane Thomas ($4,500). He's managed a .689 OPS versus his fellow righties since 2022, yet he's also posted an .839 OPS against southpaws. Jesus Luzardo is a lefty whose 3.81 FIP is better than his 5.11 ERA, but that still isn't good. He also lists a 5.64 ERA on the road after a 4.48 while away in 2023.
Other than his seven homers and five stolen bases, Ian Happ ($4,100) hasn't delivered at his usual level. However, he's still found the confines of Wrigley Field quite friendly with an .829 OPS there as opposed to a .568 on the road. You can pencil Miles Mikolas in to average fewer than two walks per nine innings, though also fewer than seven strikeouts per nine. He's also registered a 4.17 ERA the last five seasons as he's very hittable, and that bodes well for the switch-hitting Happ.
Stacks to Consider
Astros vs. Tigers (Kenta Maeda): Yordan Alvarez ($5,400), Jose Altuve ($5,300), Alex Bregman ($4,100)
The Astros had to scratch Justin Verlander from this start, which is good for the Tigers. Maeda is still in line to go and that's…not great for the Tigers. Detroit rolled the dice on him as it did with Jack Flaherty. And while Flaherty has paid its trust back, Maeda is having the worst season of his career with a 5.84 ERA through 11 starts alongside a 7.11 K/9 rate while giving up 2.03 homers per nine innings.
Alvarez started a bit slow, though his 1.060 OPS the last three weeks looks more like the slugger we're used to watching. He's at 14 homers and has exceeded 30 in each of the last three seasons. And as noted, Maeda is prone to the long ball. While he's right-handed, righties have hit .301 against this year. That's why I have two of them in this stack. Altuve has been steady as per usual at the plate batting .295 that's generally in line with his career .307 mark. He's also notched 10 home runs and nine stolen bases. Bregman's numbers aren't on the level of his teammates, yet this matchup is for him. He's long been better against his fellow righties with an .846 OPS against them since 2022. Bregman also tends to do well at home with an .856 OPS across the last three campaigns.
Reds at Brewers (Colin Rea): Elly De La Cruz ($5,800), TJ Friedl ($4,400), Jake Fraley ($4,200)
Rea has posted a 3.31 ERA, but with a 4.49 FIP. While he's consistently managed to keep his BABIP low during his career, the righty is 33 and he's only gotten the chance to make 60 career MLB starts with an overall 4.45 ERA. On top of that, Rea's allowed lefties to hit .257 against the last two seasons (he didn't pitch in the majors in 2022). The Reds have a lineup suited for this matchup.
De La Cruz isn't patient or disciplined, though he's incredibly dynamic. It's only taken him 70 games to accumulate 35 stolen bases. While he's a "switch-hitter", it's pretty proven at this point De La Cruz can't hit lefties, but has slugged .474 against righties (his OPS isn't too remarkable based on a lack of walks). Friedl does draw walks, which is why he's posted a .348 OBP with a .237 average. He's also added four homers and six steals in only 21 games after 18 and 27 last season. Fraley has improved his average (.285) seemingly at the expense of his power, yet he does have 11 stolen bases so far and an .808 OPS versus righties the last couple years.
