Sunday’s main Major League Baseball slate features 10 games, starting at 1:05 pm ET. We will be using Bales Model to highlight some of the top options to consider.
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Pitchers
The four pitchers projected to score the most fantasy points are:
Dylan Cease (R)
Corbin Burnes (R)
Robbie Ray (L)
Corey Kluber (R)
One of the highest-rated pitchers on Bales Model for both DraftKings and FanDuel is Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox. In 143.2 innings, Cease has a 3.82 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 11-6 record and 188 strikeouts. Those 188 strikeouts are good enough to rank sixth out of all Major League Baseball pitchers. Cease has thrown three consecutive quality stats, as he looks to continue this trend against the Kansas City Royals. Today, the Royals are projected for an implied- runs total of 3.8, while they look to get back on track as they have lost five of their last six games. Cease is projected for the second-highest ceiling on the slate, though he’s the fourth-highest priced pitcher on FanDuel.
The highest-rated pitcher on Bales Model for DraftKings is Corbin Burnes from the Milwaukee Brewers. Throughout his 2021 campaign, Burnes has been electric on the mound. In 139 innings, he has a 2.27 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 9-4 record and 189 strikeouts. Burnes has collected a win in three of his last four starts, while allowing a total of five runs in those games. Burnes and the rest of the Brewers elite pitching has gained them a 10-game lead in the National League Central Division.
Burnes will be on the hill against the St Louis Cardinals, who are projected for the lowest implied-runs total on the slate at 2.9 runs. A projected double-digit wind blowing out to left-center field will favor the batters, however only if they’re able to make contact on the ball. Burnes, who ranks fifth in MLB in strikeouts, has done a great job of getting batters to swing and miss.
Robbie Ray from the Toronto Blue Jays is the highest-priced pitcher on the slate for DraftKings. Ray has been spectacular this season. In 159.1 innings, he has a 2.71 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 10-5 record and 202 strikeouts. The 202 strikeouts are enough for third best in baseball, while he hasn’t lost a start since the middle of July. Ray is not highly rated on Bales Model due to the tough task at hand. Making his first start in September, Ray will be pitching against the Oakland Athletics, who are projected for an implied-runs total of 3.9. Although the Athletics lost their last two games, they did score 18 runs. This marks the last game of a six-game road trip in which Oakland is eager to head back home.
Ending the trend of pitchers who have incredible strikeout numbers, Corey Kluber from the New York Yankees only has 61 in 57.1 innings. Since coming over to the Yankees, Kluber has had a rough go of things. He had a shoulder injury that placed him on the 60-day injured list and is now making just his second start since May. In his first start last week, Kluber was rocked on the mound. In four innings, he allowed five earned runs on five hits. Kluber does get the luxury of pitching against the Baltimore Orioles, who are projected for the second -owest implied runs total on the slate (3.5 runs). Hoping to make a better impression for his manager, look for Kluber to take advantage of his opportunity.
Value
Brady Singer from the Kansas City Royals is a low-priced pitcher that offers a high projected points/salary on the slate. Although his 4.87 ERA is not attractive, Singer has done very well recently. In his last three starts, Singer has increased his K/9 and done a very good job of damage control. He will be on the mound against the Chicago White Sox, who are a high-scoring team. However, Singer’s recent strong play suggests he might be able to reach his value fairly easy.
Hitters
Notable Stack
The top projected points stack comes to you from the New York Yankees (-292):
- DJ LeMahieu (R)
- Joey Gallo (L)
- Aaron Judge (R)
- Giancarlo Stanton (R)
The Yankees are projected for the highest implied runs total on the slate today (6.2 runs). The Yankees batters have been in a slump recently. In their last three games, they have scored a total of 11 runs while striking out 26 times. Hoping to make better contact on the ball, they will be up to bat against Keegan Akin and the Baltimore Orioles. Akin has done very well recently, but his 6.90 ERA is not pretty. I fully expect the Yankees to take full advantage of the Orioles lefty. On FanDuel, this stack will cost you $15.6k in salary and are projected for a combined 51.4 fantasy points.
Other Hitters
The batter projected as the highest floor play on Bales Model for both DraftKings and FanDuel is Nick Castellanos from the Cincinnati Reds. He’s currently on a four-game hitting streak in which he has collected three multi-hit performances. He ranks second in baseball with a .320 batting average, hoping to claim the batting title this season.
Value
Finally, here is a handful of batters to consider while completing your lineups projected for a high fantasy points/salary:
- Max Schrock
- Isan Diaz
- Keibert Ruiz
- Matt Duffy
- Jake Cave
