The MLB Breakdown offers data-driven analysis using the FantasyLabs Tools and predictive metrics to highlight notable players.
Sunday’s main slate features 10 games starting at 1:37 p.m. ET to close out another late-summer weekend of baseball, as teams start to make their push toward the postseason. Today’s games look clean from a weather perspective, with minimal chances of rain.
MLB DFS Pitching Picks
MLB DFS Stud Picks
Lance Lynn ($6,800) Chicago White Sox (-205) vs. Detroit Tigers
Chicago White Sox ace Lance Lynn looks to be in an ideal spot Sunday against a Detroit Tigers lineup with a 3.4-implied-run total. Priced at a discounted $6,800 on DraftKings, Lynn jumps to the top of our Player Model and is projected for 7.08 strikeouts, which is the highest among starting pitchers. Despite his struggles in 11 starts this season, posting a 2-5 record, 5.88 ERA, 23.8% K rate, and 1.29 WHIP, Lynn has five or more strikeouts in each of his last five starts and should make easy work of a Tigers lineup with a 0.258 strikeout-per-at-bat average and a .286 wOBA.
Look for Lynn to be an easy and popular choice at SP1 on Sunday.
Chris Bassitt ($9,600) New York Mets (-139) vs. Philadelphia Phillies
New York Mets pitcher Chris Bassitt should also be a popular choice at SP1 on Sunday, despite facing a tough rival in the Philadelphia Phillies. Similar to last night’s 1-0 final, expect another lower-scoring affair Sunday afternoon, with the Phillies implied for 3.3 runs. Bassitt has made 21 starts in his first season with the Mets, posting a 9-7 record with a 3.39 ERA, 24.9% K rate, and 1.12 WHIP, and he should remain one of the top arms in the vaunted Mets rotation. Projected for 6.73 strikeouts, Bassitt faces a more disciplined Phillies lineup with a 0.248 strikeout per at-bat-average and a .318 wOBA.
A spend-up option from Lynn, Bassitt should be able to provide a floor for lineups.
MLB DFS Value Picks
Justin Dunn ($5,200) Cincinnati Reds (+130) vs. Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Justin Dunn projects as one of the top values on the slate Sunday, priced at $5,200 on DraftKings and facing a strikeout-prone Chicago Cubs lineup. Projected for 5.21 strikeouts, Dunn becomes a fantasy-viable option given the upside to miss bats and deeply discounted salary, despite the five-run implied total from Chicago and the unforgiving nature of hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark. Dunn, who has made only one start this season, has thrown 4.2 innings and might have a shorter-than-expected outing. He is certainly a risky option, but he can open up salary relief to the more high-priced stacks on the slate.
MLB DFS GPP Picks
Zack Wheeler ($9,900) Philadelphia Phillies (+120) at New York Mets
The most expensive pitcher on Sunday’s slate, Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler looks to be an excellent GPP option at SP1 and should come in at lower ownership while also projecting for one of the highest ceilings on the slate. Making 21 starts this season, Wheeler continues to be a dominant arm in the majors, posting an 11-5 record with a 2.63 ERA, 27.2% K rate, and 1.03 WHIP. In what looks to be another pitcher’s duel Sunday, Wheeler faces a hyper-disciplined New York Mets lineup with a 0.216 strikeout-per-at-bat average and .331 wOBA. Even with the 3.8-implied-run total, Wheeler is projected for 6.42 strikeouts and can certainly reach an 85th-percentile outcome. He also tends to go deep into games, going seven or more innings in five of his last seven starts.
Wheeler should be considered a viable option at SP1 and is definitely worth the spend-up.
MLB DFS Hitters
Notable Stack
With the Lineup Builder, it’s easy to incorporate stacks into DFS rosters.
Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can use our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 150 lineups.
The top DraftKings stack in the FantasyLabs MLB Player Model, when generated by median projection, belongs to the Los Angeles Dodgers:
- Will Smith (4) ($4,900)
- Freddie Freeman (3) ($5,500)
- Max Muncy (5) ($5,200)
- Trea Turner (2) ($5,500)
- Mookie Betts (1) ($5,900)
Implied for 5.7 runs, the highest on the slate, the tough Los Angeles Dodgers look to be a top stack option on Sunday’s slate and are in a prime position to generate runs against Brady Singer and the Kansas City Royals in the idyllic venue of Kaufmann Stadium. The Dodgers are full of power at the top of the order, posting a 0.237 strikeout-per-at-bat average and a .338 wOBA, and they face a starting pitcher in Singer who has a 3.49 ERA in 15 starts with a 25% K rate and 1.15 WHIP
As previously mentioned, I prefer a hyper-correlated 1-2-3-4-5 stack when loading up bats on DraftKings. This Dodgers stack comes at an expensive $26,100 price tag and may limit options at secondary stacks or top-tier pitching.
Top Stacking Pick from THE BAT X
One of the great features of being a FantasyLabs Pro member is the ability to purchase additional items in the FantasyLabs Marketplace.
A new addition to our MLB projections is THE BAT from Derek Carty of RotoGrinders. With this purchase, you can use his projections alone or create your own aggregate projections in our models.
One of the top DraftKings stacks from THE BAT, when generated by projected ceiling, belongs to the Chicago Cubs:
In what looks like a spend-down choice from the Dodgers, the Cubs stack projects for one of the highest ceilings, according to THE BAT. Priced at a more-affordable $24,200 on DraftKings, the Cubs offense gets a matchup against Cincinnati Reds pitcher Justin Dunn in an ideal venue at Great American Ballpark. The Reds’ starter has made one start this season and does not necessarily look to be stretched out, especially facing a Cubs lineup with a five-run implied total.
Expect the runs to come in bulk from this lineup as a pivot from a popular Dodgers’ lineup.
Other MLB DFS Hitter Picks
Josh Harrison 2B ($3,300 DraftKings, $2,100 FanDuel) Chicago White Sox vs. Detroit Tigers (Tyler Alexander)
Removing the Dodgers and Cubs in search of possible one-off plays, Chicago White Sox second baseman Josh Harrison has the highest rating in our model on DraftKings. Harrison should be a popular option Sunday against pitcher Tyler Alexander of the Tigers. Projected to bat leadoff, Harrison should kickstart the White Sox offense, which is implied for 4.8 runs. Look for the Chicago infielder to be a great one-off option Sunday, with an affordable price tag on DraftKings and a near-minimum salary on FanDuel.
Jose Ramirez 3B ($5,800 DraftKings, $4,200 FanDuel) Cleveland Guardians at Toronto Blue Jays (Kevin Gausman)
If we’re talking about ceiling outcomes, Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez should be in the conversation Sunday, as he is projected for one of the highest ceilings. Facing pitcher Kevin Gausman should be no easy feat, as he has an 8-8 record with a 2.91 ERA in 21 starts. Ramirez, however, is slashing .285/.355/.551 with 22 home runs, and he’s an easy choice for a ceiling outcome with home-run upside.
Jake Fraley OF ($2,000 DraftKings, $2,400 FanDuel) Cincinnati Reds vs. Chicago Cubs (Keegan Thompson)
When looking for value, Jake Fraley jumps to the top with the highest projected Plus/Minus. Fraley, at the minimum price tag on DraftKings, is slashing .206/.295/.368 with three home runs. Cincinnati has an implied total of 4.1 runs, and Fraley — who is projected to bat leadoff — should have an ideal outing in a matchup with a high implied total, which should also open up rosters to more expensive pitching options.
