Welcome to my weekly Sunday DraftKings MLB DFS plays. I’ll break down some of the prime picks on the board, including studs and value plays, and break down why these players can lead your lineup to victory.
Set your DraftKings MLB DFS lineups here: MLB $150K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st].
Top MLB DFS Targets
Pitcher Studs
SP Casey Mize (DET), $8,700: This is a rough pitching group for Sunday’s early slate, placing more of an emphasis on the stud SP1 play. Casey Mize is the guy here. Coming off a stellar outing against the Yankees, where he struck out 10 and allowed one baserunner in seven scoreless innings, Mize is down to a 2.63 ERA on the season. Texas’ offense has been solid, but they have significantly less bite with Corey Seager sidelined. This is a great spot for Mize to return elite SP1 value.
Pitcher Value Plays
SP Cade Cavalli (WSH), $6,500: Cavalli has been all over the headlines for reasons other than his pitching. But his dustup with Willson Contreras overshadowed a career-best start; the former top prospect struck out 13 batters, walked none, and allowed only one hit over seven innings against the Red Sox. He’s quietly becoming the starter Washington expected him to be all those years ago. While his suspension is on appeal, Cavalli will take the mound against Pittsburgh, and I expect him to limit Pittsburgh’s strong offense to a lackluster performance.
SP Kumar Rocker (TEX), $6,100: Rocker was one of my value picks last Sunday, and he sure justified my paycheck with six scoreless innings against the Blue Jays. The former top pick has quietly put together a strong season for the Rangers, and gets a date with a Tigers offense that has struggled for consistency. Being Mize’s opposite number certainly reduces the chance of a win, but Rocker can deliver good SP2 value as the second-lowest-priced pitcher on the board.
Infield Studs
C Carter Jensen (KC), $4,700: The question is: can you afford not to have Carter Jensen in the lineup? The 20-game hitting streak may be over, but Jensen is no less hot. After the streak was broken on Wednesday, Jensen responded with a pair of hits on Thursday, including a home run. Facing Aaron Nola and his 6.04 ERA, this is a great spot for Jensen to stay hot.
3B Junior Caminero (TB), $6,500: Look, the price is out of this world, but Junior Caminero homered for the 11th time in 11 games on Saturday. He’s hotter than any other hitter has been this season. Peter Lambert has been solid for the Astros, but Caminero can put a good swing on anybody. Lock him in to your third base slot.
Infield Value Plays
1B Alec Burleson (STL), $4,400: Much credit for St. Louis’ surprising competence on offense has gone to Jordan Walker, one of the breakout stars of the season. But Alec Burleson has quietly been a monster in the middle of the Cardinals’ lineup, especially when it comes to righties. The burly lefty has a .316/.394/.575 slash line against right-handed pitchers this season, including 13 of his 14 home runs. On Sunday, he has a date with right-hander Javier Assad and his 4.53 ERA. Sounds good to me.
2B/OF Luke Keaschall (MIN), $3,100: Maybe time for Luke to get hot? Keaschall rocked his fourth home run of the season, the second long ball in the last three days. Though he does have reverse splits, he has a juicy matchup against lefty Ryan Weathers on Sunday, and has a lot of upside for such a cheap price.
SS Dansby Swanson (CHC), $4,000: Dansby. So hot right now. We can’t expect the 87 points in two days we got from Dansby earlier this week, but he gets a date with Matthew Liberatore and his 5.33 ERA on Sunday. While Swanson has this hot of a power bat, he’s a tremendous value at a loaded shortstop position.
Outfield Studs
1B/OF Jac Caglianone (KC), $4,700: Finally, Cags is getting things going. The 23-year-old slugger has raised his OPS+ to 127, and continues to provide a ton of power for the Royals. If you’re going for Jensen at the catcher spot, stacking him with Cags against Aaron Nola is a great play. You could get a lot of upside out of that duo.
Outfield Value Plays
OF Lars Nootbaar (STL), $3,600: More Cardinals? Why not? Nootbaar raised his batting average to .300 this week, and if he’s in the lineup, the run-scoring potential is tremendous against Assad. Make sure to double-check on his status in the lineup, but if he’s there, Nootbaar is a huge value.
OF Esmerlyn Valdez (PIT), $3,100: This rookie is on a tear. Valdez is up to a nine-game hitting streak after Saturday’s performance, with an OPS over 1.000 and 17 RBI in 21 games. Cade Cavalli is a rough opponent, but before the price climbs, Valdez has a lot of value here. With a lot of value going into our infield here, Valdez is a great cheap option with tons of upside.
