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 why these players can lead your lineup to victory.
Set your DraftKings MLB DFS lineups here: MLB $200K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
Top MLB DFS Targets
Pitcher Studs
SP MacKenzie Gore (WSH), $9,200: Gore is one of Washington’s two 2025 All-Stars that came over in the Juan Soto trade to the Padres. Now the two get a chance for a measure of payback on Sunday against their former club. Gore has steadily improved in all three years with the Nationals and now has the makings of a No. 1 starter. San Diego’s offense has underwhelmed, and Gore has a good shot at providing SP1 DFS value.
SP Andrew Abbott (CIN), $8,000: If you can’t quite afford Gore, Abbott is the next-best bet to provide ace value. Cincinnati’s All-Star has a 2.07 ERA on the year. He won’t rack up gaudy strikeout totals, but he keeps traffic off the basepaths and limits hard contact. A deep outing against the middling Mets offense would return top-end value.
Pitcher Value Plays
SP Janson Junk (MIA), $6,100: Here’s the earned run totals in Janson Junk’s five starts this year: 0, 0, 1, 2, 5. He’s been a pleasant surprise transitioning to starter from a bulk innings bullpen role. While he has yet to face a significant test, the Kansas City Royals are not that kind of offense. He’s pitched six or more innings in his last three turns, and should provide some length against this subpar offense.
SP Andrew Heaney (PIT), $5,800: Speaking of guys throwing against bad offenses. Heaney has been on the struggle bus recently, allowing three or more earned runs in four of his last five outings, including two with seven runs apiece. But these Chicago White Sox cannot hit. It’s a big gamble, but if you’re looking to go for value elsewhere, a Junk/Heaney stack gives you some ammo for primo bats and could return SP1/SP2 value respectively.
Infield Studs
3B José Ramírez (CLE), $5,600: The fourth highest price on the infield board, José Ramírez has been worth the price of admission. In his last ten games going into Saturday, Cleveland’s superstar is posting 17.1 DFS points per game. That comes with four home runs, eight stolen bases, a 1.165 OPS, and eight walks to four strikeouts. To say he’s hot would be an understatement. Ramírez should carry the lineup against an underwhelming Athletics pitching staff.
1B Nick Kurtz (ATH), $4,600: The Athletics may have a disaster pitching staff, but this lineup has some sluggers. Rookie Nick Kurtz is in the middle of that. The 22-year-old was the fourth-overall pick in 2024 and quickly ascended to the majors by hitting tape-measure shots in the minors. Kurtz is riding a modest five-game hitting streak into Saturday, including three home runs. Gavin Williams, the starter for the Guardians, has been solid. But it doesn’t take much for Kurtz to provide major value.
Infield Value Plays
C Sean Murphy (ATL), $3,700: Marcus Stroman, the Yankees’ starter on Sunday, projects to be the worst starter on the mound. So I’m trying to get as many Braves into my DFS lineup as I can. One of them is Sean Murphy, who has swung the bat well in the past couple of weeks. He’s my favorite catcher value on the MLB board.
2B Ozzie Albies (ATL), $3,400: Why not another Brave? Albies rocked a grand slam on Friday and has provided some serious pop in his last few games. Typically batting sixth or seventh in the Atlanta lineup, he’s in position to clean up some RBIs if Stroman gets shelled once again. He could go gangbusters at a discount price, but he does carry a lot of swing-and-miss risk.
Outfield Studs
OF Oneil Cruz (PIT), $5,200: If you’re looking to jump on a bad White Sox pitching staff, look no further than Cruz. After putting on a show in the Home Run Derby, Cruz is back to putting the fear of God in pitchers with his incredible bat speed and natural power. Extending his hitting streak to seven games on Saturday, Cruz has big potential against Aaron Civale, who has been leaking runs.
OF Austin Hays (CIN), $4,600: You want a hot hitter? Get Austin Hays in the lineup. The lefty masher will be in the middle of the lineup against Mets’ southpaw David Peterson on Sunday. Over his past seven games, Hays has recorded nine RBIs, five runs, and is batting .417. He can provide elite production for a moderate price.
Outfield Value Plays
OF Marcell Ozuna (ATL), $3,800: Another Brave in the lineup? Don’t mind if I do. Ozuna is a bit more of an all-or-nothing hitter these days, but still has big power and run-producing potential. Betting it all against Marcus Stroman seems like a wise move to me, and Ozuna can be part of that equation.
OF Bryan Reynolds (PIT), $3,300: Don’t have enough cash left for Oneil Cruz? Bryan Reynolds is equally hot, and also steps into the box against Aaron Civale. Though he does have a lot of swing-and-miss to his game, Reynolds has produced well against the White Sox in this series. For a value play, the potential combination of run scoring and getting on base is worth risking.
