All 30 MLB clubs are in action on Sunday, highlighted by an 11-game afternoon slate loaded with firepower to fuel your DFS lineups.
From bona fide stars to stealthy value plays, let’s take a look at three must-starts for Sunday afternoon.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here before 1:35 p.m. ET: MLB $150K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st].
SP Payton Tolle, Boston Red Sox at New York Mets ($8,700)
Even with the likes of Zach Wheeler and Tarik Skubal on the board, the most valuable starter on Sunday’s slate is the one who’s taking on the Mets. New York is a dismal 40–55 this season — fifth-worst in MLB — and, despite featuring superstar slugger Juan Soto ($6,400), ranks 24th league-wide in wRC+ and 27th in wOBA.
It also helps that the man who’s facing them on Sunday, Boston’s Payton Tolle, has been nothing short of excellent in 2026.
The burly, mustachioed southpaw has thrived in his first full MLB campaign. At just 23, Tolle has posted a 3.14 ERA with a 1.07 WHIP and 80 strikeouts across 14 starts (80.1 IP). His Baseball Savant profile paints an even prettier picture — doused in the same hue of red as the “B” on his ballcap. The former TCU standout ranks in the top 25 percent or higher of MLB hurlers in xERA (3.07), xBA (.213), average exit velocity (87.5 mph), chase rate (33 percent), and hard-hit rate (34.1 percent). His 7.4-foot extension, which ranks in the sport’s 98th percentile, makes his already lively four-seamer appear even quicker.
Tolle is coming off six spotless frames facing a potent White Sox offense in Chicago — now imagine what he could do against the Mets.
1B Ben Rice, New York Yankees at Washington Nationals ($6,300)
Many expected to see a New York Yankee near the top of the home-run leaderboard in 2026. No one could have guessed that said Yankee would not be named Aaron Judge.
Shrugging off years of batted-ball mishaps, Ben Rice has exploded onto the scene as one of the game’s most formidable sluggers. The lefty-swinging first baseman has blasted 29 home runs this season — just behind Yordan Alvarez for the American League lead. He’s tied for the fifth-most RBIs (66) in MLB and enters Sunday’s series finale against the Nationals with a higher OPS (.971) than Shohei Ohtani (.943) and Kyle Schwarber (.926).
Rice, 27, is heating up ahead of his first All-Star game and appearance in the Home Run Derby, going deep five times in his last six games. (He’s currently on pace for 50.) He should finish the first half strong on Sunday, facing Washington’s Cade Cavalli ($7,100). The right-handed fireballer has posted a modest 3.88 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP across 19 starts (92.2 IP) in 2026. However, his underlying metrics — a 4.13 xERA, a .247 xBA, and an 89.1 mph average exit velocity — forecast some favorable batted-ball fortune. With the luck finally working in his favor this year, Rice is well-positioned to capitalize.
OF Wyatt Langford, Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros ($3,700)
OF Wyatt Langford, Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros ($3,700)
Welcome back, Wyatt Langford. The surging Rangers’ outfielder returned to the lineup this week after a brief stint on the injured list; it didn’t take long for him to pick up where he left off:
Langford, 27, is up to nine home runs and an .831 OPS in 2026 after a sizzling June. Before landing on the IL on the 26th, he hit .317 with a 1.005 OPS and seven bombs across a torrid 20-game stretch. While his middling advanced metrics don’t forecast prolonged dominance, Langford is currently swinging one of the hottest bats in baseball.
Sunday’s series finale against the rival Astros presents Langford with a golden opportunity to keep riding the wave of his summer heater. Comfortable against lefties and righties, he should have an edge against Houston’s beleaguered pitching staff. It’s shaping up to be a bullpen game for the Astros, with struggling right-hander Cristian Javier ($5,500) — 10.22 ERA across 12.1 innings this season — expected to act as an opener. Although their bullpen has reversed its fortune as one of the top units in baseball since the beginning of June, it recently blew two games in a row — including serving up Langford’s go-ahead blast in Friday’s series opener against the Rangers.
