Another exciting weekend of Major League Baseball wraps up this Sunday, with the Philadelphia Phillies hosting the New York Yankees at Citizens Bank Park in Sunday’s finale. NBC/Peacock gets this big Sunday night matchup, with first pitch at 7:20 p.m. ET. DraftKings is ready for the big game with some great showdown contests featuring the Yankees and Phillies in some large MLB DFS showdown contests.
The pitching matchup features All-Star Cristopher Sanchez ($11,800) trying to help the Phillies avoid the sweep as they take on Will Warren ($10,800) and the Yankees. In a companion post, I highlighted a prop bet from each starting pitcher in my top player prop bets for Sunday Night Baseball’s matchup. In this post, let’s break down this Yankees at Phillies matchup from a DFS fantasy baseball perspective.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $100K Slugfest [$25K to 1st] (NYY at PHI)!
Yankees at Phillies DFS Showdown Strategy
Captain’s Picks
Cristopher Sanchez ($17,700 CP) – He’s the most expensive Captain’s Pick on the board, but there’s a very good reason. Sanchez has averaged 22.7 FPTS per game this year, while no other player has averaged more than 14 FPTS. Especially with Warren starting for the first time since before the All-Star break, Sanchez is definitely the pitcher to build around, whether you use him as a Captain’s Pick or a pay-up UTIL option for your MLB DFS lineups.
Sanchez has been especially effective at home this year, with an 8-1 record at Citizens Bank Park to go with a 1.15 home ERA and 0.96 WHIP. He has averaged 27.1 FPTS per start at home, and he has shown an extremely high ceiling with 30+ FPTS in several starts this year and a game of 51.6 FPTS in one outing against the Pirates at home in May. While he hasn’t been quite as dialed in lately, he still has that kind of potential, especially against a Yankees lineup that is missing multiple key pieces and leading the MLB in K% over the last 30 days.
Trea Turner ($12,900 CP) – Turner has stepped back into the leadoff spot for the Phillies and has been heating up since mid-June. While he is getting overshadowed by his slugging teammates, he’s been the best Phillies hitter since the All-Star break. Since moving back to the top of the order for his last 31 games, Turner is 38-for-126 (.302) with seven doubles, seven homers and a .376 wOBA along with three stolen bases.
Turner has hit righties well this season with a .254 average and .307 wOBA, and he has also been much better at home than on the road. With his premium lineup spot and favorable matchup against Warren, he has the potential to be the top hitter on the slate, so he can be a strong Captain’s Pick if you aren’t confident enough to pay up for Sanchez after his last few so-so showings.
UTIL Plays
Kyle Schwarber ($9,800) – Schwarber always brings a high ceiling due to his power potential, but he has just one homer in his last 12 games and is hitting only .222 during that stretch. He has hit safely in three straight games, though, and he also has a home run in his past matchups with Will Warren, going 1-for-4 but with a long ball. Schwarber is boom-or-bust but has the upside to be worth the salary in a UTIL spot.
Paul Goldschmidt ($6,600) – The Yankees will remain without Aaron Judge (rib) and will also now be without Cody Bellinger (news). One player who will have to step up, especially against lefties like Sanchez, is veteran righty Paul Goldschmidt, who has had a good series so far with 14 points and a home run on Friday and six points with two hits on Saturday. He’s averaging 8.4 FPTS per game in his 38 road games and is hitting .333 with a .452 wOBA against lefties. If anyone in New York’s lineup gets to Sanchez, Goldschmidt is a great pick to click in this spot.
J.T. Realmuto ($6,400) – Realmuto has at least 5 FPTS in five straight games, picking up two hits in each of the first two games of this series even though the Phillies lineup has been very quiet as a whole. He has hit safely in 10 straight games, averaging 7.4 FPTS by going 14-for-32 with three doubles. He isn’t the power threat that he was in his prime, but the veteran backstop is hitting for a good enough average to be a value option for MLB DFS in the UTIL spot against Warren.
Fades
Ben Rice ($9,400) – Despite my Red Sox loyalty, I’m usually a huge fan of Ben Rice for fantasy purposes, but the lefty has struggled lately and will be in a tough matchup against lefty Sanchez. Rice is 4-for-28 (.143) in his last seven games, averaging 4.7 FPTS even though he does have a home run.
Rice has gone 0-for-12 with six strikeouts in his last three games and doesn’t have a hit yet in the series. Sanchez is holding lefties to a .136 batting average and .144 wOBA this season, so I’m passing on Rice and the rest of the Yankees lefties in this Sunday’s contest.
The Outcome
The Phillies have a huge advantage with Sanchez on the mound against an injury-depleted Yankees lineup. Warren has not started since the All-Star break as a result of the Yankees juggling their rotation to accommodate players off the IL and rain postponements. Since he could be rusty and Sanchez should have success at home, the Phillies should be able to avoid the sweep on Sunday Night Baseball. I’m building my MLB DFS picks around Sanchez and Turner and expecting the home team to get a win on Sunday, and I’m using Goldschmidt as my favorite play from the other side.
Final Score: Philadelphia 6, New York 2
