It's always strange to come back from the All-Star break for what's supposed to be the "second half", because it's really the final third. We have less than 60 games remaining, and it's a sprint to the finish line with only two months left in the regular season. We also have the trade deadline approaching in the coming days, which will likely cause even more chaos to these DFS cards. We don't expect to see much movement yet, but it's something to keep an eye on.
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Pitching
Cristopher Sanchez, PHI at CWS ($10,500)
Sanchez just had one of the starts of the season in his most recent outing, striking out 12 batters across nine one-run innings. That's actually not far off from what we've seen from Sanchez for weeks, scoring at least 18 DraftKings points in eight straight starts. He also surrendered two runs or fewer in all of those en route to a 1.54 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 9.0 K/9 rate in that span. That ridiculous run should be easy to duplicate against Chicago, sitting bottom five in runs scored, OBP, OPS and xwOBA since the start of last year. We also don't mind that Sanchez is a -220 favorite!
Chase Burns, CIN vs. LAD ($7,500)
Using a guy with a 6.65 ERA and 1.62 WHIP against the Dodgers should end in disaster, right? There's more going on under the hood though, because Burns has been stellar outside of one start. He's scored at least 17 DraftKings points in all of his other four starts, registering a ridiculous 14.8 K/9 rate. That strikeout stuff is what's really encouraging because his ERA and WHIP should regress back to the mean as the season closes. Facing LA isn't as bad as it sounds either, because they rank 24th in K rate, 27th in wOBA and 28th in OPS over the last 30 days. This is a sneaky spot to use a pitcher with a low roster rate who's inevitably going to be $1,000 more a month from now.
Top Targets
Randy Arozarena, SEA (vs. JP Sears) $5,000
Many people outside of fantasy circles might not realize this, but Arozarena is one of the hottest hitters in the league right now. The former Ray has a .299 AVG, .381 OBP, .610 SLG and .991 OPS across his last 43 fixtures. The 13 homers and eight steals in that span showcase an elite DFS resume, too, because he's a top-10 player in that stretch. Facing someone like Sears is stupendous, with the lefty posting a 5.61 ERA and 1.36 WHIP at home this year. Arozarena also has a .295 AVG and .900 OPS against southpaws this season. If you want to stack Seattle, Julio Rodriguez ($5,300) is scorching right now and has the platoon advantage against Sears.
Corey Seager, TEX (vs. Jack Kochanowicz) $4,800
Seager has been a regular in my articles for a month now because he never lets us down. The shortstop has returned to his All-Star form recently, sporting a .344 AVG, .467 OBP, .688 SLG and 1.154 OPS across his last 26 outings. That looks even better when evaluating his splits, providing a .397 OBP and .980 OPS against righties over the last three years. Facing a guy like Kochanowicz is the icing on the cake, and we'll dive into that matchup more in the Stacks To Consider section.
Bargain Bats
Ozzie Albies. ATL (vs. Rich Hill) $3,800
This is risky with how awful Albies has been all season, but we're finally seeing signs of life from the three-time All-Star. Since returning from the All-Star break, Ozzie has a .364 OBP and .825 OPS. That's the form we've been waiting to see, because we're talking about a guy who has a .775 career OPS. The most impactful variable is that Albies matches up with a lefty, and he's posted a .314 AVG and .807 OPS against them since 2023. The matchup with Hill doesn't scare us one bit, and we'll talk about that more below.
Matt Wallner, MIN (vs. Richard Fitts) $3,600
Wallner has been mired in a slump recently, but this guy is too good to be sitting below $4K. Despite the subpar season, he has a .347 career OBP, .483 SLG and .830 OPS. To put that in perspective, Cal Raleigh has a .788 career OPS. We're not saying Wallner is better, but he's a great pick in this salary range against a righty. He has a .369 OBP and .890 OPS against righties since 2023! Facing Fitts is far from worrisome, as he's totaled a 7.41 ERA and 1.47 WHIP over his last five starts. We don't mind a full-on Twinkies stack, with Byron Buxton ($6,000), Willi Castro ($4,300) and Trevor Larnach ($3,700) looking like the best pairings with Wallner.
Stacks to Consider
Atlanta at Kansas City Royals (Hill): Ronald Acuna ($6,400), Drake Baldwin ($4,400), Austin Riley ($4,200), Albies ($3,800)
Atlanta has been the biggest disappointment in baseball this season, but the club still has one of the most talented lineups in the league. What makes them particularly intriguing here is that the lineup is stacked with dangerous right-handed bats, against a 45-year-old southpaw. It's hard to understand why KC is even giving Hill a chance, as he's collected a 5.35 ERA and 1.52 WHIP since 2023.
The table-setter for this team is Acuna, who's top three in fantasy points since his debut in 2018. Baldwin has been balling in the cleanup spot, compiling a .380 OBP and .905 OPS against lefties this season. Riley also has the platoon advantage against Hill, and he's registered a .880 OPS against left-handers in his career.
Texas Rangers vs. Los Angeles Angels (Kochanowicz): Seager ($4,800), Marcus Semien ($4,400), Adolis Garcia ($4,000), Joc Pederson ($2,000)
The Rangers have turned their season around since the break, winning nine of their last 10 outings. A revived offense has been a major reason for the recent success because this was an elite lineup just last year. We should see them continue that recent form against Kochanowicz, who's accrued a 6.03 ERA and 1.63 WHIP across 19 starts this season. Two of those were against Texas, with the Rangers roughing him up to the tune of a 14.73 ERA and 2.73 WHIP.
We have to kick off our stack with Seager, but Semien is right there with him. The former All-Star has a .283 AVG, .355 OBP and .866 OPS across his last 48 fixtures. Garcia has also turned his season around, accumulating a .745 OPS across his last 21 outings. Pederson is the sneaky option of the bunch at a minimum price, as it appears DraftKings forgot that he was just activated. Pederson has a .345 OBP and .831 OPS against righties throughout his career and should be in the heart of this lineup.
