Welcome to Fantasy Alarm's MLB DFS picks and daily fantasy playbook for Sunday's 11-game main slate. This is about as loaded a Sunday as the sport can offer, headlined by a pair of aces working their way back from serious injuries and a handful of rookies who have completely rewritten their teams' rotation plans on the fly. Skies are clear across the entire slate today, so this is a rare Sunday where the forecast has zero bearing on how anyone should build.

Whether you are targeting Fantasy Alarm's MLB DFS projections, running your build through our tools, or checking today's lineups, Fantasy Alarm has the resources to sharpen your edge before lock.

Where this slate separates itself is injury and role context. Several of today's top arms are throwing under completely different circumstances than they were even a month ago, whether that's a long-awaited return to form or a fresh trip back to the mound after a rough stretch. Knowing which side of that story to trust is most of the battle.

Slate Weather Alert

It's about as clean a weather day as the sport gets. Every park on today's 11-game slate is clear with no precipitation in the forecast, so there's nothing to game-plan around and no reason to fade anyone on account of the skies.

MLB DFS Lineup Picks: Starting Pitchers

MLB DFS Top Pitchers

Zack Wheeler (PHI)

Detroit's offense has been held back by an all-or-nothing approach all season, a .235 team average that ranks 25th in baseball and a lineup that's 4-35 on the year in games it fails to score at least four runs. Wheeler's own return from last year's blood clot and thoracic outlet surgery, the same procedure that ended Stephen Strasburg's career, has been every bit as good as the Phillies could have hoped: a 2.28 ERA and 10.1 K/9 that looks exactly like peak Wheeler. He draws Tarik Skubal in a legitimate ace-versus-ace matchup today, with an offense on the other side that isn't built to punish a mistake.

Taj Bradley (MIN)

The Angels carry the second-highest strikeout rate against right-handed pitching in all of baseball this season at 24.8 percent, trailing only Cincinnati, exactly the profile a swing-and-miss arm like Bradley is built to attack. He's quietly turned into one of the best strikeout arms in the league this year, running a 10.5 K/9 with a 3.78 FIP that says his 3.67 ERA isn't an accident, and he's held right-handed hitters to just a .306 wOBA against a Los Angeles lineup that leans heavily right-handed. Bradley's recent market line has cashed the over in 6 of his last 10 turns.

Payton Tolle (BOS)

UPDATED: Tolle will be on a pitch count today and Brayan Bello will piggyback off of him. Tolle gets a Mets offense that's been one of the worst stories in baseball this season, a 40-56 club that was shut out for the ninth time just yesterday by this same Red Sox pitching staff, held to three singles in a 4-0 loss. New York has struggled to do anything with runners in scoring position for stretches at a time this year, and the lineup still hasn't found much of a pulse even with Juan Soto back in it. Tolle has been excellent in his own right, running a 3.07 expected ERA that sits among the better marks for any pitcher with at least 40 innings this season, and this is about as soft a matchup as he'll see all year.

Ian Seymour (TB)

Seattle carries the lowest wOBA against left-handed pitching of any team in baseball this season and ranks 29th of 30 in wRC+ against lefties, about as soft a matchup as exists on this slate. Seymour has completely stabilized a Rays rotation that's been battered by injuries to Ryan Pepiot and Joe Boyle, and his transformation has been remarkable: since settling into the rotation, he's thrown 19 innings with 19 strikeouts and a 2.84 ERA, including 6.2 hitless innings in relief last month, just the third pitcher since 1980 to do that.

MLB DFS Value Pitchers

Shane Baz (BAL)

Kansas City's offense has been a middle-of-the-pack unit for most of the season, and it's leaned on a left side of the infield that's dealt with injuries to both Maikel Garcia and Kyle Isbel for stretches at a time. Baz has been solid if unspectacular this season, but his 3.77 FIP sitting nearly half a run below his 4.21 ERA suggests better results should be coming, and his strikeout line has been a true coin flip over his last 10 turns, so there's little market bias built into the price either way.

Cade Cavalli (WSH)

New York carries the third-highest strikeout rate against right-handed pitching in baseball this season at 23.8 percent, and the lineup is still without Aaron Judge, a real added path to strikeout upside for Cavalli today. His road back has been a genuine grind, a torn UCL and Tommy John surgery that cost him nearly three full seasons before he finally stuck in the Nationals rotation this year, and the stuff has been loud since: a 10.2 K/9 and a 3.35 FIP that rank him among the better values on the board. The one real risk: most of today's Yankees lineup bats left-handed, and that's been Cavalli's shakier side this year, a 1.03 HR/9 and a .356 wOBA allowed.

Tyler Phillips (MIA)

Cleveland has been a below-average offense against right-handers this season, a 93.5 wRC+ that ranks 25th in baseball, and Phillips gets a shot at a lineup that's still searching for consistency. He's been more hittable than his surface numbers suggest, working to a 4.58 ERA with a FIP over 5.00, and the market strikeout line has favored the under in 6 of his last 10 outings, so the appeal here leans more on price than a genuinely lopsided matchup.

Top Options for Strikeouts

K/9, season strikeout rate, and opponent strikeout rate against that handedness for the strongest strikeout options on today's slate.

• MacKenzie Gore: 9.9 K/9, 25.6% K%, 20.3% opponent K%
• JR Ritchie: 8.4 K/9, 21.0% K%, 21.8% opponent K%
• Paul Skenes: 10.8 K/9, 29.3% K%, 21.7% opponent K%
• Dustin May: 8.6 K/9, 23.0% K%, 21.6% opponent K%
• Robert Gasser: 8.3 K/9, 21.9% K%, 25.6% opponent K%
• Andrew Abbott: 7.2 K/9, 18.5% K%, 21.2% opponent K%
• Cade Cavalli: 10.2 K/9, 25.5% K%, 23.8% opponent K%
• Taj Bradley: 10.5 K/9, 27.8% K%, 24.8% opponent K%

MLB DFS Lineup Picks: Stacks & Hitters

MLB DFS Top Hitters

Pete Alonso (1B, BAL)

Lugo has been especially homer-prone against right-handed hitters this year, allowing a 1.98 HR/9 and a .334 wOBA on that side, exactly the profile a middle-of-the-order power bat is built to punish. Alonso has been outstanding against right-handed pitching all season at a 148 wRC+, and he's locked into the cleanup spot for a Baltimore lineup carrying the highest implied total on the board today.

James Wood (OF, WSH)

Warren has allowed a 1.42 HR/9 and a .335 wOBA against left-handed hitters this year, a real power leak in an otherwise solid strikeout profile at over 9 K/9. Wood has been one of the best hitters in baseball against right-handers this year at a 172 wRC+, and he leads off a Nationals lineup that gets Warren today, exactly the kind of bat built to make that weakness hurt.

Seiya Suzuki (OF, CHC)

Abbott has been especially vulnerable to right-handed hitters this year, allowing a 1.49 HR/9 and a .326 wOBA on that side, both the weaker halves of his platoon splits. Suzuki has crushed left-handed pitching this year at a 153 wRC+, and he hits second for a Cubs lineup that's been the single best offense in baseball against lefties this season, not just on this slate.

Yordan Alvarez (OF, HOU)

Gore has walked left-handed hitters like Alvarez at a much higher rate than he does righties this year, a big driver behind an elevated .356 wOBA allowed on that side even though he hasn't given up many home runs specifically to lefties. Alvarez has hit lefties well this year at a 138 wRC+, and a pitcher who hasn't sorted out his control against same-side hitters is a matchup worth attacking regardless of the raw home run number.

MLB DFS Value Hitters

Anthony Seigler (2B, BOS)

Thornton is still in the early days of his major league career, with all of two starts to his name, and Seigler leads off today looking to keep capitalizing. He's hit lefties well in a small sample this season at a 136 wRC+ with a robust .227 ISO, including a home run in just 26 plate appearances, and the price is about as low as it gets on the slate.

Chase DeLauter (OF, CLE)

Phillips has been more hittable than his ERA suggests, and DeLauter has settled into an everyday role and the three-hole for Cleveland to potentially take advantage. His own numbers against right-handers sit right around league-average, with 8 home runs and a tidy 13 percent strikeout rate over 223 plate appearances, and the everyday playing time and rock-bottom price make him worth a look regardless.

Dylan Beavers (OF, BAL)

Lugo has actually been more hittable overall against left-handed batters like Beavers, allowing a .364 wOBA on that side despite a lower home run rate than he carries against righties, and Beavers has found an everyday spot in a loaded Orioles lineup carrying the top implied total on the slate. He's been a tick above league-average against right-handed pitching himself this year, backed by a healthy 12.7 percent walk rate, and correlated exposure to Baltimore's offense at this price is easy to stomach.

Wyatt Langford (OF, TEX)

Javier is making his first start back from a shoulder injury that produced a 12.54 ERA the last time out, and Langford is a clean way onto a Rangers lineup positioned to attack that. He's quietly been very good against right-handers this season himself at a 134 wRC+, with 6 home runs and a robust .208 ISO in just 135 plate appearances.

MLB DFS Top Stacks

Primary Stack: Chicago Cubs vs Andrew Abbott (CIN LHP)

Why: Abbott's ERA looks solid on the surface, but his FIP sits nearly a full run higher, a sign his batted-ball luck has been carrying him. He's also been notably more hittable against right-handed batters specifically, a 1.49 HR/9 and a .326 wOBA that both top his platoon splits, and Chicago has the right-handed pop in this lineup to take advantage. The market strikeout line has actually favored the over here in 6 of his last 10 turns too, so this isn't purely a soft-stuff argument.

Targets: Dansby Swanson, Carson Kelly, Seiya Suzuki, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Ian Happ

Primary Stack: Baltimore Orioles vs Seth Lugo (KC RHP)

Why: Lugo has been a roughly average arm overall, but he's been especially homer-prone against right-handed hitters specifically, a 1.98 HR/9 and a .334 wOBA that both stand out as his weaker platoon split. Baltimore carries the highest implied run total of any team on the slate today, and this lineup has the right-handed thump to take advantage.

Targets: Pete Alonso, Blaze Alexander, Samuel Basallo, Dylan Beavers, Gunnar Henderson

Primary Stack: New York Yankees vs Cade Cavalli (WSH RHP)

Why: Cavalli has been excellent against right-handed hitters this season, but his numbers flip hard against lefties, a 1.03 HR/9 and a .356 wOBA allowed compared to a stingy .266 wOBA against righties. Every hitter targeted below bats left-handed, which lines up directly with Cavalli's actual weak side, even without Aaron Judge in the lineup.

Targets: Ben Rice, Trent Grisham, Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm

MLB DFS Contrarian Stacks

“Contrarian” Stack: Boston Red Sox vs Zach Thornton (NYM LHP)

Why: Thornton has all of two career starts, both in the last couple of weeks, so there's essentially no MLB track record to trust here. Boston carries the third-best offense in baseball against left-handed pitching this season, and asking a pitcher this green to navigate this lineup twice through the order is a real ask.

Targets: Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, Andruw Monasterio, Romy Gonzalez, Anthony Siegler

“Contrarian” Stack: Texas Rangers vs Cristian Javier (HOU RHP)

Why: Javier is making his first big-league start since landing on the injured list with a shoulder strain, a stint that followed a 12.54 ERA over his first three outings this season. Texas has been a bit below league-average against righties as a team, but an arm this far removed from game action and carrying that kind of season-opening line is worth fading regardless of the team number.

Targets: Wyatt Langford, Joc Pederson, Josh Jung, Brandon Nimmo

“Contrarian” Stack: Washington Nationals vs Will Warren (NYY RHP)

Why: Warren's strikeout stuff is real at over 9 K/9, but he's been more hittable against left-handed batters specifically, a 1.42 HR/9 and a .335 wOBA compared to a tighter .318 wOBA against righties. Every hitter targeted below bats left-handed, which plays directly into that split, and James Wood alone makes this worth a look even before factoring in the rest of the lineup.

Targets: James Wood, CJ Abrams, Luis Garcia Jr., Daylen Lile