All 30 MLB clubs are in action on Sunday, highlighted by a Rockies-Mets doubleheader — and 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: MLB $200K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]

SP Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies ($9,700)

Chris Sale is fresh off spinning seven innings of one-run ball in Philadelphia. The veteran southpaw mitigated a second-inning solo shot off the bat of Felix Reyes with seven strikeouts and just one walk. Facing the Phillies Sunday afternoon on his home turf, let’s count on the Braves ace to shove once again. 

Sale — just two years removed from capturing the NL Cy Young — has carried his dominance into 2026. He has posted a 2.79 ERA (3.12 xERA) with a 1.00 WHIP and 29 strikeouts across his first five starts (29 IP). While home runs have been an initial concern for the perennial All-Star, the league still has no answer for his dastardly slider — Sale ranks in MLB’s 86th percentile or higher in hard-hit rate and chase rate. 

Philadelphia’s lineup, meanwhile, has failed to recapture the success of seasons past. Heading into Saturday night, the Phillies ranked near the MLB’s bottom in wRC+ (25th), OPS (26th), wOBA (27th), and total runs scored (28th). Don’t expect them to spark a turnaround against one of the most formidable arms in the sport.

1B Ben Rice, New York Yankees at Houston Astros ($5,400)

Ben Rice’s start to the 2026 campaign isn’t merely a breakout — it’s a warning to the rest of the league. The lefty Yankees slugger has finally cashed in on his tantalizing advanced metrics, hitting .316 with a 1.197 OPS through his first 25 games of the season. His nine home runs are tied with teammate Aaron Judge — and his 219 wRC+ trails only Yordan Alvarez for the MLB lead. 

Oh, and about those under-the-hood numbers: Rice ranks in MLB’s 98th percentile in hard-hit rate (64.7%), average exit velocity (95.5 mph), and xwOBA (.444), while pacing the majors in batting run value (14).

Through the first two games in Houston, Rice has gone 5-for-9 (.555) with three extra-base hits (one home run) and three RBIs. He should continue raking Sunday afternoon against right-hander Spencer Arrighetti, whose glitzy 2.45 ERA across two starts is undermined by a bloated 5.03 xERA.

OF Everson Pereira, Chicago White Sox vs. Washington Nationals ($3,500)

The White Sox have been absolutely mashing this season. And while Japanese star Munetaka Murakami — deservedly — grabs most of the headlines, red-hot bats like Everson Pereira are slipping into Sunday’s DFS value bin.

The former Yankees prospect is hitting .286 with a .908 OPS, 148 wRC+, and three home runs over his first 14 games in 2026. And in classic slugger fashion, Pereira has balanced lofty swing-and-miss rates with devastating contact. He ranks above MLB’s 80th percentile in barrel rate (14.3%) and xSLG (.525), while sitting in the top 1% for launch angle sweet-spot percentage (48.6%).  

Pereira, 25, notched an RBI single during Saturday’s loss to the Nationals, and he should stay hot Sunday afternoon against Washington’s Foster Griffin. While the veteran southpaw is off to a strong start, his meatball four-seamer has struggled to dodge barrels. That spells trouble against a guy boasting a .462 average, 1.332 OPS, and 267 wRC+ against lefties this season.