Covering The Bases: MLB DFS Picks Today for Sunday 5/24

by Justin Van Zuiden (stlcardinals84) Last Updated 2026-05-24 13:51:24 Premium Content Part of the product MLB DFS

Long-time grinder Justin Van Zuiden (aka stlcardinals84) is here to cover the bases for the upcoming MLB DFS slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Whether you are looking for the top pitchers or the best stacks, Justin has you covered with an extensive deep dive into his favorite MLB DFS picks today on May 24, 2026.

Happy Sunday, MLB Grinders! We are in the middle of a fun holiday weekend, but today’s slate is a bit wonky.

1) DraftKings is operating with the usual Sunday time slots and has an 8-game main slate.

2) There are a pair of earlier games today starting around 12:15 PM ET, and FanDuel is including those. That gives us a very early lock on FD with a 10-game main slate.

3) We have weather issues in the Eastern part of the United States again today, with potential hiccups for MIN/BOS, TB/NYY, and STL/CIN, though it seems like the game in Boston is the only one with significant danger. As usual, I am going to write the article assuming every game plays, but we will need to keep an eye on this as lock gets closer.

I have no further time to waste with the early start on FD today. Let’s dive in and see what Sunday has to offer for MLB DFS picks!

Sunday Pitching: MLB DFS Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel

TOP TIER PITCHERS

• Dylan Cease vs. Pirates (FD Only)
• Yoshinobu Yamamoto at Brewers
• Parker Messick at Phillies
• Shota Imanaga vs. Astros

This is a loaded slate for pitching, and we start with a strong group of 4 pitchers at the top. It’s down to 3 if you are playing on DK, with Dylan Cease only being available on the FD slate, but there’s still plenty of fun to be had. As usual, I’ll begin with a peek at the 2026 data:

Cease – 2.98 ERA, 2.57 xFIP, 35.1% K, 10.5% BB
Yamamoto – 3.32 ERA, 3.20 xFIP, 25.3% K, 5.4% BB
Messick – 2.45 ERA, 3.04 xFIP, 28.3% K, 7.5% BB
Imanaga – 3.38 ERA, 3.47 xFIP, 26.0% K, 6.8% BB

Since this is such a strong group of aces, we can afford to be picky with whom we target. Parker Messick is the odd man out for me. He’s going to be a great pitcher in the major leagues for a long time, but this is still a rookie pitching on the road in Philadelphia, and that is a tough environment for any pitcher. In addition, Messick has a sub-12% swinging-strike rate, which suggests that his strikeout rate should dip as the season goes along. I am not 100% sold here, and that’s enough to make him a clear #4 out of this group.

Dylan Cease is rolling along like always, and while the walks have been an issue, they are somewhat mitigated by the fact that the Blue Jays let him go for 100+ pitches quite often. In fact, Cease has cleared 90 pitches in every start this season. The 35% strikeout rate and 15% swinging-strike rate are elite, and Cease is a great option on FD for both safety and ceiling against a Pirates team that has been scuffling a bit with the bats.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be the most logical pivot away from Cease if you are playing on DK where the latter is not available. Yamamoto is as consistent as they come, with above-average strikeouts and impeccable command. I generally don’t love targeting pitchers against those pesky Brewers, but Yamamoto is a matchup-proof exception. He would be my cash game SP1 on DK.

My favorite tournament pitcher on the entire slate is Shota Imanaga. There are a number of positive factors at play for him today. Houston’s offense has been hurt by injuries all year long, and Yordan Alvarez became the latest player to get injured yesterday. The Astros have already announced that he will sit for the series finale in Chicago. We also have another day with favorable pitching conditions at Wrigley Field, and the Astros have the lowest implied team total on the entire slate at just over 3.0 runs. The Cubs also need Imanaga to be an ace to help stop a 7-game losing streak, and Imanaga’s 14.6% swinging-strike rate this year suggests that the bump in strikeouts is real. I really like him today.

In short, I would use Cease as my default SP1 on FD. I would use Yamamoto as my default SP1 on DK. I love Imanaga as a tournament pivot, and I will roll out plenty of DK lineups with both Yamamoto and Imanaga where possible.

SECONDARY ARMS

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