Major League Baseball gets the work week started with an eight-game main slate on DraftKings. There are four games that are scheduled before 7:05 p.m. ET which aren’t on the main slate, but there are still plenty of strong options to consider from the 16 teams in the player pool. The only division contest is a nightcap from the AL West, but there are some fascinating matchups as teams try to battle their way into the playoff hunt with just under two months left in the regular season.
As always with DFS fantasy baseball, you’ll want to keep up with any updates leading up to the first pitch. There are a few weather situations to keep a close eye on Monday in Pittsburgh, New York and Cleveland. You can monitor all the latest injury, weather and lineup news by installing the DK Live app and following DraftKings Network on X (@DKNetwork). I’m also on X (@ZT_Sports), where you can keep up with all my picks as the regular season races play out and we get geared up for what should be an outstanding postseason.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $300K Relay Throw [$100K to 1st]
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PITCHER
Stud
Spencer Strider, Atlanta Braves at Pittsburgh Pirates ($12,800) – Strider has been one of the best pitchers in baseball all season and gets a juicy matchup in this contest against the Pirates. He leads the majors in strikeouts and K/9 rate and has averaged 25.6 DKFP per start. He has at least 27.9 DKFP in six of his past eight starts since a blip in mid-June.
In those eight starts, he went 5-1 with a 2.82 ERA, 2.27 FIP and a 1.02 WHIP. He also posted at least nine strikeouts in each of those starts, totaling 82 strikeouts in 51 innings over that span. He should be in a perfect spot to keep producing against the Pirates, who have scored the third-fewest runs in the majors over the past 30 days while hitting only .216 as a team and ranking sixth in the league with a 25.8% strikeout rate. This should be a smash spot for “The ‘Stache,” so pay up if you can find bargains at other positions (I’ve listed some of my favorite salary-savers below)
Other Options – Freddy Peralta ($9,600), Brayan Bello ($9,000),
Value
Dane Dunning, Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics ($7,200) – Dunning is coming off his best start of the season, and he gets one of the best matchups possible as he faces the Athletics in Oakland on Monday night. On Wednesday, Dunning picked up a season-high 11 strikeouts in 7 2⁄3 innings against the White Sox on his way to his ninth win of the season and a season-high 38.9 DKFP. Dunning’s start was a huge step forward after a July of mixed results in which he had a wide range of performances from a high of 19.3 DKFP to an ugly outing that resulted in -6.65 DKFP.
Dunning has shown off his ceiling a few times since joining the rotation in early May. He had 10 strikeouts and 37.1 DKFP against the Tigers at the end of June. He excels against teams that aren’t stocked with big bats and that seems to be the setup for his outing against Oakland as well. In his career, he has a 3.65 ERA in 24 2⁄3 innings against the Athletics with 23 strikeouts, but he has yet to face them this season. With how thin the A’s lineup is, Dunning should be able to continue his success from his last start and will have a strong lineup behind him as he goes head-to-head with Ken Waldichuk ($5,400).
Other Options – Gavin Williams ($7,400), Drew Smyly ($6,800)
INFIELD
Stud
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves at Pittsburgh Pirates ($6,200) – Olson continues to go deep at an impressive clip, leading the National League with 39 homers in his 109 games. Seven of those homers have come in his past nine games, and he has averaged 17.0 DKFP per game during that span. The lefty homered on Sunday against a left-handed pitcher but has done most of his damage with 33 homers and a .431 wOBA against right-handed pitchers this season. He should be in a great matchup on Monday against righty Osvaldo Bido ($5,500), who has allowed lefties to post a .373 wOBA this season. Olson’s recent home run binge makes him worth considering as a pay-up play in any matchup, especially against righties.
Stud
Jeimer Candelario, Chicago Cubs at New York Mets ($4,500) – Candelario can flex to either corner infield spot and has been a huge boost to the Cubs since joining the team at the Trade Deadline. In his six games since being acquired, Candelario has gone 12-for-21 (.571) with four doubles, a home run, eight runs scored, four walks and a stolen base. He has averaged 14.3 DKFP in those six games, which have really been a continuation of his form since the All-Star break during which time he has gone 23-for-67 (.343) with seven doubles, four homers and a pair of stolen bases. He’ll head back to face the NL East as the Cubs visit the Mets and take on Kodai Senga ($10,000) on Monday. He offers elite upside at a mid-range price in his current form with his new team.
Other Options – Marcus Semien ($6,100), Bobby Witt Jr. ($5,500), Justin Turner ($4,600)
Value
Luis Rengifo, Los Angeles Angels vs. San Francisco Giants ($3,700) – Rengifo has been a nice value play since taking over as the Halos’ leadoff hitter midway through July. In 15 games since moving to the top of the order, he went 19-for-61 (.311) with three doubles, two triples and four home runs for a wOBA well over .400 and an average of 9.9 DKFP per contest. Rengifo brings the positional flexibility to fill either middle infield position and brings a good ceiling at the top of the lineup for the Angels, who will be looking to get on track after dropping six straight games.
Value
Davis Schneider, Toronto Blue Jays at Cleveland Guardians ($2,700) – Schneider got off to a storybook start to his MLB career over the weekend in Boston. He went 9-for-13 (.692) in the three-game set with a pair of home runs and an average of 20.3 DKFP per game. The 24-year-old wasn’t considered an elite prospect but forced his way to the majors by hitting .275 with 21 homers and .421 in 87 games with the Buffalo Bisons. While this pace is obviously unsustainable, he is scorching hot right now and comes with a very high ceiling as the Blue Jays continue their road trip by visiting Gavin Williams ($7,400) and the Guardians.
Other Options – David Fry ($2,500), Brayan Rocchio ($2,300)
OUTFIELD
Stud
Adolis Garcia, Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics ($5,800) – Garcia and the Rangers get a great matchup to start the week, facing Ken Waldichuk, who has a 6.52 ERA, 5.64 FIP and 1.74 WHIP in his 25 games this season. The lefty has allowed 16 home runs and a 40.6% hard-hit rate. Garcia is on pace for the best season of his career. He has hit .266 with 29 homers and a .370 wOBA, and much of that success has come against lefties. He has a .391 wOBA and six homers against southpaws. On Sunday, Garcia had another multi-hit game and his 29th homer of the year. He has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games with a .325 batting average, five homers and a .471 wOBA. His recent form and this great matchup make him a strong pay-up play to consider.
Cody Bellinger, Chicago Cubs at New York Mets ($5,300) – Bellinger has been an awesome addition to the Cubs and hit .326 over his first 81 games with the team with 16 home runs, 17 stolen bases and a .389 wOBA. Bellinger has been especially aggressive on the basepaths in recent games with five steals in his past six games. He has also been on base often after going 17-for-41 (.415) in his past 11 games with three doubles, one home run and an average of 12.5 DKFP per contest over that span.
Other Options – Ronald Acuña ($6,600), Luis Robert Jr. ($5,900), Esteury Ruiz ($4,200)
Value
Ezequiel Duran, Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics ($3,700) – Duran should get a chance to earn a spot in the everyday lineup while Josh Jung (thumb) is sidelined. The 24-year-old rookie showed good upside while filling in for an injured Corey Seager ($6,300) earlier this season and has hit .281 with 14 homers, six stolen bases and a .345 wOBA in 88 games this year. Duran homered on Sunday after coming in for Jung, and hopefully, getting more regular playing time can help him get his feet under him after a slow start to the second half. Duran has been especially effective against lefties with a .306 batting average on the year against lefties with a .294 ISO and .410 wOBA. He’ll be on the strong side of those splits in this tasty matchup with Waldichuk.
Value
Brenton Doyle, Colorado Rockies at Milwaukee Brewers ($2,800) – Doyle is another rookie who has stepped up in regular playing time and should stay in the Rockies lineup moving forward after the trade of Randal Grichuk ($3,900) to the Angels. Doyle has hit just .206 on the season but has a five-game hitting streak to start the month of August. During that streak, he has gone 6-for-18 (.333) with three doubles, three runs scored and a stolen base. He has seven homers and 15 steals on the season, so he brings good upside for a player under $3K due to his potential in both power and speed categories.
Other Options – Randal Grichuk ($3,900), Oscar Gonzalez ($2,600)
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $300K Relay Throw [$100K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
