The MLB has another busy week of action ahead, and Monday night features a solid six-game slate that gets underway at 7:40 p.m. ET. Only one of the games is a divisional matchup as the Athletics host the Rangers in Oakland. In another headliner, Walker Buehler is set to make his season debut for the Dodgers, as they welcome the struggling Marlins to Chavez Ravine.
Whichever matchup has your attention, you may need to find some cheap fantasy options to balance out your spending and keep your roster under the salary cap. As you start to shop for bargains, take a look at these three values who should be able to return great value at their low salaries.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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SP Kyle Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals vs. New York Mets, $7,300
Gibson has been solid for the Cardinals this season and has shown a good ceiling in his last few outings. The 36-year-old veteran is 2-2 through his first six starts with a 3.79 ERA, 4.86 FIP and 6.87 K/9. Despite that pedestrian strikeout rate for the season, he is coming off a nine-strikeout performance in his last start, when he held the Tigers to one run over seven innings and produced 28.2 DKFP in a no-decision. Gibson has hit the 20-DKFP plateau in each of his last two starts and has gone at least six innings in every one of his six outings. He has allowed exactly one run in each of his last three games, so he comes into this home contest with excellent form. The Mets rank in the middle of the pack in most offensive categories this season, and they roll into St. Louis after dropping three straight to the Rays in Tampa. They’re not a matchup you have to necessarily avoid, and Gibson brings a high enough ceiling to the matchup that he’s worth a look at just over $7,000, especially on this limited slate.
1B/3B Ezequiel Duran, Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics, $2,700
Duran is likely going to get some extra playing time over the next few weeks while Wyatt Langford (hamstring) is on the IL. Duran stepped up for the Rangers last year whenever they battled injuries, and he will look to be productive in a similar setup this season. The 24-year-old is hitting just .235 in his 20 games this season with one stolen base, no home runs and a .268 wOBA. Last year, though, he showed more potential with 14 homers and a .330 wBOA over 122 games. Duran has a .338 wOBA and 115 wRC+ against southpaws in his career, and he’ll be in a favorable matchup against lefty Alex Wood ($5,500), who has a 6.32 ERA and 5.48 FIP in seven starts for the A’s. He has already served up five homers this season, four of which have come to right-handed hitters, making the Rangers a great lineup to target and Duran a very affordable way to get some exposure. He can also slot in at either corner infield spot, making him work in many roster builds.
OF Austin Martin, Dominic Smith, Minnesota Twins vs. Seattle Mariners, $2,800
The Twins’ winning streak was snapped on Sunday by the Red Sox, but they’ll look to get back in the win column on Monday night as they host the Mariners. Martin spent most of last week in Triple-A after being sent down last Monday when Carlos Correa ($4,600) returned from injury. He was back in the bigs on Friday, though, after Byron Buxton (knee) landed on the IL again. Martin can play multiple positions but should get time in CF while Buxton is out. The 25-year-old righty was ranked as the No. 15 prospect in the Minnesota system coming into the season by MLB Pipeline, after he joined the organization as part of the Jose Berrios trade. Martin typically makes a lot of contact and provides good speed potential. In his 24 games for the Twins, he is hitting .231 with a home run and three stolen bases. He also stole two bases in his two games at Triple-A while hitting .429 in that tiny sample size. He is one of the few outfielders under $3,000 on this slate that has a high ceiling. He has three stolen bases in his last four starts in the MLB, and if he keeps getting the green light, he’ll be a solid fill-in bargain for as long as Buxton is sidelined.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Relay Throw [$50K 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 skill 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.
