On Monday, Major League Baseball begins the new month of July with a small three-game DFS fantasy baseball slate that gets underway early at 3:07 p.m. ET as the Blue Jays host the Astros in their traditional Canada Day matinee. The other two games in play are both from the National League as the Nationals host the Mets in an NL East showdown and the Brew Crew takes on Coors Field and the Rockies in the final game of the night.
Even with just six teams in the player pool, you may need to go with some cheap plays to round out your roster this Monday. Check out my three favorite bargain plays of the day listed and analyzed below. Even though these players come with low salaries, they bring attractive upside.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $175K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
For up-to-the-minute news, analysis and lineups, download the DK Live app. You also can follow DraftKings Network on Twitter @dknetwork.
SP Bryse Wilson, Milwaukee Brewers at Colorado Rockies, $6,000
The top three SP options will draw plenty of deserved attention, but if you want to go with a cheaper play, the best of the bargain bunch is Bryse Wilson. Wilson has mixed some strong outings with a few rough appearances over the last few months. He has often worked as a bulk reliever after an opener but is expected to get the start this Monday at Coors Field. Whether he starts or comes as the primary reliever, Wilson has shown a high ceiling. In his last start, he went six shutout innings against the Rangers with four strikeouts and 23.7 DKFP. He also earned 25 DKFP in mid-June against the Reds with 5 1⁄3 shutout innings with six strikeouts. In between those two strong outings, though, he was hammered by the Padres, giving up five runs and three homers in just 4 2⁄3 innings. Wilson has been a “boom or bust” option even without the added volatility of pitching at Coors Field, so I understand why he’s the cheapest option on the board. However, I like his upside and see him as a viable option since he has had some strong performances as well. He is in a favorable matchup against the Rockies lineup, which is dangerous at home but below league average overall. The Rockies have the third-worst team wRC+ in the MLB, which accounts for Park Factor, and they also have the third-highest K%, which gives Wilson an even higher ceiling if he can pile up the punchouts. Building with Wilson instead of more expensive pitchers leaves plenty of salary for other spots on your roster to bulk up on big bats. If you expect the Brewers to crush Colorado, you can get even more correlation in your Milwaukee stack by snagging Wilson as one of your starting pitchers.
OF Jake Meyers, Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays, $3,200
A little like Wilson, Meyers has run hot and cold throughout this season but brings good upside for his price point this Monday. In the middle of June, he endured an 0-for-14 slide, but he has caught fire since then, going 11-for-34 (.324) over his last 10 games with seven of those 11 base hits going for extra bases. He has two of his eight homers this season during that span with a .294 ISO, .446 wOBA and 59.1% hard-hit rate, per Statcast. Meyers always brings great outfield defense, and now he’s settling into a regular role in the middle third of the Astros’ lineup as well. On Monday, he’ll face Yariel Rodriguez ($6,900) of the Blue Jays, who had his last start cut short due to rain and has only thrown 2 1⁄3 MLB innings since April. On the season, Rodriguez has allowed righties to hit .342 with a .447 wOBA against him, so Meyers is on the strong side of Monday’s splits.
C Alejandro Kirk, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Houston Astros, $2,500
On the other side of the early game, Kirk is a solid cheap play behind the plate who brings good upside at a low salary. He is only hitting .206 with two homers this season, but he has hit safely in each of his last three starts with a pair of doubles over the weekend against the Yankees. Over his last 19 games, he is 12-for-51 (.235) with four extra-base hits and a .297 wOBA. He has been platooning with Danny Jansen ($3,900) behind the plate, but Jansen could be headed to the paternity list based on Brian Serven ($2,000) on the taxi squad, per Hazel Mae of Sportsnet. Jansen started Sunday, but if Kirk gets back behind the plate for Monday’s matinee, he should be set up to be a good source of salary relief with some potential production based on the fact that he seems to be coming around at the plate.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $175K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
For sports betting, head over to DraftKings Sportsbook or download the DK Sportsbook app.
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.
