The MLB starts another week of fantasy baseball action with a busy Monday night. The featured eight-game slate gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET and includes several intriguing matchups that have major playoff implications. The Royals and Twins meet in Minnesota in the only divisional matchup on the slate, and both teams enter the night in position for a Wild Card — but with plenty of teams giving chase. In the National League, the Central-leading Brewers host the West-leading Dodgers in what could be a playoff preview.
With 16 teams in the player pool on Monday, you can strategize your roster build in many different ways. If you need to save some salary in a spot or two, check out these three bargain options that bring a high ceiling despite their low salary.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $250K Knuckleball [$50K to 1st]
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SP Tyler Mahle, Texas Rangers at Boston Red Sox, $6,800
Mahle has made just one start for the Rangers this season after recovering from Tommy John surgery in May of 2023. Mahle has always brought good strikeout upside. Even though he’s still ramping up to full strength, he brings a high ceiling in Monday’s matchup in Boston. He had two strikeouts over five solid innings in his season debut but took a hard-luck loss against Framber Valdez despite allowing just one run on five hits. He finished with 9.7 fantasy points.
In each of his last four seasons before Tommy John surgery, Mahle averaged over a strikeout per inning, totaling 424 strikeouts in 374 innings from 2020-2023. He made six rehab starts and totaled 18 strikeouts in 18 innings. His strikeout ceiling is high in this matchup vs. the Red Sox, who have run hot and cold on offense this season. They were just swept at home by the Astros and had a 37.4% K rate while scoring only 10 runs in those three losses. They have the fourth-highest K rate in the MLB this season and have recently been a team that opposing starting pitchers can post big numbers against. If Mahle can last long enough and continue to ramp up his pitch count, he has the potential to be a great value under $7,000.
OF Jo Adell, Los Angeles Angels vs. Toronto Blue Jays, $3,200
Both the Angels and Blue Jays are out of the playoff race and letting some of their young hitters get extra playing time. As a result, both lineups in this matchup are stuffed with solid value options with upside. Adell has a great ceiling and may be finally ready to realize his potential, which has intrigued scouts and fantasy players over the past several seasons. When he arrived in the majors in 2020, Adell was one of the top hitting prospects in all of baseball. But, he has struggled to establish himself as an everyday contributor.
Adell has a high ceiling due to his power and speed. He hit 24 homers and had a .404 wOBA in Triple-A last year, and this year he has 17 home runs in his 108 games for the Angels while also adding 14 stolen bases. He has also reduced his strikeout rate this season and is starting to find a groove even though he is still hitting just .204 on the season. Before going 0-for-4 on Sunday, Adell had a nine-game hitting streak. During that stretch, he went 11-for-33 (.333) with one homer, one stolen base and a .380 wOBA.
C Adrian Del Castillo, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Colorado Rockies, $2,100
The Diamondbacks called up the 24-year-old Del Castillo when Gabriel Moreno (groin) landed on IL. The young backstop was hitting an impressive .319 in Triple-A with 24 homers and a .428 wOBA before being called up, and he has made an instant impact for the injury-depleted Diamondbacks.
Del Castillo went 1-for-3 with a double in his MLB debut last Wednesday, then smashed a walk-off home run in Friday’s win vs. the Phillies. On Sunday, he was back in the lineup and collected three more hits, making him an impressive 7-for-12 (.583) in his tiny MLB sample size, with an average of 16 fantasy points per game. The Diamondbacks will likely try to ride his hot streak as long as it lasts. If he starts against Bradley Blalock ($4,000) and the Rockies on Monday, he’ll be a great way to get huge upside even though his salary is barely over the minimum.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $250K Knuckleball [$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.
