With just three weeks left in the regular season, Major League Baseball gets a new set of series underway this Monday with a strong six-game slate on DraftKings.
The action gets underway at 7:05p.m. ET and includes several games that will impact playoff races. Most of the games start around 7:00p.m. ET with just one outlier. The Dodgers continue their push for the best record in the National League as they host the Cubs in the late-night hammer.
With a dozen teams in the player pool, several different strategies make sense. If you find yourself in need of some salary savings, check out these three options who come at very affordable salaries but still bring very high ceilings.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]
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SP Cade Povich, Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox, $6,800
The Orioles are just 1/2 game behind the Yankees in the AL East coming into the week, and they’ll look to bounce back after losing two of three to the Rays by taking on the Red Sox, who are 2-7 over their last nine games and quickly dropping out of the AL Wild Card chase.
All season long, the Red Sox have struggled to hit lefties. They have the highest K% of any team in the MLB against southpaws while hitting just .245 as a team in the split. Povich produced 18.7 fantasy points against them when he was called up to face them in mid-August.
On Monday, Povich will look to continue Boston’s struggles and build on the success of his most recent start. He dominated the White Sox last Tuesday over 7 1/3 shutout innings. He allowed just five hits and picking up ten strikeouts on his way to an impressive 37.5 fantasy points. Even if he can’t reach that level of production in Boston, he should be able to pick up enough strikeouts to return good value in the matchup. Especially as compared to the other shaky options priced around him on this slate.
1B Kyle Manzardo, Cleveland Guardians at Chicago White Sox, $2,700
Mazardo has become a regular part of the Guardians’ lineup against righties since returning to the team when rosters expanded a week ago. Since returning, the 24-year-old prospect has gone 6-for-19 (.316) with two doubles, two home runs and a .464 wOBA. He also has a 53.8% hard-hit rate over that span. This marks a dramatic improvement over his 36.7% hard-hit rate from his first stint in the majors. He hit 20 homers in his 83 games in Triple-A. All this while while posting a .409 wOBA and has been able to translate that success to the majors this time around.
On Monday, he and the Guardians start a series in Chicago against the woeful White Sox. He should be a great value against Nick Nastrini ($6,000). Nastrini who is 0-7 in eight MLB games this season with a 7.79 ERA, 7.57 FIP and seven homers allowed in 32 1/3 innings. He has given up a .447 wOBA to lefties, so Manzardo lands on the strong side of the splits.
OF Bryce Teodosio, Los Angeles Angels at Minnesota Twins, $2,000
The Angels lost Jo Adell (oblique) and Kevin Pillar (thumb) to IL this weekend, which gives them a chance to get some playing time for some promising players from Triple-A over the last few weeks of the season. Teodosio and Jordyn Adams ($2,000) were called up, and one or both of them could be in the lineup as bargains to consider over the next few weeks.
Teodosio hit .276 with a .337 wOBA in his 115 games for the Salt Lake Bees, but his main fantasy contribution was his 40 stolen bases. He had 14 stolen bases in 15 attempts over his last 24 games in Triple-A and hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games before being called up. Since joining the Halos, Teodosio has gone 0-for-5. However, his stolen base potential is enough to make him a good play at the minimum salary. Tonight, he and the Angels take on David Festa ($8,600) and the Twins in Minnesota.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Relay Throw [$25K 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.
