We’ve got a six-game MLB featured slate on DraftKings this evening, as we’re just three days away from closing out the first full month of baseball’s regular season. Time flies, right?
Let’s dive in and break down some of the top DFS targets and value options on Monday.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Knuckleball [$50K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Jack Flaherty, Detroit Tigers at Houston Astros, $10,000 – This isn’t the strongest pitching slate I’ve ever seen, but there is some safety at the top in Flaherty. The 29-year-old hasn’t always been the most consistent DFS asset in the world, yet Flaherty has exceeded 24.0 FPTS in three of his five starts this season. How? In a single word: Strikeouts. Flaherty currently owns a career-high 30.6% strikeout rate, which has translated into an elite 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings. His 2.63 ERA and 3.09 FIP aren’t too shabby, either. This also isn’t your slightly older brother’s Astros anymore. Houston has struggled with the bats to begin 2025, posting a .114 ISO and an 89 wRC+. Suddenly, this is not a matchup to fear.
Value
Will Warren, New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles, $6,800 – Warren’s now made 11 appearances (10 starts) at the MLB level and while I wouldn’t call his 43.1 innings successful, the fact he’s struck out 50 opponents in that stretch gives him more upside than 75% of the pitchers on this slate. Specific to 2025, the right-hander has 21 strikeouts in 20.2 frames and he’s pitched to a respectable 3.73 FIP. In a matchup with an Orioles squad that comes into Monday with the league’s fourth-highest strikeout rate (23.8%), expect Warren to keep racking up the whiffs. Baltimore is also hitting just .210 with a 97 wRC+ across the past two weeks. Something to keep in mind.
INFIELD
Stud
Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals, $6,000 – As we all know by now, you want to be using the switch-hitting De La Cruz against a right-handed starter. For his career, the young phenom owns a 122 wRC+ as an LHB, but just a 66 wRC+ as an RHB. Tonight’s righty is Andre Pallante ($7,500), who will be making his sixth start of 2025. Pallante’s had his woes to begin the season, surrendering 1.69 opponent home runs per nine and pitching to an inflated 5.41 FIP. That’s no way to survive at Great American Ball Park.
Stud
Ben Rice, New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles, $4,700 – Ben Rice is the prince of Baseball Savant. The 26-year-old comes into tonight’s action in possession of a 98th percentile hard hit rate (60.0%), a 97th percentile barrel rate (21.7%) and a 97th percentile expected wOBA (.425). He also owns a 97th percentile expected wOBA on batted ball events (.533) which is quite pertinent information in a matchup with Tomoyuki Sugano ($6,500). The elderly rookie simply does not miss bats. Sugano is striking out a measly 8.0% of the batter’s he’s faced in 2025, which means a lot of balls in play or over the fence. Sugano has surrendered 2.12 home runs per nine to opposing LHBs. Woof.
Value
Ryan McMahon, Colorado Rockies vs. Atlanta Braves, $3,900 – McMahon’s been so, so bad to start this season, yet he’s still hitting third in the Rockies’ lineup and his price tag has dropped below $4,000. That’s enough for me to tentatively buy-in on the struggling third baseman on Monday night. It certainly helps that Bryce Edler ($7,800) is going to have to take the mound for the Braves at Coors Field. In his 14 starts at the MLB level dating back to 2024, Elder’s pitched to a 6.24 ERA and he’s conceded 2.04 home runs per nine to opposing left-handed bats. It’s a low bar, but McMahon clears it.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees at Baltimore Orioles, $6,300 – You can’t do it all the time, but this is one of those slates where you find the money to put Judge in your lineups. For the fourth straight season, Judge is sporting an expected wOBA above .600 on batted ball events (.622), which basically just means every ball he puts into play is dangerous. Well, as mentioned above, Sugano doesn’t strike anyone out, which means the reigning AL MVP is going to make some loud contact tonight. It’s also worth remembering that the Orioles brought in the left field fence at Camden this offseason. This might be the perfect storm.
Stud
Brent Rooker, Athletics at Texas Rangers, $5,400 – It’s difficult to overstate just how good Rooker has been against left-handed pitching since the beginning of 2023. In that span, Rooker owns a .561 slugging percentage within the split. For some context, that’s the seventh-highest qualified mark in baseball within that time frame, sitting slightly above Mookie Betts and slightly behind Jose Ramirez. Pretty good company. Patrick Corbin ($7,000) hasn’t been terrible for the Rangers, but the implosion is coming. I can feel it in my bones.
Value
Alex Verdugo, Atlanta Braves at Colorado Rockies, $4,000 – I’m not sure how we got here. At one point this offseason, it looked like no team was willing to sign Verdugo to an MLB contract. Now, he’s hitting leadoff for the Braves — and thriving. In 38 plate appearances, the veteran is batting .333 with a .390 expected wOBA. That’s more than anyone would have expected three months ago. Tonight, Verdugo and the rest of Atlanta’s bats will get to square-off with Ryan Feltner ($6,000) in Colorado. Feltner has had his issues with LHBs in 2025, giving up a .390 wOBA within the split. That should mean good things for Verdugo in the altitude.
