After a full day of baseball throughout the afternoon, there are four games lined up for Monday night to wrap up a great Memorial Day Weekend of action on the diamonds. All four games are the start of new series with two National League series and two American League matchups. Even with just eight teams in the player pool, there are plenty of great fantasy options to target, so let’s dive in and look at some of my favorite MLB DFS picks this Monday night, examining some of the top studs and values on the board.
The Rays host the Twins in the first game of the night at hitter-friendly George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. Chase Field hosts the second game of the night, as the Diamondbacks welcome in the Pirates. The final two games of the slate take place in sunny SoCal where the Padres host the Marlins and the Angels take on the Yankees in the late-night hammer, which starts at 9:38 p.m. ET.
Let’s break down the top options in my MLB DFS picks.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $88K Relay Throw [$20K to 1st] (Night)
PITCHER
Stud
Ryan Weathers, Miami Marlins at San Diego Padres, $8,300: Weathers will be making his third start of the season after starting the season late due to a forearm issue. He faced the Cubs in both of his previous outings, giving up two runs on seven hits in 10 innings while totaling nine strikeouts.
In his three rehab outings, he had a 1.69 ERA and 2.31 FIP while totaling 13 strikeouts in 10 2/3 innings. The lefty went 5-6 in 16 starts last season for the Fish, posting a 3.63 ERA, 4.11 FIP and 8.3 K/9. Weathers was able to hold the powerful Cubs offense in check and stretched out to 80 pitches in his most recent outing.
He’ll have an easier matchup on paper this Monday night as he takes on his former team at Petco Park. The Padres have been miserable on offense over the last two weeks, scoring just 33 runs in 12 games, the second-lowest total in the majors over that span. They hit just .212 as a team with a 22.9% K% during that span, so Weathers should be set up for success in this revenge narrative matchup on Monday night.
Value
Chris Paddack, Minnesota Twins at Tampa Bay Rays, $7,300: In my top values for this Monday night, I highlighted Zack Littell ($7,700) for the Rays, but let’s take a look at the other side of that matchup and examine Paddack as a play on the road in Tampa.
Paddack has gone 2-4 in his 10 starts with a 3.98 ERA and 4.64 FIP. His numbers overall haven’t been quite as good as Littell’s but he did show an intriguing upside by posting 28.7 fantasy points agains the Giants and 22.8 fantasy points against the Orioles in the two games he won earlier this month. His most recent outing was a step back from those big games, as he had just 6.6 fantasy points and took the loss against the Guardians while giving up two runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.
He hasn’t been as consistent as Littell and his matchup isn’t quite as good, but he has flashed that high ceiling, so he can be a solid GPP pivot or a good “boom-or-bust” option if you can’t quite save up enough for one of the more expensive arms on the slate.
INFIELD
Stud
Zach Neto, Los Angeles Angels vs. New York Yankees $5,300: Neto wasn’t in the lineup on Sunday but entered as a pinch-hitter and struck out. Before that, he played 33 straight games after his delayed start to the season following offseason shoulder surgery. He has been heating up lately and has been an elite play from the top of the Angels lineup, which has been surging over the past few weeks even in the absence of Mike Trout (knee), who may not be far away.
Neto is hitting .284 with eight homers, eight stolen bases, a .371 wOBA and an average of 10.1 fantasy points per game. Neto has a 50% hard-hit rate and 17% barrel rate on the year. He and the Halos get a solid matchup against lefty Ryan Yarbrough ($8,500). Two of his eight homers have come in his 17 at-bats against lefties this year, so he is in a great spot to pay up for as a dual-threat option Monday.
Stud
Eugenio Suarez, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, $4,400: Suarez and the Dbacks are also facing a very hittable lefty as they go up against Andrew Heaney ($8,000) of the Pirates. Over his last five games, Heaney has allowed 24 hits and 12 runs with just 11 strikeouts while posting a 4.44 ERA and 6.29 FIP.
Suarez is 14-for-41 (.341) over his last 11 games with three doubles, two home runs and a .401 wOBA. He has averaged 10.0 fantasy points per game during that stretch and typically hits southpaws especially well with a career wOBA of .354 in the split.
Value
Jordan Lawlar, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, $2,000: I highlighted Spencer Horwitz ($2,700) in my top values of the night, but I also still believe in Jordan Lawlar. Lawlar is a top prospect for the Dbacks, but he has struggled since being called up from Triple-A. He has gone 0-for-13 with seven strikeouts in sporadic playing time, but he should get another shot at the start in this matchup against Heaney. If he does, his minimum salary at 2B can unlock almost any other big bats you’re targeting, including the others listed in this post.
Lawlar absolutely crushed during his time at Triple-A Reno with a .336/.418/.579 triple-slash to go with six home runs and 13 stolen bases. He lost last year to injury, but he’s healthy enough to have his breakthrough this season. Despite the slow start, I still love his prospect pedigree and upside, especially at this salary.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels, $6,500: Judge hit two homers in his three games at Coors Field and is up to an MLB-leading 18 homers on the season. He’s also hitting a blistering .397 with a .516 wOBA and an average of 13.2 fantasy points per game. Jack Kochanowicz ($6,500) has been better against righties than lefties, but Judge is virtually matchup-proof.
He has 11+ fantasy points in three straight games and in 10 of his last 14. In those 14 games, he has a 52.5% hard-hit rate, a 20.0% barrel rate and a .522 wOBA. If you have the salary available, Judge is a great pay-up play since he almost always finds some way to deliver and brings good upside if the Yankees can pile on Kochanowicz on Monday night.
Stud
Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates at Arizona Diamondbacks, $5,900: Do you like hitters who hit the ball hard? Harder than basically any other human being on the planet? If you do, then Oneil Cruz is a play for you to consider this Monday. I included Cruz in my top home run props of the day and broke down his ball-smashing upside against Ryne Nelson ($6,700). The short version is that he smashes the ball and has at least 13 fantasy points in four straight games. No need to overthink playing him in Arizona if you have the salary available.
Value
Matthew Lugo, Los Angeles Angels vs. New York Yankees, $3,100: Lugo has gone 9-for-36 (.250) with two doubles, a triple and three home runs in his 13 games with the Angels. He was hitting only .212 at Triple-A before getting the call to join the major league team, but he has shown good extra-base potential since arriving with his .361 ISO, 59.1% hard-hit rate and .372 wOBA. Lugo is 3-for-8 with a homer against lefties in his limited action, and he should remain in the lineup against southpaws until Trout is ready to return. He is a cheap play with good upside.
Another alternative in the outfield if you’re stacking around Arizona is Lourdes Gurriel Jr. ($3,500), who I covered in my top values for Monday. Gurriel, Suarez and Lawlar can be mixed with Ketel Marte ($5,500) and Corbin Carroll ($6,000) for a good stack against Heaney and the Pirates for your Monday night lineups.
