Major League Baseball has a great eight-game slate on Monday night to get another summer work week off to a great start. The temperatures are rising and offensive production is surging, so it’s a great time to get in on some of the MLB DFS options on DraftKings. Each of the eight games on Monday night’s schedule is the start of a new series. With 16 teams on the board, plenty of big-name stars are strong plays to consider, but if you need to go with some cheaper options to balance out your salary cap space, there are also plenty of affordable plays with upside. In this post, I’ll highlight my top three bargain plays for Monday night, who come extremely cheap but still have great upside.
As always, be sure to double-check weather conditions and lineups before the first pitch. The forecast looks relatively clear, hot and humid for most of the East Coast, which should continue to boost hitting conditions.
Check out the full range of MLB coverage from the team at DKNetwork, since these bargains are just one piece of the MLB DFS picture to consider.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Knuckleball [$50K to 1st]
SP Ben Brown, Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals, $7,700
Brown and the Cubs kick off their week with a matchup against their divisional rivals in St. Louis. Brown has been boom-or-bust at times this year, but he has shown a very high ceiling due to his strikeout potential. He has over 15 fantasy points in three of his last four outings, highlighted by a dominant start against the Reds that earned him 30.3 fantasy points.
Brown has a 5.57 ERA in his 15 games this year, but his 3.45 FIP and 3.42 SIERA show that he has had a few bad breaks go against him. He has given up plenty of hard contact but also posted a 26.3% K% by piling up 88 strikeouts in 74 1/3 innings.
He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in three of his last four games with 28 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings. This will be his first start of the season against St. Louis, and his road numbers have been very volatile all season. With risk factors throughout the inexpensive pitching options, Brown stands out for his high ceiling, though, and he makes a strong play for under $8,000 since he brings so much upside along with his uncertainty.
1B/3B Miguel Vargas, Chicago White Sox vs. Arizona Diamondbacks, $3,000
Even though the White Sox aren’t normally a great place to look for fantasy baseball production, Vargas has been very solid over the last few weeks and comes at a bargain price. In his last 40 games, he’s hitting .265 with a .372 wOBA and 141 wRC+. He’s 12-for-40 (.300) in his last 10 games with five doubles, two triples, a home run and two stolen bases to average an impressive 10.9 fantasy points per game.
He will take on lefty Eduardo Rodriguez ($7,300) on Monday night in Chicago, and Vargas is hitting .246 with a .323 wOBA against southpaws this season. Rodriguez has let both lefties and righties hit him hard this year, giving up a .300 batting average and .376 wOBA to righties like Vargas.
Given his current form, favorable matchup and premium lineup spot, Vargas can be a great option at a corner infield spot at only $3,000 this Monday.
OF Isaac Collins, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, $3,000
Collins is another great play at only $3,000 this Monday, and he is also in a good matchup as the Brewers host the Pirates and start the week with a matchup against Braxton Ashcraft ($6,000).
The Brewers as a team have been red-hot, scoring 10.8 runs per game over their current four-game winning streak. The 27-year-old, switch-hitting Collins has been a huge part of that with 12+ fantasy points in four of his last five games and seven of his last 13. He’s on a six-game hitting streak and has gone 8-for-23 (.348) in those games with two doubles, two homers and a stolen base. Collins has 12 hits in his last 11 games and five have gone for extra bases. He has three barrels and a solid 48.1% hard-hit rate over that time frame, racking up nine hard-hit batted ball events in his last five games on the team’s trip to Chicago and Minnesota.
While his role long-term is uncertain, he should continue to get playing time in the near future, especially after Garrett Mitchell (oblique) hurt his shoulder Friday on his rehab assignment. Collins has been hot enough to play in any matchup, but Ashcraft will be making his first MLB start after going 3-3 with a 5.03 ERA as a starter in Triple-A. While he has been effective out of the bullpen in limited action in the majors, the Brew Crew should be able to get to him Monday, opening the door for another big bargain game from Collins.
