It’s Monday, meaning the day seems to just drag on — grab another coffee (or your preferred caffeine source) to keep you going because there’s a jam-packed MLB slate to enjoy later this evening. With 12 games in the main DraftKings DFS window, we’ve got another fun day of fantasy baseball ahead of us.
Here are three must-start players for Monday’s MLB DFS lineups.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Knuckleball [$50K to 1st]
SP Jacob deGrom, Rangers vs. Angels; $10,300
Sometimes, you’ve gotta pay up for a pitcher. With five options each slotting in at $10,000 or greater on the salary sheet today, deciding on just one of these guys feels like a difficult call. I wavered between a couple of elite hurlers but eventually settled on Jacob deGrom since he brings a slightly cheaper price point than the two pricier options while still boasting 21.3 FPPG as he enters a positive matchup this evening against the Angels.
The Rangers’ star righty has a 10-2 record this year despite not seeing much run support from an offense which hasn’t strung together many consistent performances. That should tell you enough right there, but deGrom also throws to the tune of a 2.28 ERA and 0.90 WHIP with 122 strikeouts. He averages slightly more fantasy points on the road at 22.4 and heads to Anaheim tonight for a meeting with an Angels team which generally struggles to put the ball in play and has the most strikeouts this season. A ceiling game appears imminent for deGrom, who reached 31.1 points in his last outing and could very well do so again tonight.
OF Julio Rodriguez, Mariners @ Athletics; $5,300
I really considered Cal Raleigh in this spot against the Athletics’ poor bullpen and lefty starter JP Sears, but the catcher hasn’t hit particularly well following the All-Star Game. I still like the matchup a lot though, so we’re targeting another Mariner with Julio Rodriguez tonight. The star outfielder started 2025 very slowly but finally looked like himself once May rolled around. He’s doing well since the All-Star break with a .286/.318/.571 slash line with six runs, five RBIs, four homers and three stolen bases over 10 games. With 10.5 FPPG over that span, Rodriguez can certainly contribute to lineups for around $1,000 cheaper than the highest-salaried options in the pool. He’s a great choice to anchor your lineups here in a positive matchup.
C Will Smith, Dodgers @ Reds; $4,600
UPDATE: Smith has since been ruled out today for rest.
Like I said above, I did consider slotting Raleigh into the lineup tonight and usually encourage it because getting a talented bat at a thin position can make a huge difference in contests. While not a cheap option as the second-priciest catcher available, Will Smith looks like he could pop tonight for his first truly big game in a while. He averages 8.6 FPPG, the second-most at the position, and the Dodgers are starting to round back into form following a mediocre return from the All-Star period. Smith slashes .333/.400/.556 with seven runs, two RBIs and a pair of homers since games resumed. Against rookie righty Chase Burns (6.65 ERA, 1.62 WHIP) it seems Los Angeles may go wild on the scoreboard tonight in Cincinnati.
