Major League Baseball is ready to get another busy work week underway. Seven new series kick off Monday night, along with the four-game series finale between the Dodgers and Rockies at Coors Field. The main DFS fantasy baseball slate on DraftKings starts a little early at 6:40 p.m. ET to include earlier start times in Florida and Washington, D.C.
There are some big names in smash spots, but some strong MLB DFS value picks also stand out, since they offer major upside at lower salaries. If you need to go cheap at a spot or two to balance your spending, these values can definitely stretch your salary cap space while still bringing upside.
The weather for the evening games looks pretty solid with three games indoors. It’s going to be chilly in Chicago but warm in Kansas City and Colorado, so plan your offenses accordingly.
Let’s dive in and take a look at a few of the best value plays from the 16 teams in the player pool this Monday night:
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Knuckleball [$50K to 1st]
Best MLB DFS value plays
SP Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels vs. Toronto Blue Jays, $7,200
Of the probable pitchers for Monday night, Detmers is my top value play. The lefty has posted three strong starts in his first four outings this season, with a home loss to the Braves being the only major letdown. He bounced back with an excellent showing against the Yankees, turning in seven innings of one-run ball with nine strikeouts and zero walks for a season-high 33.4 FPTS.
Detmers earned at least 18 FPTS in three of his four starts this season, and his high strikeout potential makes him a great fantasy baseball value play. He has 26 strikeouts across 22.2 innings so far, and the Blue Jays have been lacking at the plate early on this season. They rank in MLB’s bottom 10 for runs scored and home runs, although they still do a solid job of putting the ball in play — especially against lefties. It’s not an ideal matchup for Detmers, but his ceiling is still high enough to expect solid value at his salary at just over $7,000.
OF Michael Harris II, Atlanta Braves at Washington Nationals, $3,000
Harris homered on Friday and Sunday to help the Braves secure a dominant three-game sweep of the Phillies in Philadelphia. He recorded 22 FPTS on Friday and 24 FPTS on Sunday in his last two starts, while coming off the bench on Saturday against a lefty. Harris has been hitting ninth in the order, which limits his at-bats — but also places him in front of the heart of the Braves’ order when he gets on base.
Harris is 20-for-69 (.290) on the season with a double, four homers and two stolen bases. He has a 53.7% hard-hit rate and 16.7% barrel rate, both of which rank in MLB’s 90th percentile. He’s been especially effective over his last seven games, hitting 10-for-22 (.455) to produce 11.4 FPTS per game. He and the Braves are in a smash spot against Jake Irvin ($6,100) and the Nats Monday night in D.C.
SS J.P. Crawford, Seattle Mariners vs. Athletics, $2,200
The Mariners’ offense has struggled out of the gate this season, but Crawford has shown flashes of turning things around after a late start to the season. While he’s only 10-for-47 (.213) in his 15 games, he has collected four hits over his last three games — including two doubles and a home run.
Crawford has a 44.1% hard-hit rate on the season, a mark that has swelled to 55.6% over his last six games. He hit his first homer of the year on Sunday, finishing with 18 FPTS. Crawford has tallied double-digit FPTS in four of his last nine games and could be an especially strong value play if he moves to the top of the order against A’s right-hander J.T. Ginn ($7,200). In his career, lefties have hit .310 with 14 homers, a .557, and a .401 wOBA against Ginn.
