Major League Baseball starts a new work week with a nice eight-game slate for the main DFS fantasy baseball contests on DraftKings, which begins at 7:10 p.m. ET. After a couple of early games, 16 teams will be in the player pool this Monday, offering plenty of big-name stars in smash spots to consider building around. If you’re running short of salary cap space, though, you may need to dive into the bargain bin and find a few MLB DFS Value Picks. In this post, we’ll look at three of my top MLB DFS Value Picks, who each bring excellent upside at a bargain salary.
- SP Dustin May, St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres, $7,300: May has 20+ FPTS in three straight outings, averaging 25.7 FPTS by allowing four earned runs in 18 2/3 innings with 24 strikeouts.
- 1B/3B Royce Lewis, Minnesota Twins at Texas Rangers, $2,900: Lewis is back in the majors and riding a seven-game hitting streak. He is 11-for-26 (.423) with two doubles, three homers, a 50% hard-hit rate and a 16.7% barrel rate to average 12.1 FPTS during that run.
- 3B/OF Tyler Callihan, Pittsburgh Pirates at Athletics, $2,400: Callihan has averaged 9.8 FPTS per game in his nine games with a plate appearance, hitting .348 with two homers, two doubles, a triple and a stolen base. He and the Pirates are in a great spot against the A’s in Sacramento.
Let’s dive in and take a closer look at these options, who come with low salaries but high ceilings this Monday in my MLB DFS Value picks.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Knuckleball [$50K to 1st]
Best MLB DFS value plays
SP Dustin May, St. Louis Cardinals vs. San Diego Padres, $7,300
There are a few strong value plays mixed into the probable pitchers for Monday night, and May comes into his home matchup with the Padres with some nice momentum after a strong few outings. He was masterful last Tuesday against the Mets, racking up an impressive 31 called and swinging strikes on his way to six shutout innings with four hits allowed and six strikeouts. He posted 26.5 FPTS in that outing and has 20+ FPTS in three straight starts.
In those three starts, he allowed four total earned runs in 18 2/3 innings with 24 strikeouts and averaged 25.7 FPTS per outing. May and the Cardinals host the Padres, who have scored the sixth-fewest runs in the majors over the last two weeks while hitting just .222 as a team, the third-lowest team average over that span. San Diego did have a good weekend in Baltimore, but May will look to quiet them back down on Monday as this new series gets underway.
1B/3B Royce Lewis, Minnesota Twins at Texas Rangers, $2,900
Lewis has had a wild ride over the last month, but the 27-year-old righty is raking right now and makes a great play in today’s MLB DFS value picks under $3,000 at either corner infield spot. Lewis was sent to the minors in mid-May after a rough start to the season, but he was able to turn things around with the St. Paul Saints, slashing .340/.417/.868 with eight home runs, 19 RBI and 12 runs scored in 13 games in Triple-A.
He rejoined the Twins last Saturday and has hit safely in seven straight games, going 11-for-26 (.423) with two doubles, three homers, a 50% hard-hit rate and a 16.7% barrel rate. He averaged 12.1 FPTS in those seven games with 12+ FPTS in each of his last three over the weekend against the Cardinals.
The former top prospect seems to have found his form and is ready to return to his role as a key piece of the Twins’ offense. On Monday, he’ll face lefty MacKenzie Gore ($7,800), and the righty Lewis has typically hit lefties well enough to be a great option in this matchup.
3B/OF Tyler Callihan, Pittsburgh Pirates at Athletics, $2,400
Callihan is another player with multi-position eligibility who can save some salary cap space and still bring good upside. Callihan was traded from the Reds to the Pirates in early March after he completed his recovery from a season-ending left forearm fracture that occurred in Atlanta shortly after his MLB debut.
Callihan started the year in Triple-A, where he hit .223 with five homers and eight stolen bases before his promotion at the end of May. Since arriving in the majors, he has been batting .348 in a small 11-game sample size. He has contributed two homers, two doubles, a triple and a stolen base to average 9.8 FPTS per game in his nine games with a plate appearance.
The Pirates are a great place to find value across the board this Monday, as they visit the Athletics for a new series to start the week. While the series isn’t in Vegas, it is still in hitter-friendly Sacramento, and the A’s bullpen is probably a little stretched after getting smashed by the Brewers and Rockies at Las Vegas Ballpark over the last week. The start will go to righty J.T. Ginn ($7,700) on Monday, who has a 4.70 ERA and 1.63 WHIP in his seven games at home this season. The lefty Callihan will likely slot into the Pittsburgh lineup either at the hot corner or in the outfield, and he’s a nice salary-saver to consider as one of your MLB DFS value picks on Monday night.
