On Monday, Major League Baseball has 11 games on the main slate to start the holiday week with a busy slate. Contests lock at 7:05 p.m. ET, and with 22 of the 30 MLB teams in the player pool, star power is available at just about every position. You can’t just stack stars, though, since you’ll need to balance your spending by making a few MLB DFS value picks. To help you as you search through the bargain bin for just the right option, check out my three MLB DFS Value Picks in this post, who bring big upside at a small salary.
- SP Robert Gasser, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Cincinnati Reds, $6,700: Gasser has 15+ FPTS in three of his last four starts and is coming off back-to-back games of 20.4 and 24.5 FPTS. He has been volatile but offers high strikeout upside at home vs. CIN.
- 3B Caleb Durbin, Boston Red Sox vs. Washington Nationals, $2,700: Durbin has hit safely in 10 of 11 games, going 17-for-39 (.436) with four stolen bases, four doubles, three homers and a .525 wOBA to help him average 12.5 FPTS per game.
- OF Kahlil Watson, Cleveland Guardians vs. Texas Rangers, $2,700: Watson brings both power and speed upside. He is 9-for-19 (.474) with two stolen bases, two doubles and a home run over his last six games, averaging 11.7 FPTS per contest.
Let’s dive in and take a closer look at these options that come with low salaries but high ceilings this Monday.
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Top MLB DFS Value Plays
SP Robert Gasser, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Cincinnati Reds, $6,700
The 27-year-old lefty started the year in Triple-A, where he put together a 3.38 ERA and 1.31 WHIP over seven starts while racking up 38 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings. He is 1-3 in his six starts in the majors with a 4.50 ERA, a 1.27 WHIP and 31 strikeouts in 30 innings.
Gasser is coming off two strong outings of 20.4 FPTS against the Guardians and 24.5 FPTS against the Braves. He had seven strikeouts in his six innings in that outing while allowing two runs on four hits. He has at least five strikeouts in four straight games with over 15 FPTS in three of those outings.
He’s in a good spot for a big start against the Reds, who have the second-lowest batting average and the second-highest K% in the majors this season. Gasser is my favorite low-cost starting pitcher in today’s MLB DFS value picks, and he has the potential to deliver another big win for the Brew Crew.
3B Caleb Durbin, Boston Red Sox vs. Washington Nationals, $2,700
Durbin was Gasser’s teammate with the Brewers before he joined the Red Sox as part of the Kyle Harrison trade. While Harrison took off for Milwaukee, Durbin struggled early in the year but is starting to turn things around. He’s been much better over the last two weeks than earlier in the season, and he makes sense as a bargain play under $3,000 in this matchup with Miles Mikolas ($5,500) and the Nationals.
Over his last 11 games, he is 17-for-39 (.436) with four stolen bases, four doubles, three homers and a .525 wOBA. He has produced 12.5 FPTS per game over that span and is in a great matchup against Mikolas, who tends to pitch to a lot of contact. Durbin has 12+ FPTS in three of his last four and seven of those 11 games.
OF Kahlil Watson, Cleveland Guardians vs. Texas Rangers, $2,700
Watson’s salary is climbing a little bit as he heats up, but he’s still a great bargain at under $3,000. Even with Chase DeLauter ($3,500; rib) back from the injured list, the Guardians kept Watson with the team and will continue to find playing time for the 23-year-old prospect. He got off to an 0-for-12 start in his first four games, but he has caught fire since then, going 9-for-19 (.474) with two stolen bases, two doubles and a home run over his last six games to average 11.7 FPTS per contest.
Before his promotion, Watson had 12 home runs and 14 stolen bases with a .255/.370/.491 slash line in Triple-A. He’s a dynamic player who has the potential to post big numbers in multiple categories if he continues to develop, and he’s a fun option to slot into your outfield as one of your MLB DFS Value Picks as he takes on Tyler Alexander ($4,000) and Winston Santos ($6,000) on Monday night. Santos will be making his MLB debut if he gets into the game as a bulk reliever, but he has a 7.44 ERA and 58:21 K:BB over 42.1 innings in Double-A, which makes him an attractive option to attack with the Guardians on Monday night.
