We’ve got a 10-game slate for Monday’s MLB action.
Let’s find some studs and values for your MLB DFS lineups on DraftKings. This article was written before lineups were announced.
Make your DraftKings MLB DFS picks here: MLB $200K Rally Cap [$50K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Tarik Skubal, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Kansas City Royals ($10,700) — I faded Skubal on the slate when he made his Dodgers debut, as I felt like some cheaper options could match or surpass Skubal’s production. Skubal finished with 17.9 FPTS in six innings. On this slate, I’m not as confident in the other options and believe that Skubal has the highest floor/ceiling combo. He’s produced double-digit FPTS in every start this season with four over 30 FPTS. Against left-handed pitching, Kansas City is 19th in ISO and 17th in wRC+.
Value
Hayden Wesneski, Houston Astros at San Francisco Giants ($7,100) — Wesneski has only pitched 11.2 innings this season, so small sample size alert. In that span, the FIP is 3 while allowing a 7.6 degree launch angle and 2.9% barrel rate. He’s thrown 79 and 78 pitches in two starts and gone 5.2 and 6 innings, translating to 12.8 and 17.9 FPTS. Now he gets to pitch in pitcher-friendly Oracle Park against a Giants team that is 19th in wOBA and 18th in wRC+.
INFIELD
Stud
Royce Lewis, Minnesota Twins at Milwaukee Brewers ($4,100) — Lewis was putrid to start the season, slashing .163/.261/.279 with a 31.1% strikeout rate and .115 ISO over the first two months. Then he got injured and was demoted to Triple-A. Since getting called back up on June 6, Lewis is slashing .279/.342/.513 with a 21% strikeout rate, a .234 ISO and 91.4 mph average exit velocity. He produced 10 home runs, 30 runs, 28 RBI and eight stolen bases over that span (219 plate appearances). Zooming in a little closer, Lewis has been hotter than the sun since July 25, a span of 13 games and 52 plate appearances, slashing .380/.404/.700 with a .320 ISO and 96 mph average exit velocity. On the season against left-handed pitching, the wRC+ is 124 with a .220 ISO. Trevor Rogers has a 3.98 FIP with an 11.5% K-BB% and served up 10 home runs to righties in 82.2 innings this season.
Value
Kaelen Culpepper, Minnesota Twins vs. Baltimore Orioles ($2,200) — The 21st overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft made his debut two games ago. He went 1-for-4 with a home run, good for 14 FPTS. The next day, he went 0-for-1 with a walk, strikeout and run scored, good for 8 FPTS. He batted seventh in the order and should continue being in the lineup. He’s cheap, has a solid plate approach/discipline and possesses a decent power/speed combo. In the minors, the strikeout rate was in the teens and never reached 20% while the walk rate was in the 9-10% range. Last season, he went 20/25 in 517 plate appearances. In 343 Triple-A plate appearances this year, Culpepper hit 14 home runs with 63 runs, 46 RBI and 17 stolen bases.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Jarren Duran, Boston Red Sox at Toronto Blue Jays ($4,000) — The season-long numbers are gross for Duran – .202/.260/.357 slash with a 28.7% strikeout rate. The Statcast numbers were decent, though, with an average exit velocity of 89.5 mph, 10.1% barrel rate and 75 mph bat speed. Since August 1, a span of seven games and 30 plate appearances, Duran is slashing .259/.310/.630 with three home runs and two stolen bases. The ISO is .370 while the BABIP is only .250. Now he faces Jameson Taillon, who has a 7.46 FIP and 7.8% K-BB% to lefties.
Value
LaMonte Wade Jr., Houston Astros at San Francisco Giants ($3,100) — Wade is meh with a .225/.353/.366 slash, .141 ISO, 85.5 mph average exit velocity and 3.8% barrel rate in 85 plate appearances. The walk rate is 16.5%, though, with a 21.2% strikeout rate. Against right-handed pitching, the wRC+ is a respectable 104 and he’s been contributing more than a droplet of fantasy goodies. Since July 6, Wade has failed to produce FPTS only three times while finishing with double-digit FPTS four times, with a high of 20 FPTS. It’s only been 7.1 innings, but Blade Tidwell is allowing a 5.41 FIP and 2.7% K-BB% against lefties with a slash of .333/.405/.455.
