We’ve got a seven-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
Blake Snell, Los Angeles Dodgers at Colorado Rockies ($9,000) — Snell just made his first start since May last week, and it was a glorious one – six innings, one walk, 10 strikeouts and one earned run allowed on three hits, good for 29.1 FPTS. He threw 84 pitches. Control is always an issue for Snell and he has to pitch in Coors Field, so there’s risk. That said, I have some issues with Nolan McLean, who is $800 more expensive and will likely garner much of the ownership if paying up. I think Snell could match or even exceed the fantasy output of McLean at lower ownership. Against left-handed pitching, Colorado is fourth in strikeouts, 22nd in ISO and 29th in wRC+.
Value
Framber Valdez, Detroit Tigers at Pittsburgh Pirates ($7,500) — Valdez is a ground ball pitcher that doesn’t strike out many batters. The K-BB% is only 9.5 while the FIP is 4.18. From a fantasy perspective, he’s produced single-digit fantasy goodies nine times with four of those in the negative. Gross. That said, he’s only allowed 13 home runs in 133 innings and gone over 20 FPTS nine times with a high of 32.8 FPTS. Pittsburgh is 21st in ISO, 24th in wOBA and 26th in wRC+.
INFIELD
Stud
Willson Contreras, Boston Red Sox vs. Arizona Diamondbacks ($4,700) — Contreras has 24 home runs, 60 runs, 72 RBIs, and three stolen bases in 464 plate appearances. He has posted a 90.1 mph average exit velocity with a 14.2% barrel rate and 77.1 mph bat speed. Against left-handed pitching, the wRC+ is 163 with a .276 ISO. Mitch Bratt has a 3.74 ERA through 33.2 innings, but the FIP is much higher at 5.31. Against righties, the walk rate is 16.5% and he’s allowed three home runs.
Value
Kaelen Culpepper, Minnesota Twins vs. Atlanta Braves ($2,700) — Culpepper has only accrued 25 plate appearances this season. He’s batting ninth in the order and the strikeout rate is 36%. The average exit velocity is decent at 89.1 mph while the bat speed is 73.8 mph. Against left-handed pitching, the wRC+ is 117 with a .364 ISO, albeit in a small sample size of 14 plate appearances. Martin Perez is a wily veteran that will likely school the youngster, but the FIP is 4.37 while the K-BB% is only 4.9 against righties.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Michael Harris II, Atlanta Braves at Minnesota Twins ($4,500) — Harris has 20 home runs, 59 runs, 68 RBI and six stolen bases in 467 plate appearances. The strikeout rate is 19.9% while the slash is .288/.317/.484. The average exit velocity is 90.6 mph with an 11% barrel rate while the bat speed is 75 mph. Against right-handed pitching, the wRC+ is 118 with a .199 ISO. 13 of the 20 home runs have come off a righty. Now he faces Bailey Ober, who has a 5.61 FIP and 6 K-BB% against lefties. 12 of the 17 home runs allowed have come off the bat of a lefty.
Value
Eli White, Boston Red Sox vs. Arizona Diamondbacks ($2,400) — White has five home runs, 21 runs, 18 RBI and five stolen bases in 160 plate appearances. He lives on short platoon island, which nerfs the playing time, but he does crush lefties with a .193 ISO. Four of the five home runs have come off a lefty. As mentioned in the Contreras section, Bratt has struggled against righties.
