After the two ALDS games took center stage for the MLB on Sunday, the two National League Division Series resume on Monday night, giving us a nice two-game main slate on DraftKings. The action starts at 6:07 p.m. ET in Atlanta and continues in Los Angeles with a 9:07 p.m. ET start on the West Coast. Both home teams lost Game 1, and will be under pressure to avoid an 0-2 hole at the end of the night.
Make sure to keep up with the latest news from multiple sports in the DK Live app and follow DraftKings Network on X (@DKNetwork) for all the latest updates. I’m also on X (@ZT_Sports), where you can keep up with all my picks throughout what should be an outstanding postseason.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]
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PITCHER
Stud
Max Fried, Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies ($8,000) – I actually like the two cheapest options of the four starting pitchers on Monday’s slate. Both Zack Wheeler ($8,800) and Zac Gallen ($8,500) have high ceilings but also have major risk factors since they face tough lineups on the road. Both have struggled in this matchup in the past as well, so instead I prefer going with Fried and Bobby Miller (see below).
Fried was limited to just 14 games this season, but was effective when available, going 8-1 with a 2.55 ERA, 3.14 FIP and 9.27 K/9. He allowed three runs or less in each of his last seven starts, going 5-0 with a 2.59 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 41 2⁄3 innings. He faced the Phillies in one of those outings and held them to four hits and one run in five innings with six strikeouts in a no-decision. He showed his ceiling with a 10-strikeout performance against the Dodgers in which he earned 36.8 DKFP back on September 1, and he’ll look to put up a similarly dominant performance against the Phillies. Philadelphia’s lineup includes several key lefties, so Fried should match up well against them since he held lefties to just a .205 batting average this season and a .225 batting average in his career.
Value
Bobby Miller, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks ($6,900) – Miller gets the start for the Dodgers, and he will need to step up and give them innings after Clayton Kershaw’s disastrous outing in Game 1. The 24-year-old righty was called up in mid-May and gave the team a huge boost. He went 11-4 in his 22 starts with a 3.76 ERA, 3.51 FIP and 8.61 K/9.
Like many rookie starting pitchers, he had his ups and downs throughout the season, but he did finish with a strong stretch of just four runs allowed in his final three outings of the regular season. He had 20 strikeouts in 17 innings in those three outings and 40 strikeouts in his 36 2⁄3 innings in September. Miller faced the Diamondbacks twice this season, throwing six shutout innings in Arizona and then allowing four runs in six innings in a rematch at Dodger Stadium. In those 12 innings, he allowed a total of 11 hits and piled up eight strikeouts. Miller’s tuneup last Sunday looked sharp as he held the Giants to only one hit and one walk in four shutout innings while striking out four. It’s pretty crazy that the 100-win Dodgers season turns on Miller’s start, but Kershaw’s struggles in Game 1 have put them in a place where they desperately need a big performance from the rookie. I think Miller will be up to the task on Monday, and end up being a great fantasy value at under $7K.
INFIELD
Stud
Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves ($5,200) – Turner has proven that he is capable of absolutely carrying an offense when he’s at his best, and he seems to be heating up at just the right time for the Phillies. On the season, he had 26 home runs and 30 stolen bases while hitting .266 with a .333 wOBA. He was much better, though, over the final 35 games of the season, hitting .326 with a .443 wOBA, 14 home runs and eight stolen bases. He has carried that hot finish into the postseason as well and posted double-digit DKFP in all three of the Phillies’ playoff games. He had two stolen bases in Game 1 of this series, and the Phillies proved they’re willing and able to run on the Braves any time they have runners on base, especially Turner. In his career, Turner has strong splits against lefties and has gone 14-for-35 (.400) with a home run in his previous meetings with Fried.
Stud
Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies ($4,800) – Riley also finished the regular season strong with 10 multi-hit performances in his final 19 games. He had a .333 (25-for-75) batting average during that span with six doubles, three homers, 17 RBI and a .412 wOBA. That late-season surge helped him post his third straight season with over 30 homers and 90 RBI. Riley has fairly even splits across the board, but he has been much better this season at Truist Park with a .379 home wOBA. If the Braves are going to bounce back, Riley is one of the hitters they’ll need to come through in Game 2.
Other Options – Matt Olson ($5,800), Will Smith ($4,500), Max Muncy ($4,200)
Value
Bryson Stott, Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves ($3,800) – People may shy away from Stott due to the lefty-lefty matchup, but Stott actually hit .282 against lefties on the season. He did have better power numbers against righties, but his plate discipline and pitch selection were better against southpaws resulting in very even wOBA and wRC+ splits. Stott comes into this matchup with Fried on a nice roll as well. In the Phillies’ three playoff games, he has gone 4-for-11 (.364) with a home run and a stolen base to average 14 DKFP per contest. He’s one of the few infield options expected to start under $4K, and you don’t have to give up much ceiling to start him at 2B since he’s in such a nice groove right now and offers power and speed potential.
Value
Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers ($3,100) – Moreno has been a postseason hero for the Dbacks this year, despite leaving Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series after just one at-bat. He had to leave that game early after being hit in the head by a backswing, but he started on Saturday and hit his second homer of the postseason. He has gone 3-for-10 (.300) in the playoffs with two home runs and four RBI for a total of 37 DKFP. Moreno also homered earlier this season against Miller, and he finished the year hitting .300 during the month of September with a .356 wOBA.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies ($6,500) – The regular season belonged to Acuña from a fantasy perspective, as the Braves outfielder averaged 13.0 DKFP per contest with a .336 batting average, 41 homers, 73 stolen bases and an MLB-best 149 runs scored. Acuña had an uncharacteristically quiet Game 1, but I expect him to bounce back in Game 2. He has gone 12-for-46 (.261) against Wheeler in the past with four doubles and four home runs. The 25-year-old superstar will try to set the tone for the Braves early, and he has the power and speed potential to deliver a monster game. Acuña has been electric all season, and I expect him to light up the field on Monday to lead the Braves to level the series.
Stud
Nick Castellanos, Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves ($4,100) – Whenever the Phillies face a lefty this season, Castellanos has been one of the top options on the board. The 31-year-old veteran hit .324 against southpaws this season with eight home runs and a .393 wOBA. He also has a great track record in this specific matchup, since he has gone 8-for-13 (.615) against Fried in the past with a double and a home run. He didn’t get in on the party in Game 1, going 0-for-4, but he’s a great bounce-back candidate in Game 2. His salary offers some nice relief given how pricey so many of the other options are on this small slate.
Other Options – Mookie Betts ($6,200), Corbin Carroll ($5,600)
Value
Michael Harris II, Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies ($3,800) – Harris battled a bit of a sophomore slump after winning Rookie of the Year in 2022, but he turned things around late and ended up with similar season-long totals even though it took him about 20 games longer to get there. He finished the year with 20 stolen bases, 18 home runs and a .345 wOBA. He did most of that work after the All-Star break, hitting .325 with nine homers, nine stolen bases and an average of 8.5 DKFP per contest. Before going 0-for-4 in Game 1 of this series, he had hit safely in five straight games. Like many of his teammates, he has strong home splits, and if you expect the Atlanta offense to bounce back, he’s a good place to get a solid play for under $4K.
Value
Eddie Rosario, Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies ($3,300) – Rosario is an even cheaper option in the Braves’ outfield, and he’s expected to be back in the lineup for Game 2 after sitting Game 1 against the lefty Ranger Suarez. He came off the bench and went 1-for-2 and will likely continue to platoon with Kevin Pillar ($2,800) for as long as the Braves stay alive in the playoffs. When he has played, the postseason hero from two seasons ago has delivered. He had 21 homers and a solid .255 average this season while posting a .322 wOBA that lines up almost perfectly with his career average. He hit 16 of those 21 homers this year at home, where he had a .351 wOBA. If you don’t have quite enough for Harris, Rosario is a solid play that saves $500, or you could go with both cheap Atlanta outfielders if you have to pay up for options you like in the infield.
Other Options – Marcell Ozuna ($4,000), Tommy Pham ($3,700), James Outman ($3,600)
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
