Major League Baseball is ready to start another week of action-packed fantasy baseball slates with eight games on tap for Monday’s main window on DraftKings, with contests set to lock at 6:40 p.m. ET to include early games in Miami and Cincinnati. With 16 teams filling up the night with options, there are lots of ways to consider building your roster on your path to success on this edition of Monday night baseball.
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Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $300K Relay Throw [$100K to 1st]
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PITCHER
Stud
Carlos Rodón, San Francisco Giants vs. San Diego Padres ($10,900) – Even as the most expensive SP on the slate, Rodón is my favorite stud pitcher to build around since he brings such a high ceiling due to posting four double-digit strikeouts games in his six most recent starts and posting a 12.29 K/9 over that span. He has only allowed a total of five runs over his past five starts while striking out 41 in 31 1⁄3 innings and averaging 29.0 DKFP per start. While it doesn’t appear to be an ideal matchup against the Padres, Rodón showed he still brings a high ceiling with 45.8 DKFP the last time he took on San Diego, allowing just one run and striking out 12 in a complete game. While the other options mentioned below have softer matchups, Rodón’s form and strikeout upside make him my top option.
Other Options – Corbin Burnes ($10,400), Tony Gonsolin ($9,600)
Value
Frankie Montas, New York Yankees at Los Angeles Angels ($7,200) – Montas is another good source of strikeout potential as he faces the Angels for the third time this season. Montas had 14 strikeouts in 7 2⁄3 innings against the Angels earlier this season but had to leave his second start against them after being hit by a comebacker. He is still looking for his first win since joining the Yankees at the trade deadline but had six strikeouts in 5 2⁄3 innings against the Mets for 16 DKFP in his most recent outing. Montas has a 3.84 ERA, 3.55 FIP and 8.9 K/9 on the year, but in August, the Angels have the second-highest K% in the Majors at 26.3%. Montas should have a good chance at getting a win and plenty of strikeouts, which gives him a higher ceiling than the other value options in play.
Other Options – José Berríos ($7,600), Brayan Bello ($5,600)
INFIELD
Stud
Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds ($5,600) – Arenado has been excellent all season for St. Louis, hitting .306 with 27 homers, a .398 wOBA and 162 wRC+. He has a pair of four-hit games in his past nine contests while going 16-for-35 (.457) with five doubles, two home runs and a .531 wOBA. Arenado and the Cardinals will face Chase Anderson ($6,000), who will be making his first MLB start of the season after bouncing around Triple-A for the Tigers and Rays and posting a 4.50 ERA in 80 innings and signing a minor league deal with the Reds last Saturday. Arenado will be happy to see the former Brewer, who he has gone 8-for-27 (.296) against with four home runs in their past meetings. He should be set to stay hot in this favorable matchup Monday.
Stud
Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox at Minnesota Twins ($5,200) – After a three-hit performance Sunday, Bogaerts’ average is up to .303 on the season, and he has a solid .357 wOBA even though his home runs are down a little at just 11 in his 121 games. Two of those home runs have come in his past six games, though, and he’s hitting .364 over that stretch with a .448 wOBA. He seems to be over the back issue that cropped up earlier this month and has multiple hits in three of his past four games. Bogaerts is 14-for-39 (.359) in his career against opposing SP Dylan Bundy ($6,400) with three homers, so like Arenado, he has a favorable matchup in which to stay hot.
Other Options – Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($5,800), J.T. Realmuto ($5,700), Alec Bohm ($4,400)
Value
Kolten Wong, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates ($3,100) – Wong homered in back-to-back games over the weekend and posted 19 and 26 DKFP in the Brewers’ two victories over the Cubs. In a great matchup highlighted below in stacks, Wong should be able to help the Brew Crew keep rolling. He has hit safely in three straight starts and is 8-for-26 (.308) in his past nine games with half of those hits going for extra bases and helping him post a .443 wOBA in that small sample size.
Value
Emmanuel Rivera, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Philadelphia Phillies ($2,700) – Rivera has become the regular second hitter in Arizona’s lineup since joining the team at the trade deadline, and he’s one of the few DBacks who excels against left-handed pitchers like opposing SP Ranger Suárez ($8,800). Rivera has hit .293 against southpaws this year with a .376 wOBA and 145 wRC+. He has three of his 11 homers against lefties and five of those home runs have come this month while playing with Arizona. During his 18 games since the trade, he has gone 17-for-64 (.266) with 11 RBI, five doubles, five home runs and a .411 wOBA. He brings a lot of power potential and nice lineup stability for a player with a salary under $3K.
Other Options – Jose Miranda ($3,600), Ke’Bryan Hayes ($3,400), Brendan Donovan ($3,200)
OUTFIELD
Stud
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers at Miami Marlins ($6,500) – Betts has had an amazing series in Miami with four home runs over his past three games and has one more game against the Marlins before heading up to New York to take on the Mets in a marquee matchup the rest of the week. Betts has gone 15-for-39 (.385) over his past nine games with four doubles, a triple, four home runs and a .533 wOBA with two stolen bases added in just for fun. Over those nine contests, he’s averaging a robust 16 DKFP per game and has 14 DKFP or more in seven of his past 11 games.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Mookie Betts is not in the lineup for tonight’s game vs. the Marlins.
Stud
Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates ($4,100) – Yelich is another leadoff hitter to consider Monday, especially in his great matchup described below in stacks. Yelich has hit safely in 10 of his past 11 starts, going 18-for-46 (.391) with three home runs and a .444 wOBA during that span. At the top of the order, he usually gets plenty of opportunities and should be able to produce good returns at just over $4K.
Other Options – Shohei Ohtani ($6,300), Tommy Pham ($4,700), Ian Happ ($4,400)
Value
Lars Nootbaar, St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds ($3,000) – Nootbaar has been a lot of fun since he jumped to the top spot in the Cardinals' very productive lineup. In his 26 games this month, he is 25-for-85 (.294) with an impressive 20 walks to go with 19 runs scored, five doubles, three triples and four home runs. He has a .421 wOBA and 177 wRC+ in August and should be in a good spot against Anderson since his splits are significantly better vs. RHP.
Value
Franmil Reyes, Chicago Cubs at Toronto Blue Jays ($3,000) – Reyes has been with the Cubs for 19 games and has been locked in as a middle-of-the-order bat and everyday DH. He has gone 21-for-75 (.280) with five doubles, two triples and three home runs over that span for a .348 wOBA. While he still has a lot of swing-and-miss in his approach, he’s useful for DFS since he brings a high ceiling. He also has a good history in this specific matchup, going 7-for-14 against José Berríos ($7,600) in their previous meetings.
Other Options – Max Kepler ($3,100), Jake Fraley ($2,800), Jo Adell ($2,000)
TEAMS TO STACK
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Pittsburgh Pirates – To open their series in Milwaukee, the Pirates have not announced who will start, but the two leading candidates seem to be Jerad Eickhoff ($4,000) and Robert Stephenson ($4,000). Eickhoff has only made one MLB start and was lit up for 10 runs on 10 hits and two home runs in 4 1⁄3 innings against the Cubs. In his 23 games at Triple-A, he fared a little better with a 4.30 ERA and 4.53 FIP, but he has shown throughout his over 450 innings of MLB experience that he struggles specifically against left-handed hitters. Lefties have a .306 career average and .388 wOBA against him with 2.12 HR/9. Stephenson has also struggled with lefties, giving up a .357 wOBA against them this season and a .356 wOBA in his career. The Brewers have a left-handed heavy lineup, so it’s a great spot for Christian Yelich (discussed above), Rowdy Tellez ($3,900), Kolton Wong (discussed above) and Omar Narváez ($3,000). You can also fill in with right-handed options Hunter Renfroe ($4,000) and Andrew McCutchen ($3,700) at relatively affordable rates to round out the stack.
Philadelphia Phillies at Arizona Cardinals – The Phillies’ offense was shut out Sunday, snapping the team’s six-game winning streak, but they should be poised to get back on track against Madison Bumgarner ($6,700) at hitter-friendly Chase Field on Monday. Bumgarner has allowed at least five runs in each of his past five starts, posting a 7.53 ERA, 5.22 FIP and 1.78 WHIP. Right-handed hitters have posted a .362 wOBA and hit 17 home runs off MadBum this season, so Rhys Hoskins ($5,000), J.T. Realmuto ($5,700), Alec Bohm ($4,400) and Nick Castellanos ($4,300) are good places to start your stack since all hit lefties well. Lefties Bryce Harper ($5,600) and Kyle Schwarber ($6,000) are expensive and on the wrong side of the split but will likely come at very low ownership as a result. There are also a couple of cheap Phillies to round out the stack with Matt Vierling ($2,000) and Edmundo Sosa ($2,200) bringing upside as punt plays.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $300K Relay Throw [$100K 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 skill 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.
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