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Monday night starts another busy work week for Major League Baseball with seven games on the main fantasy baseball slate for DraftKings, which gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET. Four of the seven games start after 9:30 p.m. ET, so it sets up to be a slightly late-heavy slate with plenty of West Coast action.
To keep up with pregame lineups and player news, install the DK Live app and follow DK Live on Twitter (@dklive). I’m also on Twitter (@ZT_Sports), where you can keep up with all my picks as the season continues.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $333K Relay Throw [$100K to 1st]
For up-to-the-minute news, analysis and lineups, download the DK Live app. You also can follow DK Live on Twitter @dklive.
PITCHER
Stud
Blake Snell, San Diego Padres vs. San Francisco Giants ($8,800) – The starting pitching on this slate is set up to be an adventure as evidenced by the fact that there are only four pitchers over $8K and none over $9.5K. Of the top tier, Snell has one of the best matchups and comes in with good form as the Friars open their series against the Giants. Snell has allowed one run or fewer in five of his past six starts with over 21 DKFP in each of those outings, including a home start against the Giants where he struck out 11 on his way to 34.5 DKFP. In those six starts, he has gone 4-0 with a 2.56 ERA, 2.67 FIP and 13.93 K/9. He doesn’t typically go deep into games, but his strikeout rate is high enough that he still makes a ton of sense on this uncertain slate.
Other Options – Chris Bassitt ($9,300), Cole Irvin ($8,200)
Value
José Suarez, Los Angeles Angels at Oakland Athletics ($7,000) – The 24-year-old Suarez will be making his second straight start against the Athletics and looking to level his record at 4-4 for the season. He has shown good strikeout upside with 53 strikeouts in 55 1⁄3 innings and hasn’t allowed a run over 10 1⁄3 innings in his two most recent outings, posting 19 DKFP against the Royals and 20.5 DKFP in that win over the A’s last Tuesday. He had some ugly outings earlier this season but the lefty has shown enough upside to stick in the Halos’ rotation and can be a good option at only $7K in Oakland on this slate.
Other Options – Zac Gallen ($7,900), Keegan Thompson ($6,700)
INFIELD
Stud
Francisco Lindor, New York Mets vs. Cincinnati Reds ($5,900) – Lindor has been excellent in his 16 games since the All-Star break, going 24-for-60 (.400) with 15 runs scored, 11 RBI, five doubles, three home runs and a .471 wOBA. He has hit safely in 14 of his past 15 games and had three multi-hit performances in his past four games against the Braves. Lindor and the Mets have a great matchup highlighted in stacks below, and the switch-hitting Lindor has been significantly better this season vs. right-handed pitching, hitting .277 with a .362 wOBA and 140 wRC+ on that side of the split.
Stud
Whit Merrifield, Toronto Blue Jays at Baltimore Orioles ($4,300) – Merrifield didn’t start on Sunday but scored the controversial game-winning run in extra innings. Since joining the Blue Jays, he has gone 5-for-14 (.357) with three runs scored and a stolen base. He’s only hitting .245 on the season but has stolen 16 bases in 19 attempts. He has at least 8.0 DKFP in each of his starts with the Blue Jays and should continue to serve as the team’s primary CF with George Springer (elbow) on the injured list. He has gone 5-for-13 (.385) against Orioles starter Jordan Lyles ($7,100) in his career and brings nice upside from a fairly affordable price point while offering the flexibility of 2B and OF eligibility.
Other Options – Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($6,200), Adley Rutschman ($4,500)
Value
Luke Voit, Washington Nationals at Chicago Cubs ($3,700) – Voit has gone 6-for-13 (.462) with a home run since joining the Nationals as part of the Juan Soto ($6,000) trade and has stepped into the role vacated by Josh Bell ($4,700) at 1B and in the middle of the lineup. While Voit is no longer playing for a contender, he should be locked into a more consistent role. He is still only hitting .235 on the season but does have 14 home runs and a decent .330 wOBA. In a good matchup with Keegan Thompson ($6,700), Voit brings a nice ceiling at 1B for under $4K.
Value
David Fletcher, Los Angeles Angels vs. Oakland Athletics ($3,200) – Fletcher had two straight games with three RBI over the weekend in Seattle, posting 21 and 11 DKFP. He hit his second homer of the season on Saturday in his return from a foot injury. He’s hitting just .222 on the season with a .300 wOBA, but he has been much better since rejoining the team late in July from Triple-A, hitting .333 with a .456 wOBA. He has also had a lot of success against Cole Irvin ($8,200) in the past, going 8-for-15 (.533) with a home run and five RBI.
Other Options – Luis García ($3,500)
OUTFIELD
Stud
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees at Seattle Mariners ($6,400) – Judge continues to post big enough performances to be a good play even at this elevated salary. He drove in four runs on Sunday and took over the MLB RBI lead while producing 18 DKFP. He hasn’t homered in four games — a long drought by his standards — but he has gone 24-for-60 (.400) over his 16 most recent games with 14 walks, three stolen bases and 10 home runs. The Yankees slugger has at least 17 DKFP in six of his past nine games, averaging 17.5 DKFP per game over that stretch.
Stud
Anthony Santander, Baltimore Orioles vs. Toronto Blue Jays ($4,600) – Santander’s 16-game hitting streak came to an end on Sunday, but during that stretch, he went 23-for-65 (.354) with seven doubles, four home runs, 13 RBI and a .450 wOBA. The switch-hitting Santander has done most of his damage against lefties this season, hitting .288 with a .376 wOBA and 146 wRC+ against southpaws like Yusei Kikuchi ($6,800).
Other Options – Brandon Nimmo ($4,700), Teoscar Hernández ($4,600), Daulton Varsho ($4,100)
Value
Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Toronto Blue Jays at Minnesota Twins ($4,000) – Gurriel hit leadoff for the Blue Jays in each of the two games since Springer landed on IL, and he has stayed hot, going 30-for-81 (.370) with five doubles over his past 20 games. He has lifted his average to .312 for the season but only has five home runs after hitting 21 last season. Even without as much power, though, he’s worth a look at this salary if he stays in the top spot of such a strong lineup.
Value
Victor Robles, Washington Nationals vs. Chicago Cubs ($2,300) – Robles has been hitting leadoff for the Nationals and should return to that spot after a day off on Sunday. He still is not walking at all (zero walks in his past 22 games), but he’s getting on base enough to utilize his speed with five stolen bases over his past 20 contests. He has hit .264 (14-for-53) over his 13 most recent contests with two doubles, two home runs and a .308 wOBA. His speed gives him a high ceiling, and he brings enough potential for extra-base hits as well to be worth a look at this very minimal salary.
Other Options – Mitch Haniger ($3,600), Jo Adell ($2,500)
TEAMS TO STACK
New York Mets vs Cincinnati Reds – The Mets took four of five games from the Braves over the weekend and have scored at least five runs in six straight and nine of their past 11. Since the All-Star break, they lead the Majors in wRC+, rank second in wOBA and fourth in runs scored. On Monday night, New York continues their homestand by welcoming in the Reds and facing Justin Dunn ($6,600), making his first start of the season. In Triple-A, Dunn has gone 0-3 in seven starts with a 6.92 ERA and 6.11 FIP, allowing 26 runs in 26 innings, including four home runs. Pete Alonso ($6,100) and Francisco Lindor ($5,900) anchor the lineup while Brandon Nimmo ($4,700) and Starling Marte ($5,400) have been great table-setters at the top. There’s a little salary relief available from Daniel Vogelbach ($3,700) and Luis Guillorme ($2,500) while new addition Tyler Naquin ($4,500) has had success in his limited role as well.
Chicago Cubs vs. Washington Nationals – The Cubs were shut out by the Marlins with just two hits on Sunday, but they should be able to bounce back in the hitter-friendly confines of Wrigley Field on Monday night. They’ll take on Aníbal Sánchez ($6,500), who has allowed 18 runs in 20 innings over his first four starts of the season while serving up six home runs. He has let righties post a .447 wOBA against him, so Willson Contreras ($4,900), Patrick Wisdom ($4,600) and Seiya Suzuki ($4,300) will all be on the favorable side of the split. You may also be able to get some good cheap plays from Chicago in Rafael Ortega ($2,600), P.J. Higgins ($2,500) and Zach McKinstry ($2,000) if in the lineup. Yan Gomes ($2,100) has also gone 8-for-22 (.364) with two homers in the past against Sánchez if you’re in the market for a cheap backstop.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $333K 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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