Major League Baseball starts another work week with a slate of new series this Monday night, and there are eight games on the main slate on DraftKings, which gets underway at 6:40 p.m. ET when the Brewers visit the Marlins in Miami. That’s one of three interleague matchups on the board along with four divisional contests.
While it’s a little smaller than the slates we had to finish out last week, there are still plenty of options to consider from this 16-team player pool. As you assemble your squad, check out these three bargain plays who can save you significant salary while still bringing good upside in their Monday matchup.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $222K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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SP Reese Olson, Detroit Tigers at Kansas City Royals, $6,900
In this interesting AL Central matchup, the Tigers head to Kansas City to face the Royals, who have started strong and are in an early position for a Wild-Card spot. The Tigers are also at .500 and look to be in the race for a playoff spot if they can keep at this pace. On Monday, Detroit sends Olson to the mound coming off four straight excellent outings. The 24-year-old righty hasn’t gotten a win in any of those starts despite allowing one or zero earned runs in each outing and pitching a total of 26 innings. He is 0-4 on the year despite a solid 2.09 ERA and 2.56 FIP. He has 41 strikeouts in 47 1⁄3 innings on the year and 23 strikeouts in 26 innings in those last four starts. In each of those outings, he earned at least 17 DKFP with two starts over 25 DKFP. He faced the Royals in this same matchup in one of those starts, allowing one run on three hits in seven innings to earn 26.2 DKFP despite taking a hard-luck loss. He seems due for some positive win regression and gets a favorable matchup against Michael Wacha ($6,600) on Monday. Even on the road, Olson is a strong value option under $7,000 and brings a high ceiling based on his current form.
OF Luke Raley, Seattle Mariners at New York Yankees, $3,100
The Mariners acquired Raley in a trade from the Rays this past offseason, and the lefty has been a solid part of their lineup this season, hitting .293 with three homers, three stolen bases and a .339 wOBA in 36 games. He has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, going 15-for-35 (.429) with three doubles and two homers while averaging 10.7 DKFP per contest. Raley had three hits on Sunday with two doubles and 15 DKFP in the series finale in Baltimore and has at least 13 DKFP in four of his last five games. Getting a matchup against Marcus Stroman ($8,300) and the Yankees at Yankee Stadium with its short right-field porch should set up well for Raley. At just over $3,000, he has good power upside and is swinging a hot bat in the middle of a productive lineup.
2B/3B Otto Lopez, Miami Marlins vs. Milwaukee Brewers, $2,600
The Marlins have been giving Lopez extra playing time since putting Tim Anderson (back) on IL, and the versatile 25-year-old has been consistently productive at the plate. He had two hits on both Saturday and Sunday and has gone 9-for-28 (.321) with two doubles, two homers and a .416 wOBA over his last eight games. During that span, he has averaged 9.1 DKFP per game and has shown he’s ready to translate the solid hit tool from his minor league success to the majors. He doesn’t have elite power and speed, but he has three homers and a stolen base on the season in his 22 games to average 5.5 DKFP per game. Since he’s swinging a hot bat and getting good playing time, his versatility at either 2B or 3B makes him a good play at barely over $2,500 that can fit into multiple roster constructions.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $222K Relay Throw [$50K 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.
