Monday night is the start of a fresh new work week in the MLB with 12 new series getting underway. After three games on the early turbo slate, 18 teams provide a solid player pool for DFS fantasy baseball, and the nine-game main slate on DraftKings gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET. Of the nine matchups, three are divisional contests and three are interleague matchups.
With such a full slate, there are plenty of ways to go about filling out your fantasy baseball lineup card. If the stars you want to pay up to include leave you tight on salary cap space, check out these four bargain plays. Each option has a high ceiling despite a low salary this Monday.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $250K Relay Throw [$50K to 1st]
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SP Spencer Schwellenbach, Atlanta Braves at St. Louis Cardinals, $7,400
The Braves have dealt with major injuries this season in several areas of their roster, and Schwellenbach is one of the prospects who is settling into his new role in the rotation. The 24-year-old righty has made four starts and looked solid in three of those outings. His 4.98 ERA and 3.98 FIP are inflated by his one bad outing against Boston, but he has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his other outings, earning over 11 DKFP in each game. His best start of his career came last Tuesday against the Tigers when he picked up his first career MLB victory by going six innings and striking out seven while allowing one run on three hits. He finishes with an impressive 25.3 DKFP and will look to continue that momentum on Monday night in St. Louis. Schwellenbach started the year at high-A with the Rome Emperors and also spent time in Double-A with the Mississippi Braves before skipping straight to the MLB. He showcased good strikeout potential with 51 strikeouts in 45 minor-league innings and has 19 strikeouts in 21 2⁄3 innings in the MLB. The Cardinals are a fairly neutral matchup since they rank in the middle tier in just about every offensive category. With his salary under $7,500, Schwellenbach has shown enough of a ceiling to be the top low-cost option on this slate as he goes head-to-head with veteran Lance Lynn.
OF Jarred Kelenic, Atlanta Braves at St. Louis Cardinals, $3,400
Another place the Braves have had to patch things together due to injury is at the top of their order. Kelenic has taken over the everyday leadoff role after injuries to Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) and Michael Harris (hamstring). He’s been very productive in that role and has been a regular in my value picks. Kelenic is hitting a solid .270 with seven homers and a .328 wOBA on the season, but over his current 10-game hitting streak he has gone 13-for-41 (.317) with three homers, a stolen base and a .399 wOBA to average 9.9 DKFP per contest. He is on the favorable side of his splits against Lynn, who has had his struggles against left-handed hitters like Kelenic.
OF Stuart Fairchild, Cincinnati Reds vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, $2,800
3B Santiago Espinal, Cincinnati Reds vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, $2,400
Whenever the Reds face a lefty like Bailey Falter ($6,800), they bring a couple of good value options. Stuart Fairchild usually leads off against lefties and is hitting .289 against lefties this season with a .353 wOBA, three home runs and six stolen bases. He does sometimes leave early if the opponent goes to a right-handed pitcher, but his power and speed potential give him a good ceiling for a player under $3,000. His teammate, Santiago Espinal has also been hitting lefties well, with a .242 batting average and .290 wOBA in the split. He has hit safely in five straight games including a home run last Tuesday against the Pirates, when he faced Falter in this same matchup in Pittsburgh. Fairchild and Espinal both bring good potential at their low salaries and can be used as a mini-stack or independently in your Monday night lineups.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $250K 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.
