There are a solid seven games on the Major League Baseball schedule for Monday night, so DraftKings is ready to go with another full set of contests, starting at 6:40 p.m. ET. The Mariners and Twins are wrapping up their four-game set, while the other six games are the first game of a new set of series for this week.
Throughout the day, stay locked into the DK Live app for updates, and you also can follow DK Live on Twitter @dklive for the latest news and analysis leading up to the first pitch. You can also let me know what you think of these picks, ask any questions and find more bargain-specific content on my Twitter, @ZT_Sports.
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
Elieser Hernandez, Miami Marlins at Los Angeles Angels ($7,500) – Paying all the way up for pitchers when not many are able to go deep into games is a risky strategy. Instead, this early in the season and this late in the rotation, it makes sense to target mid-range plays with upside, like Hernandez. He was forced to leave his final Spring Training start after a comebacker off his forearm, but prior to that, he had allowed just two hits while striking out six in six scoreless innings. He has battled injury throughout his career, but has an 8.7 K/9 rate in his 225 1⁄3 career innings, giving him good upside. Hernandez has a decent matchup against the Angels, who have a few big bats but not much depth. They only managed 10 runs in four games against the Astros while hitting .231 as a team and striking out 32 times in 36 innings.
Other Options – Alek Manoah ($10,200), Alex Wood ($9,200)
Value
Nick Martinez, San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants ($5,900) – Martinez will be making his first MLB start since 2017 after spending four seasons in Japan. He also pitched for Team USA in the Olympics before signing a four-year deal with the Padres. Last year in Japan, he went an impressive 10-5 in 23 starts with a 1.62 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 146 strikeouts in 149 2⁄3 innings. The Giants only hit .183 as a team in their first series of the year, scoring 10 runs in three games. He’s in a pitcher-friendly park in a good matchup, so this should be a good value spot to target Martinez in his comeback attempt.
Other Option – Michael Lorenzen ($6,700)
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $350K Relay Throw [$100K to 1st]
INFIELD
Stud
Wander Franco, Tampa Bay Rays vs. Oakland Athletics ($5,300) – The switch-hitting shortstop went 6-for-11 in the Rays’ season-opening sweep of the Orioles with a double, a stolen base, three RBI and 11.0 DKFP per game. He has yet to hit a home run, but has a 50.0% hard-hit rate. Of the scheduled starting pitchers, Paul Blackburn ($5,200) had the second-highest ERA last season with a 5.87 ERA and a 5.47 FIP. He allowed left-handed opponents to hit .333 with a .407 wOBA, so Franco and the Rays should be in a good spot to put up another big run total.
Stud
Anthony Rizzo, New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays ($5,000) – Rizzo had an unremarkable Spring Training after inking a deal to return to the Yankees, but he started the regular season with a great series against the Red Sox. He had two RBI in each of his first three games, hit two home runs and averaged 16.3 DKFP per game. Of his nine batted ball events, he already has two barrels and a hard-hit rate of 55.6%, per Statcast. He’ll look to keep mashing as the Yankees welcome in another AL East opponent by taking on Alek Manoah ($10,200) and the Blue Jays
Other Options – Matt Olson ($5,400), Ozzie Albies ($4,800)
Value
Luis Arraez, Minnesota Twins vs. Seattle Mariners ($3,600) – Arraez has only started one of the Twins’ first three games to start the season since they have faced a pair of lefties. The left-handed-hitting 2B/3B hit second in the order against the one right-handed SP they faced and will be in a premier production spot if he hits there regularly this season. He went 12-for-30 (.400) with two doubles and a triple this Spring Training and has gone 2-for-5 with a home run in his limited action this year. Last season, he hit .307 against righties with a .330 wOBA. He doesn’t bring elite power but as a solid midrange value play, he usually finds ways to deliver.
Value
Austin Nola, San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants ($2,900) – Nola is another very affordable hitter expected to be in a great lineup spot. He looks to be set up to hit second against lefties like the Giants' Alex Wood ($9,200). Nola has gone 4-for-10 so far this year with three RBI. Last season, he hit .348 against southpaws with six doubles, a .356 wOBA and a 126 wRC+. Like Arraez, he doesn’t bring a ton of power upside but should be in a premier lineup spot with good splits in his favor. Contact and on-base specialists like Nola and Arraez can help fill in roster spots with cheap options that chip in while also allowing you to spend big on sluggers in other spots.
Other Options – Seth Brown ($3,500), César Hernández ($3,500)
OUTFIELD
Stud
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins vs. Seattle Mariners ($5,900) – I’m going back to the well on Buxton after he homered twice on Sunday. Signing his mega-contract this offseason doesn’t seem to have negatively impacted his performance since he has come out of the gate going 3-for-12 with those three home runs and a 50% hard-hit rate, showing he’s actually gotten a little unlucky not to have gotten more hits as well. He dominated throughout Spring Training, going 15-for-32 (.469) with five home runs, and it looks like he isn’t slowing down any time soon. His spot at the top of the Twins order gives him a very high ceiling with his great blend of power and speed.
Stud
Mark Canha, New York Mets at Philadelphia Phillies ($4,200) – Canha has started his Mets career red-hot, with multiple hits in each of his first three games. He has started in each OF position while going 7-for-10 with three walks, two RBI and 11.67 DKFP per game. He’ll face lefty Ranger Suárez ($8,900) in the series opener with the Phillies and will look to continue to make a great first impression.
Other Options – Juan Soto ($5,700), George Springer ($5,100)
Value
Marcell Ozuna, Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals ($3,800) – Ozuna has gone 4-for-14 with two doubles and two RBI for the defending champions while hitting cleanup in each game. He has a 61.5% hard-hit rate, according to Statcast, and the big righty brings nice power potential under $4K. In his career, he has a .362 wOBA and .219 ISO against left-handed pitchers, and he should be set for success against Josh Rogers ($6,300), who has struggled against right-handed hitters as detailed below.
Value
Jurickson Profar, San Diego Padres at San Francisco Giants ($2,400) – Profar is notoriously streaky, but he is on a heater to start the season and comes at a very affordable price in this matchup against a lefty. The 29-year-old hit his second home run of the season on Sunday with a grand slam against the Diamondbacks on his way to 22 DKFP. He also homered in his previous game on Friday and had 21 DKFP. He only had four home runs all of last season, so his power production appears to be a bit of an outlier, but he’s swinging a hot enough bat to still deserve attention at this price point.
Other Options – Josh Lowe ($2,800), Julio Rodríguez ($2,000)
TEAMS TO STACK
Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals – Rogers started six games last season for the Nationals, going 2-2 with a 5.58 ERA and 5.83 FIP. The glaring struggle to attack with the stack today, though, is his struggles against right-handed hitters. Rogers allowed righties to hit .286 against him with a .396 wOBA compared to lefties who only managed a .143 average and .165 wOBA. While you might want to avoid Eddie Rosario ($4,400) and Matt Olson ($5,400) since they bat left-handed, it should be a great spot for Ozuna (highlighted above), Austin Riley ($4,800), Adam Duvall ($4,100) and Ozzie Albies ($4,800), who usually moves into the leadoff spot vs. LHP.
Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees – The Blue Jays looked like a juggernaut in their first three games of the season, scoring 20 runs while hitting .283 with a team wOBA of .392, the highest mark of any team in the Majors. Now they get to play a series in the bandbox of Yankee Stadium with its inviting short RF porch. Jameson Taillon ($8,000) has to deal with the Jays on Monday after going 0-2 in three starts against them last year and allowing nine runs in 13 innings. The top of the lineup is full of potential power with George Springer ($5,100), Bo Bichette ($5,400), Teoscar Hernández ($4,700) and Vladimir Guerrero ($6,100) who is 3-for-6 with a home run against Taillon in their past meetings. There could also be some potential value at the bottom of the Blue Jays’ lineup with lefties Raimel Tapia ($3,300) and Cavan Biggio ($3,000) taking aim at that short porch and also getting on base to be driven in by the power bats when the lineup flips.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $350K 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 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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