Major League Baseball gets the work week off to a busy start with 11 games on Monday night’s fantasy baseball slate on DraftKings. All 11 games are part of brand new series with six divisional matchups and five games featuring non-divisional opponents. In a couple of the notable series, the Red Sox host the Astros in a rematch of the 2021 ALCS and the Giants roll into Coors Field to take on the Rockies. The games in Baltimore, New York and Boston could be dealing with some weather issues as well, so be sure to check the forecast as we approach game time.
You can keep up with all the news, lineups and updates in the DK Live app and by following DK Live on Twitter (@dklive). I’m also on Twitter (@ZT_Sports), where you can keep up with all of my content and let me know who your favorite plays are.
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PITCHER
Stud
Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Atlanta Braves ($10,500) – Based on the scheduled starting pitchers for this Monday, we should be in for plenty of offense. There aren’t many aces on the mound, and there are some solid pitchers to stack against highlighted below. Peralta is one of the best plays on the mound due to his strikeout upside. He has found a nice rhythm in his past four starts after getting knocked around in his first two starts of the season. In his four starts since then, he has allowed five runs in 21 2⁄3 innings for a 2.08 ERA along with an impressive 1.49 FIP and 11.63 K/9 rate. He has at least seven strikeouts and at least 19 DKFP in each of his past three games. Those starts have been against weaker lineups, but his strikeouts should enable him to compensate for any runs he does allow against the Braves. To be an elite fantasy option, he’ll have to be more economical with his pitches and go deeper into games, but he has been good enough to be one of the strongest plays on this slate even though he has only pitched six full innings one time this season.
Other Options – Tony Gonsolin ($10,200), Miles Mikolas ($9,800)
Value
Noah Syndergaard, Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers ($8,500) – Syndergaard is coming off his best fantasy start of the season as he takes on Texas at Globe Life Field for the second time this season. Syndergaard had 23.2 DKFP on a season-high seven strikeouts in his most recent outing which was against the Rays. He only went 5 1⁄3 innings but worked around seven hits, allowing only one run and finishing with 97 pitches. He has over 17 DKFP in three of his past four starts, dating back to his previous outing in Arlington, where he held the Rangers to two runs in six innings to get a win and 18.5 DKFP. He is 3-1 on the year with a strong 2.45 ERA and 3.38 FIP. His strikeout numbers have been down compared to pre-Tommy John surgery, but his start against Tampa could be a sign that he’s rediscovering that dominance. The Rangers are hitting just .209 as a team in May, so they appear to be a solid matchup to attack.
Other Options – Jake Odorizzi ($8,100), Zach Logue ($7,800)
INFIELD
Stud
José Altuve, Houston Astros at Boston Red Sox ($5,000) – After missing a game with a leg injury, Altuve was back in his leadoff spot on Sunday and went 2-for-5 with a home run and 19 DKFP. He has 14 DKFP or more in six of his past 10 games while averaging 14.1 DKFP over that stretch. He has six home runs in those 10 games while going 15-for-42 (.357) with a .452 ISO and .525 wOBA. In his 25 career regular-season games at Fenway Park, he has hit .318 (34-for-107) with four home runs and a .350 wOBA.
Stud
Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals at New York Mets ($4,700) – Goldschmidt has also been heating up lately and comes into this series with an eight-game hitting streak. Over those eight games, he has five multi-hit efforts, going 14-for-32 (.438) with seven doubles and two home runs for a .562 wOBA. He has a 52.0% hard-hit rate over that stretch and a 48.5% hard-hit rate on the season, so he’s definitely seeing the ball well and driving it to all fields. Goldschmidt is 7-for-22 (.318) with a home run in his past meetings with Mets starter Trevor Williams ($6,100), so if the weather holds off Goldie will be a good anchor play at 1B for under $5K.
Other Options – Justin Turner ($4,700), Tim Anderson ($4,600)
Value
Yoán Moncada, Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals ($3,800) – Moncada got a late start to the season after straining his oblique before the final game of Spring Training. He’s still available at a discount but looks locked into the second spot in the White Sox's strong lineup and ready to contribute right away. He has only played five games but has already smashed two home runs and is hitting .286 (6-for-21) with a 46.7% hard-hit rate and at least one hit in each game. He has averaged 10.4 DKFP per contest and will look to keep rolling against Brad Keller ($7,200), who he has gone 9-for-35 (.257) against in the past with a pair of home runs.
Value
Royce Lewis, Minnesota Twins at Oakland Athletics ($2,100) – Lewis had his mini four-game hitting streak snapped on Sunday but has still hit safely in seven of his first nine MLB games, going 9-for-32 (.281) with two doubles, a home run, a .156 ISO and .315 wOBA. The 22-year-old only has four strikeouts and hasn’t appeared overmatched at all in his first stint in the Majors. He has gone 2-for-6 in his limited time vs. lefties with the Twins after going 4-for-11 with three doubles against southpaws in St. Paul (Triple-A). In this solid matchup with lefty Zach Logue ($7,800), Lewis is a great punt play with a high ceiling.
Other Options – Jace Peterson ($3,700), Frank Schwindel ($2,600)
OUTFIELD
Stud
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks ($5,400) – There are numerous attractive high-priced OF options, but Betts stands out since he has been on a tear over his past 15 games coming into a solid matchup with lefty Madison Bumgarner ($6,400). Betts has gone 20-for-63 (.317) over his past 15 games with five home runs, 13 runs scored and 12 RBI. He has a .412 wOBA over that span and a 50.0% hard-hit rate. At the top of a strong lineup in a good matchup, Betts almost always brings an extremely high ceiling.
Stud
Luis Robert, Chicago White Sox at Kansas City Royals ($4,500) – Robert has been red hot to start the month of May, hitting safely in 13 straight games with nine multi-hit games during that stretch. He has gone 22-for-54 (.407) with two home runs and a .441 wOBA and 47.8% hard-hit rate over that stretch. He has six stolen bases on the season but hasn’t been running quite as much lately since returning from his most recent injury. When he’s healthy, though, he brings great upside and can put up big fantasy nights in multiple ways.
Other Options – Aaron Judge ($6,100), Mike Trout ($5,500)
Value
Lamonte Wade Jr., San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies ($3,400) – Wade has settled into the leadoff spot for the Giants, who are one of my favorite stacks highlighted below. The 28-year-old missed the first month of the season with left knee inflammation but looks to be ready to pick up where he left off after a breakthrough 2021. In his eight games this year, Wade is 6-for-22 (.273) with a home run and .361 wOBA. He has a 61.1% hard-hit rate, which indicates more success could be in store for him, especially in this situation on Monday.
Value
Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners at Toronto Blue Jays ($3,200) – Rodríguez has been one of my most used players this season, and the rookie has been putting on quite the show after a slow start. He had the first four-hit game of his career on Sunday, going 4-for-4 with a home run and 29 DKFP. It was his second home run of the season to go with his 10 stolen bases. His season-long numbers are still a little low due to his slow start, but he is hitting .333 with a .384 wOBA over his past 22 games. He has done damage all season long against lefties, going 11-for-32 (.344) with a .422 wOBA against southpaws like former Mariner Yusei Kikuchi ($6,300), who starts for Toronto Monday.
Other Options – Juan Yepez ($3,600), Kole Calhoun ($2,700)
TEAMS TO STACK
San Francisco Giants at Colorado Rockies – Despite traveling to Coors Field, where the Royals and Rockies combined for 53 runs over their three games this past weekend, the Giants’ hitters are surprisingly affordable. San Francisco’s lineup isn’t stacked with top names, but they scored 24 runs in three games against the Rockies in San Francisco last week and should have no trouble getting on the board early and often against Antonio Senzatela ($4,700). Senzatela has surrendered 19 runs in 27 2⁄3 innings in his six starts this season, issuing seven walks and allowing 47 hits. He’s let lefties post a .408 wOBA and righties to be even better with a .447 wOBA. With the situation and matchup, I’d expect the Giants to be priced through the roof, but that isn’t the case at all. Wade (highlighted above) is a solid leadoff option with Brandon Belt ($4,500), Joc Pederson ($4,200), Mike Yastrzemski ($3,600), Evan Longoria ($3,700) and Brandon Crawford ($4,300) all solid plays for under $5K expected to follow him in the order. Longoria and Pederson have each homered against Senzatela in the past and Belt has gone 9-for-20 with a .497 wOBA.
Chicago Cubs vs. Pittsburgh Pirates – It’s been a rough season at Wrigley Field for the Cubs, but there are some things to like about this matchup with the Pirates, and they are an interesting value stack against Dillon Peters ($5,900) as opener with Bryse Wilson ($6,700) as bulk reliever. Peters has been hit-or-miss while Wilson has allowed 17 runs on 23 hits in 21 2⁄3 innings. Wilson has given up a .365 wOBA to lefties and a .327 wOBA to righties. Willson Contreras ($4,700) and Seiya Suzuki ($4,000) are the only Cubs bats at $4K or more, meaning the rest of the lineup is packed with cheap plays. Ian Happ ($3,600), Patrick Wisdom ($3,800), Frank Schwindel ($2,600) and Jonathan Villar ($3,400) are solid considerations and Alfonso Rivas ($2,200) could also be a good punt play who should do well against Wilson.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $300K Relay Throw [$100K to 1st]
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