We have 11 games on the main MLB DFS slate for the first Monday of the 2023 season. As always, a few players have been greatly underpriced or overpriced to start the season, so this is the best time of the year to take advantage of all the value picks on DraftKings and FanDuel. Of course, veteran daily fantasy baseball owners know that things can change once lineups come out, so be sure to keep track of all MLB starting lineups and Hitter Matchups (BvP) on RotoBaller to add to the research below.
We're mining for DFS gold today. Value picks are always relative, but for this piece, we'll try to target hitters under $4,000 on DraftKings and under $3,000 on FanDuel and pitchers under $6,000 on DK and $7,000 on FD. We'll also point out any player we feel is sorely underpriced for his expected production.
The main slate locks at 7:05 p.m. ET., so get those lineups ready. Good luck!
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Best SP values, sleepers for Monday's MLB DFS contests
Kutter Crawford, BOS vs. PIT ($5,800 DK, $7,000 FD)
Pittsburgh has scored just eight runs in three games, so it's already in midseason form. Crawford had a bad September after a strong July last year, but he erased that with a 2.03 ERA this spring. The Red Sox rotation is getting close to healthy, so Crawford might only get one start. This is a great chance for him to build on a strong spring against the light-hitting Pirates.
Michael Grove, LAD vs. COL ($5,600 DK, $6,900 FD)
Boy, the Dodgers' rotation is already battling a rash of injuries. Unlike last year, though, the only really big loss so far is Tony Gonsolin. Grove is getting the call after Ryan Pepiot went down last week. His 4.38 spring ERA is nothing to write home about, but he gets the Rockies away from Coors and he struck out 14 batters in just 12.1 innings this spring. There's good potential for the price here.
Best infield values, sleepers for Monday's MLB DFS contests
Josh Naylor, SD vs. ARI ($3,500 DK, $2,600 FD)
Naylor gets to start his 2023 in two of the biggest MLB parks, but that didn't stop him from hitting a homer on Saturday in Seattle. Now he heads to the cavernous Coliseum, but he faces a guy that he really likes to hit against (James Kaprelian). Naylor has a walk and a homer in four plate appearances against Kaprelian in his career. It's a small sample size, but Naylor is already seeing the ball well. He's worth a shot at this price.
Nolan Gorman, STL vs. ATL ($3,200 DK, $2,500 FD)
Gorman homered twice against the Jays yesterday and drove in six runs in the weekend series. He even walked four times in the three games. Charlie Morton is a crafty veteran, but we'll trust the guy swinging the hot bat, especially when he comes at a significant discount. That, and Charlie Morton is 39. He'll slow down eventually, and we already know he's prone to hard-hit outings.
Jorge Mateo, BAL @ TEX ($3,300 DK, $3,200 FD)
Mateo was out of the lineup yesterday after he cut his hand on Saturday, but the injury appears to be minor enough that he could return today. Let's hope he does. Mateo stole four bags and scored three runs in his first two games against the Red Sox in just nine plate appearances. Steals can rack up points in a hurry and are often forgotten in DFS circles. We like to target value plays who can turn a walk into a double multiple times per game. Mateo fits that description.
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Best OF values, sleepers for Monday's MLB DFS contests
Adam Duvall, BOS vs. PIT ($3,700 DK, $3,300 FD)
The veteran almost single-handedly destroyed the Orioles with eight hits in 14 tries in the season's first series. A staggering six of those eight hits went for extra bases, and he drove in eight while scoring six times. What can Duvall do for an encore against a patchwork Pittsburgh pitching staff? For under $4k, we're finding out!
Steven Kwan, CLE @ OAK ($3,800 DK, $3,400 FD)
Kwan drove in five runs on Friday and six runs in the weekend series in Seattle. The bad news? He didn't score or steal a base. Those will come as the rest of the Cleveland lineup starts to fall into place. We're not scared of James Kaprelian, and Kwan's skill set is great for the massive outfield in Oakland. He should continue his strong start.
Jose Siri, TB @ WAS ($2,600 DK, $2,700 FD)
Siri has a homer and five RBIs through three games in 2023, and his price has been slow to adjust. He is more known for his defense, but he's always had some hitting chops when he can limit the strikeouts. Hey, strikeouts don't count against us in DFS, so we're tossing him out there against Trevor Williams since he doesn't rack up the Ks.
