We have a busy Monday on the MLB schedule, with three games starting before the normal window. Fortunately, we still have a nice eight-game main DFS slate on both FanDuel and DraftKings. Experienced daily fantasy baseball owners know that sleepers and values can change once lineups come out, so keep track of all MLB starting lineups and Hitter Matchups (BvP) on RotoBaller to add to the research below.
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
JP Sears, A's @ Yankees ($6,300 DK, $7,000 FD)
This one is not for the faint of heart -- starting a pitcher at Yankee Stadium never is. However, there is far more good news than bad. Sears has four career appearances at Yankee Stadium and is 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA. Add to that the Yankees’ mighty struggles against lefties this year (.218 in 261 at-bats with nine homers), and Sears could be a great value tonight.
Jake Irvin, Nationals @ Giants ($5,000 DK, $7,500 FD)
Irvin is a great value on DraftKings but not quite as much on FanDuel. He was solid in his major league debut last week against the Cubs, but the Giants are a bit of a different animal. However, Irvin gets a nice park upgrade in San Francisco, and the Giants have scored more than four runs in a game only once since April 29. There’s a lot to like about Irvin even if he won’t go deep into the game or rack up a ton of strikeouts.
Best infield values, sleepers for Monday's MLB DFS contests
Yasmani Grandal, White Sox @ Royals ($3,000 DK, $2,700 FD)
Grandal and Kansas City starter Zack Greinke are very familiar with each other, and it’s fair to say that Grandal has gotten the best out of this matchup, going 16-for-55 (.291) with a pair of homers and eight doubles. That maps out to a .455 SLG against Greinke in his career. Playing a catcher on FD can often set you apart from other lineups in a large-field GPP. Getting one at this big of a discount with this kind of history is just a bonus.
Maikel Garcia, Royals vs. White Sox ($2,600 DK, $2,100 FD)
Garcia has opened his major league career with a six-game hitting streak and has driven in a run in five straight. Not too shabby! Dylan Cease has given up at least four runs in three of his past four starts. The Royals' offense is finally starting to get going, scoring at least four runs in every game this month. Garcia hit out of the five-hole yesterday, so there's a lot of upside at this price.
Eugenio Suarez, Mariners vs. Rangers ($3,600 DK, $2,700 FD)
Suarez is off to a bit of a slow start (.240, three HRs, 19 RBIs), but he has reached base in five straight games. Enter Texas starter Jon Gray. Suarez is 6-for-19 (.316) with three homers in his career against Gray. You might be able to get some big points on the cheap with Suarez today. Curiously, Suarez is hitting 52 points higher at home this year. Maybe he has T-Mobile Park figured out.
MORE ROTOBALLER: Get any full-season RotoBaller MLB and DFS Premium Pass for 10% off using code SPORTING and gain exclusive access to our Team Sync platform, premium articles, daily matchup rating projections, 15 lineup tools, DFS cheat sheets, research stations, lineup optimizers, and much more!
Best OF values, sleepers for Monday's MLB DFS contests
Harrison Bader, Yankees vs. A's ($3,500 DK, $2,600 FD)
Bader piled up six hits over the weekend in Tampa, a park that isn't conducive to big offensive outputs. Not only that, but Bader smashed two homers and drove in seven. That’s seven RBIs in 11 official at-bats for those of you keeping score at home. Sign me up!
LaMonte Wade Jr., Giants vs. Nationals ($3,200 DK, $3,000 FD)
Wade’s 1B-only eligibility on FD is a bit disheartening, but they do have a UTIL slot. He might be worth it. Wade is leading off against a rookie making his second career start, and he's reached base in every game since April 24. He's also posted four homers and six RBIs since then.
Leody Taveras, Rangers @ Mariners ($2,400 DK, $2,800 FD)
This Texas offense is cooking to open May. The Rangers just scored 30 runs in their three-game set in L.A. against the Angels. Taveras contributed seven hits, four runs, four RBIs, and a steal. They won’t pull the switch-hitter from the lineup while he’s this hot. Enjoy the value!
