We have another busy Monday with eight games on the main MLB DFS slate of both FanDuel and DraftKings. The earlier games are left off of both sites, but we still have plenty of options to choose from. Veteran 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 target hitters under $4,000/$3,000 on DraftKings/FanDuel and pitchers under $6,000/$7,000 DK/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 tonight. We shouldn’t have any rain to worry about tonight, so that’s a nice change!
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Best SP values, sleepers for Monday's MLB DFS contests
By Mike Marteny
Allan Winans, Braves vs. Mets ($7,500 DK, $6,500 FD)
Winans has 14 strikeouts in 11.1 major league innings so far this year. Nine of those came in seven innings against the Mets at CitiField last week. The Mets’ offense woke up a little against St. Louis and Pittsburgh, but a series in Hotlanta should clear that up. There’s a ton of upside on Winans at this price.
Drew Rom, Cardinals @ Pirates ($4,000 DK, $5,500 FD)
Rom struck out 18 batters while allowing only one run in two starts for Louisville after the Cardinals acquired him in the Jack Flaherty trade. He gets a soft landing in the majors against a Pirates team that is barely above Triple-A. The Pirates are only hitting .223 against lefties since the All-Star break with just five homers in 310 at-bats while striking out at a 26.5-percent clip. Soft landing, indeed.
Best infield values, sleepers for Monday's MLB DFS contests
Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Reds @ Angels ($3,400 DK, $2,800 FD)
The heralded rookie is quietly riding a five-game hitting streak that included his first career stolen base on Saturday and his first career walk-off home run on Friday. Lucas Giolito has allowed 16 runs, including for hours, in 15.2 innings with his new team. I’ll ride the rookie at this price.
Pablo Reyes, Red Sox @ Astros ($3,100 DK, $2,300 FD)
Reyes has five hits in the last two games and 10 hits in the past six games with a homer, three RBIs, seven runs scored, and two steals in that span. The Red Sox just scored 20 runs in a three-game sweep of the Yankees, and they get the struggling Cristian Javier tonight. Reyes will be in every one of my builds.
Ezequiel Duran, Rangers @ Diamondbacks ($3,700 DK, $2,800 FD)
Duran has 12 hits in the last 10 games with a homer, four RBIs, a steal, and five runs scored in that span. He picked up four of those hits in the weekend series with Milwaukee, scoring twice and driving in a run. Let’s see if he can carry that hot streak into the desert.
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Best OF values, sleepers for Monday's MLB DFS contests
Tommy Pham, Diamondbacks vs. Rangers ($4,000 DK, $2,900 FD)
How happy is the 35-year-old Pham that the Diamondbacks rescued him from the baseball hell that is the Mets? The veteran is riding an 11-game hitting streak with three homers, 11 RBIs, and 10 runs in that span. He should be able to keep streaking against lefty Jordan Montgomery. Nine of Pham’s 13 homers have come against lefties this year.
MJ Melendez, Royals @ A's ($3,400 DK, $2,800 FD)
Melendez is hitting .352 in August with eight doubles, four homers, nine RBIs, and 11 runs. He is showing no signs of slowing down with a current six-game hitting streak in which he has 11 hits. The hit parade should keep coming in Oakland tonight.
DJ Stewart, Mets @ Braves ($2,700 DK, $2,400 FD)
Four of Stewart’s five homers on the season have come in the past five games alone. He has also driven in seven of his 10 runs on the season and scored five times in that span. It won’t be easy to keep that streak alive against the Braves, but for this price, it’s worth seeing if he can.
