We have one of the busier Mondays of the season with a robust 10-game main DFS slate, so we shouldn’t have to dig too far for values today! Of course, 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 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. Rain could be an issue in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. (Aren’t we usually done with rain by July?) The weather is weird this year, so keep an eye on those games leading up to lineup lock.
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Best SP values, sleepers for Monday's MLB DFS contests
By Mike Marteny
Nick Pivetta, Red Sox @ A's ($7,300 DK, $7,000 FD)
Pivetta was exiled to the bullpen in May, but Boston has used him as a bulk reliever behind an opener in the past three games. He's pitched well in that role, and we expected him to get the starting nod tonight. Regardless of his role, Pivetta has allowed just five earned runs in 12.1 innings in long relief in that span with 21 strikeouts. Five of those innings and eight of those strikeouts came against the A’s in his last appearance before the break.
Quinn Priester, Pirates vs. Guardians ($7,000 DK, $6,800 FD)
Priester might be the best pitching prospect left in the Pirates organization. He posted a solid 4.31 ERA for Indianapolis this year with 84 strikeouts in 87.2 innings. The Guardians are in the bottom five of the majors in scoring this year, so there is potential here. If you don’t trust a rookie, Matt Manning has a nice matchup against the Royals in Kansas City (there's a little bonus pick for all of you loyal readers).
Best infield values, sleepers for Monday's MLB DFS contests
Garrett Cooper, Marlins @ Cardinals ($3,100 DK, $2,900 FD)
Cooper has five multi-hit offerings in his past eight games with two homers and seven RBIs in that span. He is also 4-for-11 with a triple and a homer in his career against Miles Mikolas. Add in the good weather for hitters in St. Louis, and Cooper is rounding into a nice bargain tonight.
Edouard Julien, Twins @ Mariners ($3,100 DK, $2,800 FD)
Julien has come out of the break the same way he went into it: Hot! He's 7-for-12 with three doubles, a homer, three runs scored, and three RBI over his past four games. Logan Gilbert is a tough matchup, but he has been worse at home this year.
J.P. Crawford, Mariners vs. Twins ($3,200 DK, $2,800 FD)
We knew that Crawford was too talented to stay cold for too long. He is hitting .370 in July with six runs scored, a pair of homers, and five RBI. Those aren't monster counting stats, but you can still rack up the points with hits. Crawford hasn’t had fewer than four hits in a series since facing Washington over June 26-28.
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Best OF values, sleepers for Monday's MLB DFS contests
Jarren Duran, Red Sox @ A's ($3,900 DK, $3,200 FD)
Duran is a bit over the "value" threshold on FD, but he’s worth it. He's hitting .500 with 11 runs, a homer, four RBIs, and two steals in 32 July at-bats -- and he’s leading off. What more could you ask for?
Kerry Carpenter, Tigers @ Royals ($3,200 DK, $2,900 FD)
As usual, we wanted to attack Jordan Lyles and his bloated 6.42 ERA, not to mention his 1-11 record. Who does he think he is, Anthony Young? I wouldn’t be doing anyone any favors by filling this piece with Detroit bats, so I’ll just go with my favorite value. Carpenter is 2-for-5 with a homer in his career against Lyles and is 5-for-11 with three homers and six RBIs since the All-Star break. He is too cheap on both sites!
Drew Waters, Royals vs. Tigers ($2,300 DK, $2,400 FD)
Waters is hitting a solid .303 in July with a massive 465-foot homer yesterday, a steal, and six RBIs. Unfortunately, he plays for the Royals, where counting stats to go die, but Waters came out of the break with four hits, including that homer that hasn’t landed yet, in 10 tries against the Rays. He’s worth a shot at this price.
