We have a very busy Monday schedule, as all but the Florida teams are in action. Two of them have the audacity to start a half-hour early, so of course, both main DFS sites chop off those games. Killjoys. We still have a dozen games to build from, which is a lot more than usual! 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
Grayson Rodriguez, Orioles vs. White Sox ($7,500 DK, $8,700 FD)
Rodriguez is a touch over our self-imposed "value" threshold on FanDuel, but considering the prices of other pitchers, he may be worth it anyway. In seven starts since being summoned back to Baltimore on July 17, Rodriguez has a solid 3.24 ERA.
The strikeouts may not be exactly where we want them yet, but I’ll settle for the rookie not getting demolished. He has only allowed more than three runs once since his return, and that was in the first game. The White Sox are in the bottom five in wRC+ in August against righthanded pitching and are striking out at a 25.1-percent clip. There’s plenty of upside here.
Johan Oviedo, Pirates @ Royals ($7,300 DK, $8,300 FD)
There’s a lot of risk in the lower tier of pitchers tonight, but Oviedo might have the highest upside. Despite the 4.46 ERA on the season, Oviedo has cleared 20 fantasy points in four of his past six starts. He struggled a bit against division foes Cincinnati and the Mets in New York but went over 20 against the Cardinals, Tigers, Padres, and Brewers. The Royals’ offense feels right in line with those four, so Oviedo feels the most trustworthy.
Best infield values, sleepers for Monday's MLB DFS contests
Wilmer Flores, Giants vs. Reds ($4,000 DK, $3,000 FD)
Flores continues to punish lefthanded pitching. He is hitting .336 with seven homers against southpaws in just 131 at-bats on the season. He has hit a home run in three straight games against a lefty starter. I’ll call for a fourth against Andrew Abbott tonight.
Royce Lewis, Twins vs. Guardians ($4,000 DK, $3,000 FD)
Lewis is hitting .279 with three homers and nine RBIs since his return from the IL on Aug. 15. All three of those homers have come in the past five games, including a grand slam yesterday against the Rangers. Lewis is heating up just as he did at the end of last season and feels like a great bargain at this price against Xzavion Curry.
Alika Williams, Pirates @ Royals ($2,100 DK, $2,100 FD)
Williams has three of his six RBIs on the season in the past nine games and is hitting .280 over that span. He doesn’t offer any power and plays in an offense that doesn’t score a lot of runs. However, Williams gets Zack Greinke, who is only pitching about four innings per game these days and isn’t that effective in said innings. He then faces the third-worst bullpen in the majors behind him. If you need a minimum-priced punt, Williams is a good option.
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Best OF values, sleepers for Monday's MLB DFS contests
Tommy Pham, Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers ($3,700 DK, $2,800 FD)
Pham’s hitting streak ended at 15 on Saturday, but he started a new one yesterday with a two-hit game against the Reds and has stolen a base in each of the last two games. He is a completely different player once he escaped the baseball prison that is the Mets. I’m not getting off this train yet.
Daulton Varsho, Blue Jays vs. Nationals ($3,400 DK, $2,500 FD)
Varsho is hitting .314 with three doubles, a triple, two homers, five walks, eight RBIs, four runs scored, and a pair of steals over the past 10 games. He has only faced Josiah Gray in one game in his career, but he homered off of him in that game.
DJ Stewart, Mets vs. Rangers ($2,900 DK, $2,300 FD)
Four of Stewart’s six homers on the season have come in the past 11 games alone. He has also picked up a hit in five of the past six games and has six multi-hit games in these 11 games. Stewart is one of the few bright spots on a team that needs one, yet he isn’t priced like it on either site.
