We have a lighter offering on Monday this week with only six games going on. We have four games split up earlier in the day, but the six-game main slate is where all of the action is. 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 tonight. Rain could be an issue in Minneapolis and New York. (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 lock.
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 SP values, sleepers for Monday's MLB DFS contests
By Mike Marteny
Domingo German, Yankees vs. Orioles ($7,200 DK, $8,100 FD)
German threw easily the most improbable perfect game in MLB history in his last start. Yeah, it was against the A’s in Oakland, but if pitching a perfect game was so easy, we would have a hell of a lot more than 24 in 147 years. Is he going to do it again? Not a chance. Will he give up 10 runs? That’s more likely. German is what he has always been: a powder keg. He is still the same pitcher, but we have seen flashes of brilliance before. He feels cheap on both sites tonight.
Austin Cox, Royals @ Twins ($5,000 DK, $6,000 FD)
I’m a huge fan of Bryan Woo, especially on DK, but he doesn’t make the cut on FD. So, we’ll turn to Cox. His first start didn’t go well, but it didn’t go as poorly as the box score indicated either. All four of the runs that he allowed against the Guardians came on one swing from Jose Ramirez. That’s the silver lining. Cox still needs to cut down on walks, but that’s doable against the Twins, who have struck out more than any team in baseball this year. Don’t expect miracles, but Cox could get us a dozen or so points nearly for free.
Best infield values, sleepers for Monday's MLB DFS contests
Ryan O’Hearn, Orioles @ Yankees ($3,500 DK, $2,600 FD)
O’Hearn makes the list again, in part because his price hasn’t budged on FanDuel. It was a rough week for the former Royal, but he was still able to draw some walks and drive in a run despite having just one hit. I know that German is going to be super popular, which is another reason to run O’Hearn in GPPs. The fact that both of O’Hearn’s hits against German in six at-bats are homers is just gravy.
Anthony Rendon, Angels @ Padres ($3,300 DK, $2,800 FD)
Rendon has been downright awful this season, especially in the early part of June before his IL stint. He had just two hits in eight June games. However, since his return, Rendon has a homer and two walks in three games. That’s not a lot, but it’s progress. He has only played 199 games in four years with the Angels, and his numbers are nowhere near what they were in Washington. Considering Rendon has hit .290 in his career against lefthanded pitching, he’s worth a dart tonight if the Padres send Blake Snell to the mound like DraftKings thinks they will.
Anthony Volpe, Yankees vs. Orioles ($3,300 DK, $2,800 FD)
Volpe had a miserable first two months in the major leagues, but he is finally showing the angry fans what the team saw in him. He's hitting a blistering .438 in the past 10 games. Most of that is empty stats with just one steal and one RBI to show for it, but 14 hits in 32 at-bats is nothing to sneeze at. The Bombers can’t be terrible forever, and one of these days, his teammates will start driving him in. Even if that doesn't happen tonight, he’s worth this low price.
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
Jason Heyward, Dodgers vs. Pirates ($2,900 DK, $2,400 FD)
It was a quiet start out West for Heyward, but he has raised his average by 32 points in the past 14 days. Heyward doesn’t have a lot of power left, but he still contributes with runs and RBIs. He has only been held scoreless in DFS twice in that 11-game span. Heyward is also 4-for-15 in his career against Mitch Keller with a homer. I’ll take some points on the cheap from Heyward tonight.
Trent Grisham, Padres vs. Angels ($2,600 DK, $2,600 FD)
Grisham’s struggles this year have him exiled to the nine-hole, but he is starting to show signs of life. Grisham has two homers and a triple with four RBIs, five runs, and a stolen base in the past four games. When it comes to value plays, we have to keep hopping around to players on mini-hot streaks. They are the only ones still affordable!
Drew Waters, Royals @ Twins ($2,300 DK, $2,400 FD)
As with many rookies, Waters started slowly after his debut on May 26. The Royals are going nowhere slowly, so they had no reason to give up on him. Waters is now riding a modest five-game hitting steak, which is fairly impressive considering it started against the Guardians and Dodgers. Waters has three RBIs and six runs scored to go with those eight hits. There is no good reason to ignore him at this price.