Sean Barnard breaks down Monday’s featured fantasy baseball slate on DraftKings to find MLB DFS Value Picks to put in your lineups.
There are 11 games of MLB baseball action taking place across today’s Monday slate. The playoff push is heating up with just over 40 games remaining in the regular season, and some competitive races to keep an eye on. There are still plenty of ways to get involved in the action with DraftKings’ Daily Fantasy Sports lobby. This article will look at some of the best bargain plays with players who could be positioned to outperform their current DFS price point in tonight’s games.
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Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $500K Immaculate Inning [$100K to 1st]
SP Chris Paddack, Detroit Tigers at CWS ($6,800)
It has been an up-and-down season for Chris Paddack’s fantasy output, but this is a friendly matchup against the Chicago White Sox. The Tigers’ starting pitcher has tallied as many as 28.7 fantasy points based on DraftKings scoring, but also had as poor as -12.8 fantasy points. Paddock has produced 20+ fantasy points in four games this season, but also finished with negative fantasy points in four games.
The 29-year-old started the season with the Minnesota Twins and will be making just his third start with the Tigers. On the season overall, he is posting a 4.91 ERA with 88 strikeouts and 124 hits allowed across his 121.0 innings pitched. He has pitched 10.0 innings across his first two starts with Detroit and given up five earned runs, nine hits, and five strikeouts.
Paddack will face off against a 43-75 White Sox team. They are hitting just .229 as a team, the second-worst batting average, and rank 28th in runs, 29th in total bases, and 23rd in home runs. Paddack is averaging 10.4 fantasy points per game, and this is about as ideal a matchup as he could hope for. Look for him to outperform his $6,800 DFS price point and be in line for a strong start tonight.
3B Junior Caminero, Tampa Bay Rays at ATH ($5,500)
$5,500 is a higher price point than I would prefer for a bargain play list, but this is a great spot for Junior Caminero to vastly outperform it. The Rays’ third baseman is amid a breakout season in which he is slashing .258/.296/.520 with a career-best .817 OPS. Caminero has launched 32 home runs and 80 RBIs already this season.
He will get the benefit of playing at Sutter Health Park tonight, which is one of the most hitter-friendly parks in all baseball. With dimensions as short as 325 and 330 feet in the corners, a home run feels well within play. Caminero has four home runs across his past four games and seven hits over this stretch. Jeffrey Springs will be on the mound for the Athletics and enters with a 3.89 ERA with a 12% home run rate on his fastballs. He has started 22 games so far this season, with 22 home runs and 108 hits allowed.
From a fantasy perspective, Caminero is averaging 8.6 fantasy points per game. He has tallied as many as 48.0 fantasy points in a game based on DraftKings scoring and is averaging 17.8 over his past four games. The Rays star has tallied 15+ fantasy points in 25 games this year. With a friendly matchup and a strong stretch of play, look for Caminero to continue producing at a high level.
OF Trent Grisham, New York Yankees vs. MIN ($4,200)
The writing seems to be on the wall for Trent Grisham’s long-term outlook in a crowded Yankees outfield, but this has not stopped him from performing in the short term. The 28-year-old is slashing .245/.350/.463 with a career-best .813 OPS. Grisham has tallied 21 home runs and 45 RBIs this season, with an improved walk rate and decreased strikeout rate.
New York will host the Minnesota Twins tonight with Zebby Matthews on the mound. The second-year pitcher is posting a 5.17 ERA with 22 earned runs allowed across his first 38.1 innings pitched. Matthews is a huge strikeout threat, but is allowing a .374 wOBA and 2.23 home runs per nine innings to left-handed hitters. This is especially noteworthy at Yankee Stadium with the short porch in mind. Minnesota also traded away seemingly every noteworthy bullpen piece at the deadline, so it should not be a massive concern if Matthews is chased from the game early.
Grisham is averaging 7.3 fantasy points per game based on DraftKings scoring, with as many as 32.0 in a game and tallying 20+ fantasy points in nine games. He tallied three hits and one home run two games ago as one of these 20+ point outputs. Look for Grisham to continue producing at a high level and outperform his price point again tonight.