Yahoo DFS Baseball: Monday Picks

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Monday Picks

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

Monday's seven-game MLB slate begins at 7:05 PM Eastern time. Below, you'll find which individual pitchers and hitters are primed to provide the best value, as well as the top lineup stacking options in this slate.


Pitching Overview 
 


This slate features no shortage of big-name arms. Clayton Kershaw ($51) and Zack Greinke ($47) will face off in what should be a low-scoring affair in Arizona, but there's a good chance that Colorado's Jon Gray ($42) ends up being the most productive of the expensive pitchers. He has tremendous strikeout upside with a 25.4 percent strikeout rate, and Gray has a highly favorable matchup in San Francisco against a Giants offense that ranks 29th in home scoring at 3.22 runs per game.

There are also some quality options to be found at a slightly lower price. CC Sabathia ($35) has a minuscule 2.18 ERA in 33 innings at Yankee Stadium this season, and he should build on that success against Toronto's bottom-five offense. While Adam Plutko's ($35) strikeout rate is just 19.5 percent, his tremendous control (2.7 percent walk rate) gives the Cleveland righty a high floor against a visiting Royals offense that ranks 25th with 4.25 runs per game.


Value Plays/Chalk
 


The Yankees and Rockies look like they're going to give their strong pitching options plenty of offensive support, while the Braves are primed to capitalize on a slumping Cubs lefty. In addition to those three stackable offenses, certain hitters from other teams also stand out as options to target.

While targeting a lefty-on-lefty hitting matchup is counter-intuitive, such a strategy is likely to pay dividends with Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper ($18). Harper's .373 wOBA in lefty-on-lefty matchups is almost 40 points higher than his mark against righties, and it climbs to .485 in that split at home. Meanwhile, Mets southpaw Steven Matz has surrendered a .401 wOBA to the 74 left-handed hitters he's faced this season.

Switch-hitting outfielder Leury Garcia ($15) leads off for the White Sox and has a .388 wOBA when batting right-handed this season. That's where he'll hit from against Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez, who has a 4.71 ERA.

Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor owns a .365 wOBA against righties this season, and he has a good chance to raise that mark against Royals righty Brad Keller, who has s 4.45 ERA and 5.05 xFIP.


Stacks 
 


Yankees vs. Aaron Sanchez (Blue Jays)

Luke Voit (1B - $21), Gleyber Torres (2B - $23), Gio Urshela (3B - $12)

Sanchez has dropped his last eight decisions, posting a 7.55 ERA and 6.13 FIP over that 10-start span. His wOBA allowed in righty-on-righty matchups this season is .371, and the Yankees have the personnel to add to those struggles. Voit has a robust .386 wOBA against righties, Torres is right behind him at .383, and Urshela has a .368 mark that climbs to .426 at home. Just make sure all three are in the lineup, as New York sports an exceptionally deep bench after the recent returns of multiple injured starters.

Braves vs. Jon Lester (Cubs)

Ronald Acuna Jr. (OF - $22), Ozzie Albies (2B - $19), Dansby Swanson (SS - $19)

Lester isn't often thought of as a guy to stack against, but the veteran southpaw has an ugly 7.17 ERA over his past seven starts. Acuna loves to face lefties, with a .416 wOBA against them both this season and in his career. Albies is a switch-hitter with a .403 wOBA from the right side, and Swanson has a .365 mark against left-handed pitching.

Rockies vs. Drew Pomeranz (Giants)

Nolan Arenado (3B - $27), Ian Desmond (OF - $24), Chris Iannetta (C - $18)

The Rockies unfortunately won't get the benefit of the Coors Field effect since they're on the road, but Colorado's hitters should still be in high demand against Pomeranz, who has surrendered a whopping .412 wOBA to the 193 right-handed hitters he's faced this season. Arenado's rarely a poor choice against a lefty, having mustered a .452 wOBA in that split this season. Desmond has been just as effective against southpaws with a .450 mark, and Iannetta is a solid right-handed option at the catcher position. In his last 15 games (11 starts), Iannetta has compiled three home runs and 11 RBI.
 

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Sasha Yodashkin plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: Youngsash, DraftKings: Yashdogg,Yahoo: Sasha, Fanball: Yashdogg.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sasha Yodashkin
Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.
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