It's always fascinating to see how long it takes to get back into the baseball swing, but it feels like we're fully there now. We have about 10 games in the books for each team, and the sample sizes are finally becoming usable for future projections. We'll mix last year's stats with this year's to find value, because there's still plenty to learn over the coming weeks. With that in mind, let's get started by looking at the arms for this Monday's slate.
Try our DraftKings MLB Lineup Optimizer to discover more expert recommendations, customize the player pool, set exposure percentage and mass-enter DFS lineups.
Pitching
Chris Sale, ATL at LAA ($9,700)
Sale was dealing with an illness during his last start, but he still threw another gem. That's commonplace for the future Hall of Famer, who has generated a 0.75 ERA and 0.58 WHIP through two starts this season. He won't duplicate that all year, but his career 3.00 ERA and 1.04 WHIP are excellent. He's paired that with one of the best K rates around, and that's bad news for the Halos. The Angels had the worst K rate in MLB last season and are 28th so far this year. Striking out 31 percent of the time is embarrassing, but Sale might make that number higher as a -170 favorite.
Jacob deGrom, TEX vs. SEA ($9,000)
It's rare to have two aces like this available, but these two are tough to fade. Much like Sale, deGrom has been mowing down bats over the last decade. He has a career 2.59 ERA and 0.99 WHIP after generating a 2.97 ERA and 0.92 WHIP last season. Those are numbers you typically see from an elite closer, but deGrom has at times been the best starter in baseball when he's been healthy. That won't sit well with Seattle, which has been struggling mightily through the opening weeks. The Mariners rank 22nd in K rate, 23rd in wOBA and 24th in runs per game. In seven starts against Seattle, deGrom has a 3.48 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 10.2 K/9 rate.
Top Targets
Yordan Alvarez, HOU (vs. Ryan Feltner) $6,500
Alvarez is my most-rostered player in season-long leagues. He only played 48 games in an injury-riddled 2025 season, but he was one of the most consistent hitters in the league before that. He had a .390 OBP and .973 OPS between 2019 and 2024 while never finishing below an .877 OPS. That's in line with what we've seen this season, as Alvarez leads the league with 14.3 DraftKings points per game. That's impossible to overlook since he has the platoon advantage against Feltner in the most hitter-friendly park in baseball. We'll talk about that more in the Stacks To Consider section.
Bryce Harper, PHI (vs. Adrian Houser) $5,000
Harper has gotten off to a slow start, but he'll get it going. The future Hall of Famer has a .395 OBP and .928 OPS since 2015. His splits are even scarier, with Harper sporting a .397 OBP and .938 OPS against right-handers throughout his career. That should be easy to duplicate against a journeyman like Houser, with the Giants righty registering a career 4.33 xFIP and 1.36 WHIP. If you want to stack Phillies, Kyle Schwarber ($6,200), Trea Turner ($5,200) and Adolis Garcia ($3,400) are all in play.
Bargain Bats
Miguel Vargas, CWS (vs. Albert Suarez) $3,300
Vargas was a sneaky acquisition by the White Sox because he's been one of their best bats since being acquired from the Dodgers. The corner infielder has been hitting between second and fifth during his ChiSox tenure, averaging 11 DraftKings points per game this season. That's one of the highest totals in the league, but it's far from shocking since he had a .353 OBP and .798 OPS over the final 45 games of last season. That alone makes him too affordable at this salary, but we love that he faces Suarez's 7.19 FIP and career 4.46 xFIP.
Samuel Basallo, BAL (vs. Erick Fedde) $3,200
Baltimore boasts two of the most highly touted catchers in baseball, and Basallo looks like a stud in the making. While he's gotten off to a slow start this season, he had a .371 OBP and .889 OPS during his minor-league career. Many experts have him pegged as a breakout candidate because of his bat-to-ball skills, and it's clear the O's trust him since he's been hitting cleanup nearly every day. Facing Fedde is fantastic too, and we'll discuss that more below!
Stacks to Consider
Houston Astros at Colorado Rockies (Feltner): Alvarez ($6,500), Jose Altuve ($5,500), Christian Walker ($4,800) and Carlos Correa ($4,600)
The 'Stros were projected to possess one of the better lineups in baseball, and that's certainly been the case so far. Houston leads the league in OBP and runs scored this season. That's a horrifying sight for the Rockies because not only is Coors Field the best hitter's park in the league, but Colorado was last in WHIP and ERA last season. Feltner hasn't done much to help those atrocious marks, accruing a 5.01 ERA and 1.46 WHIP at home during his career.
Alvarez is the best bat on this slate, but the rest of these guys are excellent, too. Altuve is having a renaissance season, averaging over 11 DK points per game. Walker is also starting to get hot, homering in back-to-back games while posting a .386 OBP and 1.010 OPS in nearly 400 at-bats against the Rockies. Correa is the final piece of the stack, scoring at least 18 DK points in three of his last five fixtures.
Baltimore Orioles at Chicago White Sox (Fedde): Gunnar Henderson ($5,600), Pete Alonso ($5,100), Taylor Ward ($4,300) and Basallo ($3,200)
The Orioles' offense has yet to get going, but this series against Chicago could be just what the doctor ordered. The White Sox pitching staff was 26th in wOBA and 28th in xwOBA last season and hasn't gotten any better this year. Throwing Fedde into the mix is fantastic news for the O's, with the right-hander providing a 4.94 career ERA and 1.44 WHIP. When they saw him last season, Fedde surrendered five runs across five innings.
Henderson is the top option in this stack behind his All-Star pedigree, posting a .368 OBP and .890 OPS against righties over the last three years. Alonso is one of the best power hitters of his generation and has impressive BvP numbers against Fedde, amassing a .500 OBP and 1.045 OPS in 22 at-bats against him. Ward is also a power bat, connecting on 36 homers last year while collecting a 1.125 OPS across his last four fixtures.
