Yahoo DFS Baseball: Monday Plays and Strategy

Yahoo DFS Baseball: Monday Plays and Strategy

This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.

There will be 13 games played across baseball on Monday, nine of which will make up the main slate on Yahoo. There will be no shortage of top-tier starting pitchers, which makes things interesting. Let's highlight some players to consider while building your entries.

Pitchers

Jacob deGrom's ($61) tenure with the Rangers got off to a rocky beginning. In his first start, he allowed five runs across 3.2 innings to the Phillies. However, he bounced back to allow four runs (three earned) and record 20 strikeouts over 13 innings in his last two starts. He's still one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball and is a great option for his matchup against the Royals, who have scored the third-fewest runs in baseball.

Dustin May ($40) walked four batters over 5.1 innings in his last start against the Giants, but he escaped trouble by allowing just two runs. He has given up a total of three runs over 18.1 innings, generating a 0.76 WHIP along the way. He has a 1.05 WHIP for his career, which makes him appealing. While he won't have the easiest of matchups against the Mets, they have been sluggish out of the gate, batting .217 as a team

With a start at Coors Field on tap, Kyle Freeland ($30) likely won't be a popular option in DFS. However, his last two starts also came at home and he allowed just two runs across 12.2 innings to the Nationals and Cardinals. Up next is the Pirates, who have scored the eighth-fewest runs in baseball and are missing Oneil Cruz (lower leg). Freeland might be worth the risk in tournament play.

Top Targets

The Mets will start David Peterson ($25) against the Dodgers, making Mookie Betts ($18) a top option for this slate. Peterson has a career 1.36 WHIP and he has a 1.84 WHIP over his first three starts this season. His problem has been a lack of control that has resulted in his career 10.8 percent walk rate.

The Royals signed Jordan Lyles ($28) to help eat innings and provide another veteran presence within their starting rotation. The problems is, he has a 1.43 WHIP for his career. Nothing has changed for him with his new team since he has a 1.44 WHIP through three starts. This could be an opportune matchup to deploy Marcus Semien ($14), who is starting to heat up by hitting 9-for-30 (.300) with a home run and three doubles over his last seven games.

Bargain Bats

The Athletics continue to struggle to produce offensively, scoring the fifth-fewest runs in baseball. If there has been a bright spot within their lineup, it has been Brent Rooker ($11). The 28-year-old has bounced around the minors with the Athletics being his fifth organization. He has hit for power in the minors, slugging 48 home runs over 143 games at Triple-A the last two seasons. Now getting playing time in the majors, he has launched four home runs and a double over 38 plate appearances. His power makes him a viable option against Hayden Wesneski ($36), who has given up six home runs over 39 career innings in the majors.

It has been a slow start for Trey Mancini ($7), who has a .230 wOBA and a 0.59 ISO for the Cubs. His walk rate is down to 1.8 percent, while his strikeout rate is 27.3 percent. Still, he could be worth a look in tournament play at his cheap salary. He will be facing left-handed pitcher Kyle Muller ($28), who has a 1.50 WHIP through his first three starts after posting a 1.70 WHIP across three starts last season.

Stacks to Consider

Braves vs. Ryan Weathers ($25), Padres: Ronald Acuna Jr. ($24), Austin Riley ($17), Ozzie Albies ($13)

The Braves have scored the third-most runs in baseball, making them a top team to stack more often than not. They should be a tough matchup for Weathers, who doesn't miss many bats, given his career 17.4 percent strikeout rate. A particularly interesting option for a Braves stack is Albies, who has a career .384 wOBA against left-handed pitchers.

Rockies vs. Rich Hill ($29), Pirates: C.J. Cron ($16), Kris Bryant ($19), Elehuris Montero ($16)

After striking out seven batters over five innings in his season debut, Hill has a total of one strikeout over 10 innings in his last two starts. He has been taken deep a total of six times, which could end up being his downfall in a game that will be played at Coors Field. The top option for a Rockies stack is Cron, who had a .359 ISO and a .395 wOBA at home against left-handed pitchers last season.

Brewers vs. Chris Flexen ($25), Mariners: Rowdy Tellez ($19), William Contreras ($16), Garrett Mitchell ($16)

Flexen was shelled in his last start, giving up eight runs over 2.1 innings to the Cubs. Still, he will get another start with Robbie Ray (elbow) on the IL and Marco Gonzales on paternity leave. Given his career 4.56 ERA and 4.72 FIP, stacking against the Flexen could prove to be profitable. One of the Brewers better hitters has been Mitchell, who has followed up his .365 wOBA through 28 games last season with a .374 wOBA through his first 14 games this year.

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. Mike Barner plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: mbarner, DraftKings: mbarner51.
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only MLB Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire MLB fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mike Barner
Mike started covering fantasy sports in 2007, joining RotoWire in 2010. In 2018, he was a finalist for the FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Mike also won the 2022-23 FSGA NBA Experts Champions league. In addition to RotoWire, Mike has written for Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, DK Live, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Lineup Lab and KFFL.com.
Offseason Deep Dives: Hunter Greene
Offseason Deep Dives: Hunter Greene
Farm Futures: November Dynasty Mailbag!
Farm Futures: November Dynasty Mailbag!
All-Bust Fantasy Team: Relief Pitchers
All-Bust Fantasy Team: Relief Pitchers
Collette Calls: Thinking About Pitchers Returning From Injuries
Collette Calls: Thinking About Pitchers Returning From Injuries
MLB DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, October 30
MLB DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, October 30
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for World Series Game 5 on Wednesday, October 30
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for World Series Game 5 on Wednesday, October 30