This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Monday's main DraftKings slate consists of only six games after the Twins and Athletics game was postponed because of an outbreak of COVID-19 on the Twins. While that leaves us with limited options, here are some players to consider for your entries.
Pitchers
Joe Musgrove ($10,200) didn't have a great follow-up start to his no-hitter, only making it through four innings against the Pirates. On the bright side, he allowed just one home run while recording six strikeouts. Through 19 innings this season, he's allowed one run and recorded 24 strikeouts. This is a great opportunity for him to post another strong outing facing a Brewers team that entered Sunday with the worst OPS (.643) in baseball.
Like Musgrove, Dustin May's ($9,700) last outing was a brief one. He only logged 4.1 innings versus the Rockies, allowing eight base runners along the way. He was lucky to escape having allowed only two runs, while also recording six strikeouts. It will be interesting to see if his 31.8 percent strikeout rate through two starts holds up for the rest of the season considering he has a 22% strikeout rate for his career. Monday brings a matchup against a lackluster Mariners lineup, making May an appealing option in DFS.
After two excellent starts out of the gate, Kevin Gausman ($6,600) was roughed up for five runs across six innings in his last start versus the Reds. He only allowed four hits, but he was done in by two home runs. He's still off to an excellent start, overall, after posting a 3.62 ERA and a 3.09 FIP in 2020. On a night with limited options, he's still worth considering, even against potentially dangerous Phillies lineup.
Top Targets
Chase Anderson ($6,800) faced the Mets in both of his first two starts, allowing four runs across nine innings. He gave up two total home runs, which is concerning since he allowed 11 home runs across only 33.2 innings last season. This might be just the matchup that Mike Yastrzemski ($5,200) needs to get back on track. He has plenty of power, but his issue this season has been an inability to make contact, leaving him with a 32.7 percent strikeout rate entering Sunday. Anderson has just a 20.3 percent strikeout rate for his career.
Speaking of pitchers who don't rack up a lot of strikeouts, Danny Duffy ($7,000) only has a 20.8 percent strikeout rate for his career with the Royals. While he didn't allow a lot of home runs at the start of his career, he has allowed at least 1.5 HR/9 in back-to-back seasons. This could be an opportune time to deploy Randy Arozarena ($4,800), who has a 219 wRC+ versus lefties during his brief career.
Bargain Bats
Finding value on a limited slate like this that also has some very good starting pitchers set to take the mound might be difficult. One option to consider might be Starlin Castro ($4,000) who admittedly doesn't have the easiest of matchups versus Jack Flaherty ($8,500). However, Castro generally does a good job of making contact, recording only a 16.8 percent strikeout rate for his career. Flaherty hasn't been consistent since his stellar 2019 campaign, so if he's having one of his off nights Monday, Castro could capitalize.
Manuel Margot ($2,900) might be another player with a cheap salary to consider for his matchup against Duffy. Margot has a paltry 78 wRC+ versus right-handed pitchers for his career, but he has a 107 wRC+ versus lefties.
Stacks to Consider
Dodgers vs. Justus Sheffield ($6,100), Mariners: Mookie Betts ($5,900), Justin Turner ($5,500), Chris Taylor ($4,700)
It's difficult to have much confidence in Sheffield, who has a 1.49 WHIP for his career. Despite a quality start in his last outing against the Orioles, he's still allowed 16 base runners though his first 11 innings. That could be a recipe for disaster against the Dodgers, who still have plenty of potent hitters despite Cody Bellinger (lower leg) being on the IL. Turner is a prime option with a left-handed pitcher on the mound given that he has recorded a wOBA of at least .385 versus lefties in three of the last four seasons.
Angels vs. Kohei Arihara ($5,700), Rangers: Mike Trout ($6,000), Shohei Ohtani ($4,600), Jared Walsh ($5,100)
Arihara is coming off of his best start with the Rangers, recording five strikeouts over 5.2 scoreless innings against the Rays. The strikeouts were noteworthy given that he had only two across nine innings in his first two outings. His strikeouts numbers were underwhelming in Japan, so he doesn't have a big margin for error. This powerful trio could prove to be troublesome. Walsh shined across 108 plate appearances last season and has done much of the same this season, entering Sunday with a .478 wOBA and a 215 wRC+.
Cardinals vs. Joe Ross ($7,900), Nationals: Paul Goldschmidt ($4,900), Nolan Arenado ($5,100), Yadier Molina ($4,400)
This might be a stack to try in tournament play given that the Cardinals probably won't be a popular option. Ross hasn't allowed a run through two starts, which included shutting out the Cardinals across six innings in his last outing. It's difficult to imagine him sustaining that type of success, though, give his career 4.07 FIP and 1.35 WHIP. The seemingly ageless Molina is showing no signs of wearing down, entering Sunday with four home runs and a 1.045 OPS.
