This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Mondays will often be a light day of games, but that's not the case for this evening. We have a nine-game main slate with a lot of different builds available.
Pitchers
Sean Manaea ($9,100) has been excellent in his first two starts with the Padres, compiling a 13:3 K:BB while surrendering no home runs across 13 innings. On Monday, he draws a start against a Cincinnati offense that ranks dead last in the league with a .251 wOBA. He's a cash game lock and will also be extremely popular in tournament contests.
Clayton Kershaw ($10,300) faces a stiff challenge with a matchup against Atlanta. It'd be impossible not to at least mention him given that he maintained a perfect game through seven innings in his first start of the campaign, but as the highest-priced pitcher on the slate and a tough matchup I'll look elsewhere in cash games. In contrast to Manaea, he's not likely to get a lot of attention in tournament formats, so Kershaw is interesting in that context.
Shane McClanahan ($8,100), Alex Cobb ($7,500) and Frankie Montas ($7,300) represent a middle-tier of pitchers on the slate, all of whom are viable for the SP2 slot. Surprisingly, Montas may be the safest thanks to the combination of starting in his pitcher-friendly home park while taking on the Orioles. McClanahan is always at risk of being pulled early in the game, but he's posted a tremendous 39.5 percent strikeout rate across his first two outings so he can make up for any lost volume.
Top Hitters
Bryce Harper ($6,100) and the Phillies are traveling to Colorado. Unlike the weekend series, the bats at Coors Field are fully priced, but Harper is one of the top targets Monday nevertheless. The cost is significant, but paying down for one of Cobb or Montas at SP2 will help balance the budget.
Kyle Hendricks has had two contrasting starts to open the season, which doesn't give a particularly compelling reason to forget about his struggles from last season. He surrendered 1.5 HR/9 in 2021, but also importantly posted a strikeout rate of only 16.7 percent. That's the lowest rate among starting pitchers available Monday besides Spenser Watkins. Brandon Lowe ($5,600) has led off against righties this season, so even if he doesn't go yard or produce multiple extra-base hits, he should have the opportunity to put up DK points.
The Diamondbacks have been among the worst lineups in the league to start the season, but they face Josiah Gray to begin the week. Gray admittedly pitched very well against Atlanta his last turn through the rotation, but his early-career track record suggests he's prone to a lot of home runs and walks. Ketel Marte ($5,300) is a more under-the-radar hitter to build around, and he offers some savings – particularly compared to Harper.
Value Hitters
Sheldon Neuse ($3,100) has hit primarily fifth in the Athletics order when they face a right-handed pitcher. On Monday, Oakland will square off against Spenser Watkins, who allowed 2.3 HR/9 and posted only a 6.3 K-BB%. Neuse hasn't produced to begin the season, but he's hitting in a strong spot in the order in an exploitable matchup.
Rowdy Tellez ($2,800) is in a platoon at first base, but he should be in the starting lineup against Zach Thompson. He's regularly hit fifth with typically high on-base percentage players such as Andrew McCutchen, Willy Adames and Christian Yelich ahead of him. That should lead to at-bats with runners in scoring position.
Austin Nola ($3,600) has occupied the second spot in the Padres' lineup recently, regardless of the handedness of the pitcher the team is opposing. He's the 12th-highest priced catcher, which doesn't account for the volume of plate appearances he is likely to receive.
Stacks to Consider
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Chad Kuhl: J.T. Realmuto ($5,600), Bryce Harper ($6,200), Nick Castellanos ($6,000)
This is the obvious stack of the night, but it will come at a cost. There are ways to build around a Philadelphia-heavy lineup, including using two pitchers in the $7,000 range and putting a few value bats around them. The downside is that the stack requires so much capital that if it doesn't produce, there's little upside left on the remaining DK roster.
Nationals vs. Madison Bumgarner: Juan Soto ($6,300), Nelson Cruz ($4,600), Josh Bell ($4,700)
This stack is my favorite on the slate, because Bumgarner has gotten good results to begin the season. However, his skills haven't backed his 2.25 ERA, as he's walked six batters as opposed to striking out four and has already given up 12 hard hit balls. Nevertheless his raw stats are likely to keep Nationals' roster rates lower than they should be, so hope is that this would be a bit of a contrarian play.
Oakland Athletics vs. Spenser Watkins: Tony Kemp ($3,600), Sean Murphy ($4,800), Chad Pinder ($2,900)
There won't be many opportunities to recommend stacking the Athletics this season, as the team is almost certainly in for a dreadful season. However, Watkins is one of the easiest pitchers to target on the slate thanks to his lack of strikeouts and long ball prone tendencies. It may also take a walk down narrative street to get excited about the A's on Monday, but they will be playing in their home opener. The last selling point is using three to four players in the lineup would allow building the rest of the roster essentially however desired.
