This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We have a fairly strong set of games to work with for a Monday, particularly on the pitching side of things. That will create a need to dig deeper for some stacks but also creates a nice opportunity to create some unique lineups.
Pitchers
Max Scherzer ($10,300) showed no signs of rust in his return from an oblique strain in a start against the Reds on July 5. He'll draw a tougher lineup Monday, though Atlanta does strike out at the third-highest rate in the league.
Max Fried ($9,600) has been in tremendous form across his last eight starts, posting at least 20 DK points on seven occasions. He's never surpassed 26.7 points in that span, so he fits in a fairly tight projection window. That makes Fried an ideal play in cash formats, though beware the tough Mets' lineup.
It's at least worth mentioning Aaron Nola ($10,000). The Cardinals are 3-6 across their last nine games and have been shutout on four occasions while averaging two runs per game. That's not predictive, but it does illustrate the deep slump the team is currently in. Nola has a wider distribution of production as compared to Fried and is a tournament option in the same tier of pricing as a result.
Alex Cobb ($7,400) continues to get results inferior to the skills he's posted, which introduces risk, but also a buying opportunity. He has the third-best SIERA on the slate, but has the ninth-highest price point. He'll take on a Diamondbacks lineup that has the eight-lowest wOBA in the league.
Brayan Bello ($5,500) didn't have a strong big-league debut, but I'm willing to turn to him again at a punt price point. He'll face a Rays' lineup that is lacking Wander Franco and Brandon Lowe and also has the fifth-lowest wOBA in the league.
Top Hitters
Corey Seager ($5,100) is in the midst of a hot stretch, slugging four home runs and maintaining a 1.094 OPS across his last 10 games. He'll be in a good position to stay in strong form Monday while taking on Adrian Martinez, who has served up a pair of homers in two of his three starts this season.
Both offenses in the Oakland-Texas matchup are worth targeting, with Spencer Howard taking on the Athletics. Howard has allowed 13 earned runs across 10.2 innings this season, including six home runs. Oakland doesn't have a lot of elite hitters to choose from, but Ramon Laureano ($4,200) is an affordable option to build around. He's hit well of late (.929 OPS across his last 10 games) and regularly bats second in the order.
I like Brayan Bello as a punt pitching option, but it'd be foolish to ignore the possibility that he struggles again. Yandy Diaz ($4,400) is a nice floor option thanks to his on-base ability and likely position atop the Rays' order.
Value Hitters
The Padres are headed to Coors Field to begin a series against Colorado on Monday. The majority of the lineup hasn't been priced up, and Ha-Seong Kim ($3,100) has taken over the leadoff spot in San Diego in the absence of Jurickson Profar. Kim is battling a thumb injury, and if he's out of the lineup Trent Grisham ($2,900) is likely to hit atop the order. They will square off against Jose Urena who – despite recently surviving a start against the Dodgers – has more walks than strikeouts across 14.1 innings this season.
Riley Greene ($3,000) hasn't made a tremendous amount of hard contact since being promoted to the major leagues. However, he's served as the Tigers' leadoff hitter and will draw a matchup against Daniel Lynch. Lynch has shown signs of improvement this season but still has a walk rate of 10.3 percent, so getting some cheap exposure to Detroit hitters – even in a mini-stack – is a nice option.
Nolan Jones ($2,000) has shown some pop in an extremely limited major-league sample. Given his prospect pedigree, I'm willing to take a shot at him at minimum price. He and the Guardians will square off against Lance Lynn, who has yet to get in a rhythm on the mound since returning from a knee injury.
Stacks to Consider
Padres at Rockies (Jose Urena): Ha-Seong Kim ($3,100), Jake Cronenworth ($4,100), Manny Machado ($4,900)
Urena has a -4.8 K-BB%, which is enough justification to stack nearly any lineup against him. However, this is a particularly good spot. The game is at Coors Field and the Padres bats haven't been priced up. Add in the shakeup to the order that has been required due to the absence of Jurickson Profar and it's a very affordable lineup to build around. Given all that, expect this to be a very popular option. I also like the Colorado side of this game, which may come in less rostered due to the name value of Sean Manaea.
White Sox at Guardians (Cal Quantrill): Tim Anderson ($5,400), Andrew Vaughn ($4,200), Luis Robert ($5,300)
Quantrill has a 3.86 ERA for the season, so on the surface there isn't much reason to target him in a stack. However, he allows a lot of contact (14.7 K%) and gives up a decent amount of home runs (1.1 HR/9) and free passes (7.2%). He also has a 4.87 SIERA so some pullback should be on the way for Quantrill after a strong start to the season. In contrast to the Padres, I expect a White Sox stack to be relatively unpopular due to the full price tags of the top of their order.
Rangers vs. Athletics (Adrian Martinez): Josh Smith ($3,200), Marcus Semien ($5,200), Corey Seager ($5,100)
Martinez's home run problems have already been covered, and his inability to keep the ball in the yard isn't a coincidence. He has an 11.8 percent barrel rate and boasts just a 16.7 percent strikeout rate. The Rangers offer a middle ground between the Padres and White Sox from a cost perspective, with Josh Smith offering some salary relief as the likely leadoff hitter.
