This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Unfortunately, there's no early slate for Monday, which will feature 10 games starting at 7:05 PM EDT. There's a Coors Field game (yeah!), and a depleted Yankees squad gets to face Matt Harvey. There's a lack of stud starting pitching but some good values are out there to consider.
PITCHING
There are a few reasons to argue that Joe Musgrove ($9,000) is the top option for cash games. Unlike Jake Arrieta and Matthew Boyd, Musgrove is home in Pittsburgh's pitcher-friendly PNC Park and has a better matchup than the other two. The Diamondbacks strike out 25 percent of the time against right-handed pitching, the 12th-highest rate in baseball. Musgrove has three straight quality starts to begin the season with at least six strikeouts in each of those games.
Is it time to buy back into Chris Sale ($8,400)? A few different factors point to "yes" in Boston's matchup with Detroit. This could be the cheapest price he's at this season, and the good news from his last start is his velocity is back. This will be a much better home matchup than his last assignment versus the Yankees in the Bronx. The Tigers are struggling early this season with left-handed pitching (.256 wOBA against southpaws, the second worst mark in baseball) and are striking out 25.6 percent of the time (the 10th highest rate).
Steven Matz ($7,100) is a great GPP play tonight. Due to "recency bias" (six earned runs or minus-18 fantasy points) from his last outing, he's going to be one of the lowest-owned pitchers on this slate. However, it's worth noting he had outings of 22, 39 and 46 fantasy points in his first three starts, respectively. The Phillies aren't an easy matchup, but the ownership level will be extremely low for a pitcher with a lot of upside.
KEY VALUES/CHALK
A good place to start building a lineup in cash or tournaments is the left-handed Colorado bats. They'll get Jeremy Hellickson in Coors Field, which is probably the best matchup of the night. Charlie Blackmon ($4,000) is the best option in the leadoff spot and had a .413 wOBA at home against righties last season.
Looking at a cheaper option to go in the outfield, consider the Athletics' Chad Pinder ($2,500). Pinder gets a home matchup against Texas lefty Mike Minor and had a .361 wOBA last season (.390 this season) against that handedness.
It's usually a good idea to pay up at shortstop, and this slate of games is no different. Oakland's Marcus Semien ($3,500) won't exactly break the bank but isn't cheap either. Like Pinder, he gets the lefty matchup against Minor at home, which is Semien's best career split (.350 wOBA).
Third base looks like a good place to punt tonight, and Travis Shaw ($2,300) is extremely underpriced due to his slow start. Shaw has 32 and 31 home runs over the last two seasons, respectively, so it's likely a matter of time before he heats up. Jack Flaherty just got lit up by the same Brewers and was unable to get out of the third inning after allowing two home runs.
Using multiple Rockies in cash makes sense given the hitting environment and Hellickson matchup. Garrett Hampson ($3,000) checks both of those boxes and is at a good price when looking at both teams in this game. Getting consistent playing time has helped as Hampson has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games.
With Yankees getting hurt left and right, they've been forced to plug bats into the lineup that they weren't planning on a couple of months ago. One of those bats is Mike Ford ($2,400), who was called up after a hot start at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (1.364 OPS in 45 plate appearances). The a cheap left-handed bat gets a great matchup facing the Angels' Matt Harvey. Last season, Harvey struggled against lefties, allowing a .341 wOBA to that side of the plate.
STACKS
As usual, the Coors game is always an attractive stack for either or both teams. With lefty Tyler Anderson taking the hill for Colorado, it seems like using players from both teams should work tonight. The lefty bats of Blackmon, David Dahl ($4,400), Anthony Rendon (if starting, $4,900), Hampson, Dozier ($3,300, utility spot), Trevor Story ($4,400), Victor Robles ($3,800) and Ryan Zimmerman ($3,400) should put up a big score. Remember, stacking a game like this allows for more than using just four players from one side.
It's a rare occasion that a Red Sox stack will be a contrarian play, but that's the case. They have one of the tougher matchups against Matthew Boyd (the highest-priced pitcher), and they haven't been scoring runs as prolifically this season. This means the Red Sox will likely be overlooked more than usual, making it a great time to use them. J.D. Martinez ($4,000), Mookie Betts ($3,800) and Steve Pearce ($2,200) are a good core to start with. Finishing the stack with Michael Chavis ($2,400) makes sense for his price unless Chris Sale is the starting pitcher being used (with only four players from a team allowed per lineup).
Finally, the Athletics at home against lefty Mike Minor seems like a great non-Coors stack. To give him credit, Minor has excelled this season with a 2.64 ERA and 0.94 WHIP. However, the Athletics have several players in their lineup who hit southpaws very well. Pinder and Semien have already been mentioned and are reasonably priced. Khris Davis ($3,900) is the obvious choice, and then it's a matter of whether to use Mark Canha ($2,500) or Matt Chapman ($3,700) depending on the cap space left.
