This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
There are no early games Monday, but there is a nice nine-game slate starting at 7:05 p.m. EDT. As always, keep an eye on the weather as rain could play a factor. Luckily, MLB has been good about calling games early so far this season, which takes some of the pre-lock pressure off DFS players.
Pitching
The chalk pitcher in cash games is clearly Justin Verlander ($11,300). Despite Houston being on the road, he's a -165 favorite in a game with an over/under of only eight runs. Verlander has a lofty 30.5 percent strikeout rate this season (an elite number), though the Twins aren't an ideal matchup. The problem: Looking at the other options, we see red flags galore. Patrick Corbin faces a Cardinals team with lefty killers Paul Goldschmidt and Marcell Ozuna, while Eduardo Rodriguez gets a tough matchup against an Athletics lineup that also typically endangers lefties.
Taking a step down and saving some money, Mike Soroka ($9,200) is firmly on the radar Monday for GPPs. He's struck out six and seven batters over his first two starts, respectively, en route to 30 and 41 fantasy points. The Braves have a great matchup against the Padres, the team with the fifth-worst wOBA (.287) against right-handed pitching and a 26.9 strikeout rate (third-worst in baseball). Only 21, Soroka is a stellar prospect who had outstanding numbers at every level in the minor leagues.
If looking to pivot off Verlander in cash, Kenta Maeda ($8,900) is the next best choice to consider. The Dodgers face the hapless Giants, who have struggled offensively this season. Against right-handed pitching at home, San Francisco is easily the worst team in baseball with a .209 wOBA. To put that in perspective, the second-worst team at home against righties is the Padres, with a .272 wOBA -- 63 points higher. They also strike out 26.6 percent of the time with that split, the sixth-highest mark in baseball.
Looking for a cheaper GPP option? Yonny Chirinos ($7,600) likely will serve as the Rays' bulk reliever against the Royals. He's had only one bad start and scored 22, 36, 36, and 46 fantasy points, respectively, in his other four outings. Using the righty will open up a lot of salary to use for the bats and could be the winning formula for taking down a big tournament.
Key Values/Chalk
Ronald Acuna ($4,000) and Johan Camargo ($2,500) are in play at home facing lefty Nick Margevicius, depending on the amount of budget available. Since being called up to the big leagues last year, Acuna has .438 wOBA against southpaws, while Camargo has a .387 wOBA. While he's off to a good start, Margevicius hasn't pitched above High-A ball before this season and will experience the ups and downs of being a rookie. This will likely be a good spot to use the Braves.
The book seemingly isn't out there yet on Carter Kieboom ($3,000), who has homered in two of his first three games for the Nationals. Prior to his callup, Kieboom was tearing up Triple-A Fresno with a 1.142 OPS over his first 18 games. This will likely be the lowest price we see for him for the rest of the season.
Rafael Devers ($3,200) is still in search of his first home run, and the way he's been seeing the ball lately suggests it won't be much longer until he goes yard. The Red Sox third baseman has reached base in 12 straight games and gets the lefty-versus-righty home matchup against Oakland's Frankie Montas.
Second base seems like a good place to punt, and Hernan Perez ($2,000) at the minimum is a good player to use. He should get the start facing Colorado lefty Kyle Freeland and had a respectable .329 wOBA last season against left-handed pitching. This season, Perez has a .484 wOBA against lefties in 19 plate appearances including two home runs.
Jose Abreu ($4,000) is a solid pick at first base considering his splits against left-handed pitching. He has a career .383 wOBA against that handedness and should get some RBI opportunities facing John Means. Abreu has been hot as of late as well with games of 19.2, 22, 41.9 and 44.9 fantasy points over his last six contests.
Stacks
Braves vs Nick Margevicius (Padres)
Johan Camargo (OF), Ronald Acuna (OF), Freddie Freeman (1B - $4,400) and Ozzie Albies (2B - $3,900)
Camargo and Acuna have already been discussed, but Freeman hits lefties well and has been hot with home runs in three of his last four games. Albies homered twice yesterday and has a .384 wOBA against lefties in his short time with the Braves. Again, this is picking on the rookie lefty Margeivicius. This game also has an over/under of nine runs which is high for a game in Atlanta.
Red Sox vs Frankie Montas (Athletics)
Devers (3B), Mookie Betts ($4,400), Mitch Moreland (1B - $3,100) and Xander Bogaerts (SS - $3,900)
J.D. Martinez ($4,000) would be included in this list, but he's been having back trouble and has been out of the lineup the last two days. Bogaerts in his short career has the best splits at home against right-handed pitching. The Red Sox were a good stack on a daily basis last season, but their slow start this season has them a little more under the radar when it comes to stacking. There's still a ton of talent in this lineup that can go off any given night.
Orioles vs Manny Banuelos (White Sox)
Jonathan Villar (2B - $3,400), Renato Nunez (3B - $3,500), Dwight Smith (OF - $3,600) and Stevie Wilkerson (OF - $2,500)
Banuelos is heading towards negative ERA correction. An 1.40 WHIP and an unsustainable 86 percent strand rate don't match up with a 2.51 ERA. The Orioles got a look at him last Monday, so they should be more familiar with him this time around.
