This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
FanDuel had three different slates to play with a full roster Monday, which started with an "All-Day" slate at 12:05 p.m. EDT.
Since this is being published in the afternoon, after the Giants-Reds clash, the next is an "Early-Only" slate that ironically starts at 6:10 p.m. EDT, consisting of only two games. As usual, the "Main Slate" of games starts at 7:05 p.m. EDT and consists of the final nine games of the evening.
PITCHING
Chalk in cash games should lean toward Jacob deGrom ($11,100), whose Mets travel across the country to take on the Padres. Without games in Coors Field or Arlington's Globe Life Park, not many games are expected to be high-scoring, so spending up on pitching is logical. deGrom is coming off a 43-point fantasy effort last time out, and the only other great matchup he had saw him ring up 73 fantasy points while fanning 14 in Miami. The Padres have a dismal .274 wOBA against right-handed pitching (seventh-worst), and their 26.9 percent strikeout rate is the third-worst in the league.
Marcus Stroman ($8,200) is in a great spot to bounce back after his worst outing of the season. Stroman is coming off a seven-fantasy point performance but heads home with the Blue Jays to face the Twins Monday. He has 26, 27, 46 and 46 fantasy points in his four home starts this season and has an ERA 1.41 runs lower at home (3.07) than on the road (4.48) since 2017. While the Twins aren't a great matchup, the Jays are a slight favorite at home.
The best GPP/contrarian play of the night with the most upside is Blake Snell ($9,900). He's coming off two bad starts (both against the Royals, who may just have his number), and he has a terrible matchup against Arizona, who leads baseball in wOBA against lefties (.374). However, that number will almost certainly regress (Houston led baseball against lefties with only a .345 wOBA in 2018), and Snell was dominant at home last season. He had a 1.27 ERA then, and his 10.17 K/9 rate was an elite number among starters as well. Expect a low ownership in tournaments.
KEY VALUES/CHALK
Starting with the outfield, the Cubs' Kyle Schwarber ($2,500) looks to be in a good spot at home against the Marlins. He's facing righty Sandy Alcantara, who has a 4.86 ERA on the season, and over his career (533 PA), Schwarber has a home split of a .362 wOBA against right-handed pitching. He should hit in a good RBI spot in the middle of the order as well.
Once again, spending up at shortstop makes sense with the cheaper options having such a low floor. Xander Bogaerts ($4,000) has a career .367 wOBA against lefties, and in a small sample of 27 plate appearances this season, that number is at .519. His value isn't hurt by the fact he's entering the game with a home run in each of his last two contests.
Reasonable fantasy players should expect Matt Carpenter ($3,200) to turn things around at some point much like he did last season. Keeping in line with his career stats, the Cardinals veteran finished last season with a .385 wOBA against right-handed pitching (.374 for his career). Vince Velasquez has been sharp this season (2.73 ERA), but his low BABIP (.273) and left-on-base percentage (91.6 percent) suggest negative regression is coming.
Like many Dodgers, Enrique Hernandez ($3,500) rakes against left-handed pitching and will go up against Braves southpaw Max Fried on Monday. Hernandez has been a fixture in the leadoff spot against lefties, and his career .366 wOBA against that handedness shows he's in a great spot.
Nate Lowe ($2,400) should find himself in the leadoff spot for the Rays as they take on Merrill Kelly. Lowe has been a popular pick since his callup, but his inability to homer in any of his first six games should have owners off him. Kelly is a good matchup as a pitcher who has only has six major-league starts under his belt and allowed six homers (1.54 HR/9) in those starts.
STACKS
Dodgers vs Max Fried (Braves)
Hernandez, Justin Turner (3B - $3,100), David Freese (3B - $3,100), Chris Taylor (OF - $2,400)
Fading a lefty in Max Fried who is young and away from home should make a lot of sense. All four of those players rake against lefties and won't break the bank.
Red Sox at John Means (Orioles)
Bogaerts, Michael Chavis (2B - $4,000), J.D. Martinez (OF - $4,300), Steve Pearce (1B - $2,200)
The Red Sox bats appeared to come to life over the weekend with 15 runs over those two games. They've scored at least four runs in nine straight games, and they typically crush left-handed pitching.
Cardinals vs Vince Velasquez (Phillies)
Carpenter, Marcell Ozuna (OF - $4,000), Paul Goldschmidt (1B - $3,600), Jose Martinez (OF - $3,000)
As previously mentioned, Velasquez is due for some regression, and Monday should be a start of it. The Cardinals have the fifth-highest wOBA (.342) against right-handed pitching.
