This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
A seven-game slate gets underway a little later than usual Monday, with first pitch coming at 7:40 p.m.ET.
Pitching
Stephen Strasburg ($10,200) is the only five-figure-priced arm Monday for his outing at St. Louis. It's not an ideal matchup, but Strasburg has failed to reach 34 FanDuel Points just twice since the All-Star break, topping 40 points six times with a ceiling of 76. He's not priced too high for GPPs and is a clear cash anchor.
Robbie Ray ($9,200) follows against Miami, an obviously attractive matchup with the league's worst offense against lefties (.290 wOBA, 79 wRC+). Ray is never known for his efficiency, however, and while he's expected to be a full go after being sidelined by blisters, there's enough ambiguity here to fade.
Strasburg's adversary, Dakota Hudson ($8,600), is in sound form, allowing only six runs in his last six starts (38.1 innings). This suggests some stability despite the difficult matchup with the Nats' offense.
Minnesota's Jose Berrios ($8,500) rounds out the upper tier and looks like a great cost-saving option. He's been worth 43 FDP in two of his last three, including a start against Monday's opponent, the White Sox. He's allowed nine earned runs and 31 hits across 27 innings against the White Sox to date, striking out 25, with 32 FDP being his lowest output against them in four starts.
I'm fading Tanner Roark ($7,900), who comes next price-wise. It's an obvious plus spot against Kansas City, and the A's (-300) are heavy favorites here. But Roark gave up four runs over six frames to the Royals three starts ago, and with this slate having a shortage of options and nothing too pricey, he doesn't seem worth the risk.
If we're searching for a deep GPP upside play, I may take a look at Miami's Pablo Lopez ($6,700). He has only one quality start in his last four outings, but had four straight prior to this current stretch. Arizona has lost seven of its last eight, scoring one or no runs in five of those eight.
Key Values/Chalk
As always when a game is taking place there, we begin in Colorado, where the Rockies send Antonio Senzatela to the hill to face off against the Mets' Steven Matz. Matz hasn't allowed more than two runs in any start since Aug. 2 at Pittsburgh, but the usual suspects are in play for Colorado with the lefty matchup, starting with Nolan Arenado ($4,700).
There's a little more value on the Mets side, however. While the thought of Pete Alonso ($4,400) playing in Coors Field is appealing, Senzatela routinely gets shelled by lefty bats (.408 wOBA, .987 OPS). Jeff McNeil ($3,800) and Michael Conforto ($3,900), hitting around Alonso, look great at sub-4K price tags, and gambling on Robinson Cano ($3,500) and/or Brandon Nimmo ($3,200) could return nicely for GPPers. Those last two are about as cheap as you'll find decent bats when playing in Denver.
There aren't any other games with double-digit run totals, so we're left targeting poor pitchers for both stacks and standalone value. My eyes turn immediately to Minnesota against Reynaldo Lopez. The Twins have had success as a team against Lopez, scoring 15 runs on 13 hits across 9.2 innings, striking out only six times. There aren't any great BvP numbers or discernible splits against Lopez to target, and the Twins' recent slump has their entire lineup priced below 4K, making them incredibly stackable. Nelson Cruz ($3,800) leads the way and has homered in two of his last three, but we can get the entire top four in this order on the cheap, with Jorge Polanco ($3,400), Max Kepler ($3,400) and Eddie Rosario ($3,000) all in play.
A spot that may be passed over more than usual is Nationals' bats against the aforementioned Hudson. Anthony Rendon ($4,100) has seen his price slide some, but there's value to be found in Adam Eaton ($3,200) and Victor Robles ($2,900), the latter of which has seven hits in his last four games.
Finally, I wouldn't completely ignore the Padres against Milwaukee's Zach Davies ($6,800), who has a 4.70 ERA and 5.56 xFIP at home. Manny Machado ($3,800) has standalone potential, while Eric Hosmer ($2,900) offers an opposite-handed bat against Davies. GPPers could even look at Josh Naylor ($2,400), who brings power potential and is on a mini three-game heater, averaging 18.6 FDP in that stretch.
Stacks
Cubs vs. Reds (RHP Kevin Gausman)
Kris Bryant (3B - $4,000), Nicholas Castellanos (OF - $3,700), Kyle Schwarber (OF - $3,200)
This stack is a little more challenging than usual given the Cubs' injuries, and we're assuming Anthony Rizzo ($4,100) isn't in Monday's lineup. I have no faith in Gausman as a starter, a role in which he labored with Atlanta before being DFA'd. His heavy reliance on two pitches doesn't play well when seen multiple times. Bryant is on a tear lately, riding a six-game hitting streak that has seen him homer five times and drive in 13 runs. Castellanos had a 24.6 FDP floor during the weekend's three-game series against Pittsburgh hitting in front of Bryant. Schwarber offers a bit of savings in this spot as an opposite-handed bat against Gausman and brings GPP power. Nico Hoerner ($3,700) is intriguing as well.
Athletics vs. Royals (RHP Glenn Sparkman)
Marcus Semien (SS - $3,900), Matt Olson (C/1B - $3,700), Mark Canha (OF - $3,100)
Sparkman has been dreadful away from home, allowing a 8.59 ERA, 6.42 xFIP, .416 wOBA and 1.019 OPS to lefties and a .420 wOBA and 1.013 OPS to righties. That seemingly puts any and all Athletics in play. Canha and Olson have matching .397 wOBAs and 154 wRC+ ratings against righties, with .249/.296 ISOs, respectively. Semien is third among Athletics regulars with a .367 wOBA, 134 wRC+ and .238 ISO hitting out of the leadoff spot.
