This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
The new baseball week kicks off Monday at 6:40 pm EST with a nine-game slate before yielding to the main slate starting at the usual 7:05 pm EST. As this is being written, it doesn't appear weather will be an issue, and the Yankees are going to try and get in their game in Philadelphia.
Pitchers
If the Yankees/Phillies game goes on as planned, Gerrit Cole ($11,000) has to be considered the top pitcher for the slate. Using him leaves an average of $3,000 per player for bats, allowing a few studs into a lineup including using the Colorado game. Cole was lifted at 102 pitches in his last outing so there's no reason he can't go deep into this game and qualify for both the win and quality start.
Chris Paddack ($9,100) likely will be low-owned due to the combination of his price tag and a matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, there's still a lot of upside with Paddack, who has scored 27 and 40 fantasy points in his first two starts. Mookie Betts left yesterday's game with what appeared to be a wrist issue, so it's likely he won't be in the lineup Monday night. Think of Paddack as a great play for GPPs.
Alec Mills ($7,000) isn't the sexiest option Monday night but he's got a decent matchup at home against the Royals. While it's a small sample, the Royals have the ninth-lowest wOBA (.309) against right-handed pitching but are striking out at the sixth highest rate (25.7 percent). During his time with the Cubs, Mills has averaged over a strikeout per inning and was able to complete pitching six innings his first time out. The other options in this price range come with red flags; either they're pitching in Coors, have a bad matchup or aren't a candidate to pitch deep into the game.
Top Targets
Anytime Nelson Cruz is facing a lefty, he's basically an auto-start. Cruz will have that matchup Monday night against Derek Holland who pitched surprisingly well in his first outing. Cruz had a 1.207 OPS against lefties last season hitting 16 of his 41 home runs against that handedness. He's off to a good start this season, batting .324 with three home runs and 11 RBI. Teammate Miguel Sano ($3,100) is a cheaper option who had a 1.007 OPS against southpaws in 2019.
The Rockies put up 22 runs over their three-game homestand with the Padres over the weekend, and outfielder Charlie Blackmon ($4,300) was a big reason why. Blackmon went 7-for-13 at the plate, hitting a home run and driving in six. Johnny Cueto is well past his prime and hasn't lasted longer than four innings in either of his starts, meaning the Rockies should get to feast on the Giants' secondary pitching.
Do you believe in playing the hot hand? There's no one hotter right now at the plate than Aaron Judge ($4,500) who has homered in five straight games. Digging a bit deeper, Judge also had three home runs over his final two exhibition games and has carried that momentum into the regular season. Jake Arrieta is on the wrong side of 34 and saw his home run rate rise to 1.39/9IP last season.
Best Values
Nick Madrigal ($2,000) showed what all the hype is about Sunday going 4-for-5 at the plate and finishing with 21.9 fantasy points. He's at the minimum price Monday night, allowing for a lot of salary cap relief. Opponent Josh Lindblom didn't make it out of the fourth inning in his last start and has been dealing with back issues, making this a good matchup for Madrigal.
While he's not guaranteed to be in the lineup, Raimel Tapia ($2,500) would be a good value play if he is. Tapia had a .356 wOBA at home last season against right-handed pitchers and already stated Cueto is a good pitcher with whom to match up. Check the Rockies lineup before setting a lineup.
While he's off to a slow start, Khris Davis ($2,500) is tough to ignore when he's facing a lefty. He had a .383 wOBA against southpaws last season and that number ballooned to .461 wOBA on the road. He's extremely cheap and was given Sunday off to clear his head from his early-season slump. Davis should be able to take advantage of an inexperienced Justus Sheffield.
Stacks
Using the Rockies, Giants or Yankees is grabbing the low-hanging fruit and they could definitely pay off. Let's look at two other potential stacks tonight and don't be afraid to mix them with the three previously mentioned teams.
A's vs. Justus Sheffield: Khris Davis ($2,500), Mark Canha ($3,000), Chad Pinder ($2,500), Stephen Piscotty ($2,600)
All four of these players thrive on left-handed pitching with Piscotty coming in with a surprising career number of a .372 wOBA. Oakland has been quiet to this point offensively but the team is too talented to be held back. Think of them as a sleeper stack for Monday night.
Brewers vs. Carlos Rodon: Christian Yelich ($4,000), Keston Hiura ($3,500), Avisail Garcia ($3,000)
I could add more players here but these are three I'm comfortable approving. Rodon might not be good, as evidenced by his first start. He's not going long into the game, and the Brewers should rake as a result.
