This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
There are nine MLB games Monday, with the first one starting at 6:40 p.m. ET. That means you need to be a little quicker getting your lineup in for DFS contests than you might expect. Why not just do a 7:05 p.m. ET start there, Cincinnati and San Francisco? Ah well. Sonny Gray is starting for the Reds and Jesse Winker has been hot at the plate, so you might want to look there for your roster. Here are some other recommendations for you to consider.
PITCHING
Yu Darvish, SD vs. COL ($11,100): Darvish has been exactly what the Padres hoped for when they dealt for the Japanese pitcher. He's posted a 2.08 ERA through eight starts after having a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts in 2020. Yes, the Rockies are in the upper half of the league in runs scored, but you always have to remember where they play their home games. Being at Petco Park is completely different.
Yusei Kikuchi, SEA vs. DET ($9,000): Kikuchi has put up some ugly ERAs in his career, but he had a 3.29 FIP in 2020, and his FIP is 4.09 this year. He's also coming off a game where he struck out 11 batters, his third game in a row with at least seven strikeouts. More importantly, he's facing the Tigers, who rank 30th in team OPS. That's out of 30 teams of course.
Max Fried, ATL vs. NYM ($7,200): Fried's numbers are bad, but he's only made five starts. His 6.55 ERA is worse than his 4.93 FIP, and last year he had a 2.25 ERA and 3.09 FIP. Plus, he's only allowed two runs over his last 11 innings. The Mets are last in runs scored, but sometimes I overlook that because they've only played in 34 games. However, they are still about 20 runs below any other team, and that speaks to a bad offense nevertheless.
TOP TARGETS
Kris Bryant, CHC vs. WAS ($4,300): Bryant gets to face his former teammate in Jon Lester, who is admittedly off to a good start to the season. He has a 2.25 ERA but that's in only 16 innings. The 37-year-old is coming off four-straight seasons with a FIP of more than 4.00. He's also a lefty, and Bryant smashes left-handed pitchers. Bryant has an 1.112 OPS versus southpaws since 2019, and even last year when he struggled he had an .821 OPS against lefties.
Juan Soto, WAS at CHC ($3,900): The only concern with Soto thus far is a relative lack of power, but that's likely going to change as he gets healthy. He has a career .546 slugging percentage, and also his issues have largely been at home this year. Everything should be just fine against Adbert Alzolay, who has given up 1.69 homers per nine innings this season. Soto may flash that power we're been waiting for in this matchup.
VALUE PLAYS
Mitch Haniger, SEA vs. DET ($3,600): Haniger missed all of last season due to an injury I would prefer not to discuss at any length, but he's made up for lost time to start 2021. He's always had some power, but the 30-year-old has shown more oomph than ever this season. Haniger has a .575 slugging percentage and 12 homers. Casey Mize might have a bright future, but he also has a 5.02 FIP.
Cesar Hernandez, CLE at LAA ($2,300): Power is not part of Hernandez's repertoire, but he has a career .274 batting average and .350 on-base percentage. This will be Patrick Sandoval's first start of the season, but in three relief appearances he has a 6.14 ERA, and, in his career, the pitcher has posted a 5.40 ERA.
STACKS TO CONSIDER
Dodgers vs. Madison Bumgarner: Mookie Betts ($4,200), Justin Turner ($3,800), Will Smith ($3,000)
Bumgarner's last five starts have gone well, but his first three starts were awful. He still has a 4.12 ERA, and last season he had a 7.17 FIP. He has done well against his fellow lefties, but since 2019 he has allowed a .259 batting average to righties. I've selected three right-handed hitters here. Also, maybe the only three projected Dodgers starters healthy right now. Betts was an MVP candidate his first season with the Dodgers and could end up there again. His power numbers are down but he still has a .366 OBP, and the power should come eventually. There have been no power concerns with Turner, who has a .514 slugging percentage over the last five seasons. Smith is the kind of catcher you don't mind as a bat in your lineup. His career OPS is .900, and his career OPS at home is .924.
Yankees vs. Jordan Lyles: Aaron Judge ($3,600), DJ LeMahieu ($3,000), Luke Voit ($2,900)
Lyles has a career 5.27 ERA and has never had an ERA lower than 4.11. He's been even worse the last couple of campaigns, with a 5.94 FIP in 2020 and a 5.56 FIP in 2021. I wish the Yankees had a lefty who excited me to face this righty, but things should be just fine for the Bronx Bombers. Judge is showing us the kind of power that is reminiscent of his 52-homer rookie campaign. He had a .627 slugging percentage that year. This year, he has 12 homers with a .611 slugging percentage. LeMahieu averaged .364 last year, and, while he's "only" hitting .274 in 2021, his OBP is a robust .364. Voit just returned from injury, so his numbers this year don't really matter to me. What matters is that he slugged .610 in 2020, has slugged .521 in his career and has a career OBP of .362.
