This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
This opening week has been amazing, and I can't wait to play DFS every day for the next six months! The grind of baseball is one of my favorite parts of the sport because being active every day is a huge advantage over the rest of the field. This is something I am passionate about, and enjoying the grind has to be a major factor if you want to succeed. With that in mind, let's start things off with our two favorite pitchers for this Monday slate.
Pitching
Michael King, SD ($9,200) at ATH
The Padres took a risk when they acquired King and made him a starter, but that looks like the right decision. The righty broke out last season with a 2.42 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 10.5 K/9 rate in his final 24 starts. He backed that with 35 DraftKings points in his most recent start, and we're not worried about this matchup with the A's. They were 26th in OBP and runs scored last year while sitting 27th in K rate. In their one matchup last season, King collected 12 strikeouts in another masterful performance.
Kodai Senga, NYM ($9,000) vs. MIA
Senga has had trouble staying healthy since coming over to America, but he's been unstoppable when he's been on the mound. The Japanese righty has a 3.48 ERA and 0.68 WHIP in two starts since last season, striking out 17 batters across 10.1 innings. That's on par with the guy who had a 2.98 ERA and 1.22 WHIP across 29 starts in 2023, posting a 2.45 ERA and 1.05 WHIP and 12.2 K/9 rate at home in that same span. We love that against Miami, ranked 28th or 29th in runs scored, OBP, OPS, wOBA and xwOBA last season. Not to mention, Senga has at least 20 FanDuel points in four of five starts against the Marlins.
Top Targets
Juan Soto, NYM ($6,000) vs. Valente Bellozo
Many experts have Soto pegged as a potential NL MVP, and it's easy to understand why. This guy has simply been one of the best hitters since his call-up, collecting a .420 career OBP and .952 OPS. He's been even better against righties, falling just shy of a 1.000 OPS against them throughout his career. Soto also gets the benefit of facing the worst pitcher on this slate.
Bobby Witt, KC ($5,900) vs. Simeon Woods Richardson
Witt was a top-three pick in every season-long league, and he's off to another incredible start. The shortstop has scored at least 7.0 DraftKings points in seven of eight games this season. That has his average above 10 DK points per game, and he hasn't even gotten hot yet. A matchup with Minnesota's worst pitcher is far from scary, too, with Witt tallying a 1.067 OPS in 13 games against the Twins last season. We'll talk about Woods Richardson later!
Bargain Bats
Matt Wallner, MIN ($3,900) vs. Michael Lorenzen
Wallner has developed into one of the most underrated hitters in baseball. The Twins know he's not underrated, hitting him leadoff against righties this season. It's easy to understand why when evaluating his splits, sporting a .389 OBP and .937 OPS against right-handers throughout his career. That's absurd from a sub-$4K player, especially since he gets a matchup with Lorenzen. The Royals righty allowed four runs and eight baserunners in his debut and has never been a scary opposition.
Rowdy Tellez, SEA ($2,200) vs. Hayden Wesneski
Almost every player in this price range is either on the bench or in the minors, but Tellez should be in the heart of the lineup against a righty. That's what he's done throughout his career, compiling a .748 OPS against right-handed pitching. We can't ask for any more from a $2,200 player, particularly since he faces a pitcher with only 23 career starts and some subpar averages in those outings.
Stacks to Consider
Mets vs. Marlins (Bellozo): Soto ($6,000), Pete Alonso ($5,500), Francisco Lindor ($5,400) and Jesse Winker ($3,000)
We had to kickstart our stack with Soto, but Alonso is a great pairing with the superstar. Big Pete has homered in three of his last six outings, recording multi-hit games in all of those. Lindor has yet to get going, but he's one of the only players in the league who's a 30-30 threat. Winker is the punt play of the bunch, accumulating a .369 OBP and .793 OPS against righties since last season.
Royals vs. Twins (Woods Richardson): Witt ($5,900), Vinnie Pasquantino ($4,600), Jonathan India ($4,300) and Michael Massey ($3,900)
Kansas City has one of the sneakiest offenses in baseball, and they should have their way with Woods Richardson. The Twins pitcher ended last season with a 5.91 ERA and 1.64 WHIP over the closing two months and is flirting with a 5.00 career xERA.
The stack has to include Witt as the straw that stirs the drink for this offense, but Pasquantino is probably a better value. The first baseman has a .782 OPS against righties over the last three years. As for India, he's projected to hit leadoff, providing a .353 career OBP and .763 OPS. Massey is the sneaky option of this stack, amassing a .740 OPS against righties over the last two years while projected to bat fifth.
