This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
There will be no shortage of action across baseball with 22 teams set to take the field Monday. One of the more exciting series will feature the Dodgers hosting the Braves. On the hill for Los Angeles will be Clayton Kershaw, who pitched a seven perfect innings in his last outing. Another series between two National League teams that have their sights set on making the playoffs will be the Mets hosting the Giants. While they aren't big names, it could end up being a good pitchers duel with Tylor Megill set to start against Alex Cobb. Let's get to the task at hand and highlight some players to consider for your Yahoo lineups.
Pitchers
Whenever the Orioles are in action, it's at least worth considering whichever pitcher will be starting against them. Last season, they scored the fifth-fewest runs in the league, while striking out the 10th-most times. This season, they have scored the fewest runs while striking out the second-most times. Drawing the assignment against them for the Athletics will be Frankie Montas ($52), who is far-and-away the best pitcher that Oakland has left after tearing down their roster during the offseason.
Josiah Gray's ($37) first taste of the majors last season brought mixed results. On the bright side, he had a 26.3 percent strikeout rate. His downfall, though, was that he allowed 19 home runs across 70.2 innings. He's only allowed one home run over nine innings in his first two starts this season, so that's at least an encouraging start. Home runs might not be an issue for him against the Diamondbacks, who have an underwhelming lineup that has only hit seven home runs through nine games.
Injuries have already taken a toll on the Mets' starting rotation. A silver lining is that Tylor Megill ($35) has been given a permanent spot in the rotation because of them. He might never give it back, recording 11 strikeouts over 10.1 scoreless innings in his first two starts of the season. He'll try to stay hot against the Giants, who are currently missing Evan Longoria (finger), Tommy La Stella (Achilles) and LaMonte Wade (knee) from their lineup.
Top Targets
Madison Bumgarner ($30) is lucky that he only allowed two runs over eight innings in his first two starts of the season. During that span, he issued a total of 12 base runners. The veteran lefty is a shell of his former self, so despite not having the platoon advantage, this could still be a favorable matchup to roll with Juan Soto ($25). It's not as if he struggles versus lefties, either, given that he has a .372 wOBA against them for his career.
Kris Bryant ($16) is still looking for his first home run with his new team. On the bright side, he has a .375 OBP to go along with what would be a career-low 17.5 percent strikeout rate. His ability to put the ball in play could be big against a Phillies team that might have a historically bad defense this season. This game being played at Coors Field certainly doesn't hurt his cause against Aaron Nola ($41), either. Nola is also off to a slow start, allowing seven runs and three home runs over 9.1 innings in his first two outings.
Bargain Bats
How often have you seen Freddie Freeman ($15) at a salary this low? The Dodgers' prized offseason acquisition is still searching for his first home run of the season, but he does have four multi-hit performances, including Sunday when he totaled four hits against the Reds. This will mark his first game against the Braves, who will have Huascar Ynoa ($29) on the mound. He's no pushover, but at this salary, Freeman is appealing given his massive upside.
If you want to go with a player at first base who has an even cheaper salary than Freeman, Nelson Cruz ($11) should be on your radar. Yes, he's off to a slow start with a .523 OPS. However, he has crushed left-handed pitchers, posting a .271 ISO and a .397 wOBA against them for his career.
Stacks to Consider
Phillies vs. Chad Kuhl ($25), Rockies: Bryce Harper ($24), Kyle Schwarber ($17), Jean Segura ($20)
Kuhl has a potential to be a disaster pitching at Coors Field. He has allowed at least 1.5 HR/9 in each of the last three seasons, and he has a 1.42 WHIP for his career. The Phillies will likely be a popular team to stack for this slate, and rightfully so. This matchup could be a great opportunity for Harper, who is only batting .216 with a .333 OBP out of the gate, to burst out of his slump.
Rays vs. Kyle Hendricks ($30), Cubs: Wander Franco ($19), Ji-Man Choi ($21), Randy Arozarena ($11)
After posting a career-high 1.35 WHIP last season, Hendricks has allowed 20 base runners over nine innings in his first two starts of 2022. Given that they came against light-hitting teams in the Brewers and Pirates, that's not exactly encouraging for his chances to have a bounce-back campaign. At the center of any Rays stack should be Franco, who is extremely difficult to strike out, following up his 12.0 percent strikeout rate last season with a 9.1 percent rate through his first 44 plate appearances.
Athletics vs. Spenser Watkins ($35), Orioles: Sean Murphy ($16), Tony Kemp ($12), Seth Brown ($12)
Despite trading away most of their best players, the Athletics have actually scored the most runs in baseball. It's only been 10 games and their standing in that regard likely won't hold up as we move along, but it does illustrate that they might not be pushovers. At the center of their hot start has been Kemp, who has produced a .378 OBP. It wouldn't be a surprise for them to hang another crooked number in a matchup versus Watkins, who had an 8.07 ERA and a 6.37 FIP across 54.2 innings last season.
