This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
It's quite the light Monday for MLB. There are only seven games on in the evening, with the first game starting at 7:00 p.m. ET. That's less than half the league in action. As MLB DFS players, we aren't used to having our options be this limited, but still have recommendations.
PITCHING
Anthony DeSclafani, SF at ARI ($8,700): San Francisco has suited DeSclafani well, as he has a 3.10 ERA. It's not necessarily about the Giants' ballpark either, as his road ERA is 2.50. The Diamondbacks might end up posting the worst record in the majors, so I won't be surprised if DeSclafani's record raises to 11-5 after Monday.
Eric Lauer, MIL vs. PIT ($7,500): Since there are only 14 starting pitchers Monday, I am only recommending two. Throwing in a third would feel like a stretch, to be honest. Lauer has a 3.78 ERA, but over his last five starts, he has a 1.71 ERA. Mostly, though, he's facing the team with the worst offense in MLB based on runs scored and OPS.
TOP TARGETS
Bryce Harper, PHI at WAS ($4,300): Some say Harper hasn't been as good as anticipated with the Phillies, but he has a .913 OPS with Philadelphia. This year, he's hit 16 home runs and stolen 12 bases. Josiah Gray, arguably the gem of the Max Scherzer/Trea Turner trade with the Dodgers, will be starting for the Nationals. While Gray is considered a fine prospect, so far in limited MLB action, he has a 6.75 ERA.
Pete Alonso, NYM at ARI ($3,700): Alonso, as we know, has power. Even when he dipped in 2020, he slugged .490, and this year he's just a hair under .500 at .499 in terms of slugging while also hitting 23 home runs. After pitching out of the bullpen in 2020, Taylor Widener has started eight games for the Diamondbacks this year. It hasn't gone great, as he has a 5.66 FIP. Also, he's allowed 2.06 home runs per nine innings in his career. Pair that with Alonso's power and it could bode well.
VALUE BATS
Kolten Wong, MIL vs. PIT ($3,900): Wong has hit .298 this year with eight homers and eight stolen bases. Also, don't worry if they bring a lefty in to face the southpaw hitter. The 30-year-old has a .913 OPS versus lefties this season. Bryse Wilson is a righty, but he's one with a career 5.90 ERA.
Trey Mancini, BAL vs. NYY ($3,200): Mancini hits homers. He's played four seasons in the majors and he's never had fewer than 24 home runs, and this year he has 19. Given that he missed all of 2020, his 2021 campaign is quite impressive. Mancini has also posted a .958 OPS against lefties in 2021, and left-handed pitcher Andrew Heaney has a 5.27 ERA.
STACK TO CONSIDER
Yankees vs. Jorge Lopez: Aaron Judge ($4,000), Joey Gallo ($3,500), Anthony Rizzo ($4,400)
Give Lopez credit for consistency. It seems like he's going to have an ERA of more than 6.00 for the third season in a row, as he has a 6.19 ERA through 21 starts. There's a question to be asked about why the Orioles have trotted out a pitcher with an ERA this bad for more than 20 starts, but that's for another day. I'm including two new Yankees in the stack, because they both happen to be lefties facing off against the right-handed Lopez.
Judge isn't a new Yankee, but he is a player with a slash line of .282/.375/.511 with 21 home runs. He also has a .929 OPS at home since 2019. Gallo may be hitting .217, but his .373 OBP is what really matters. Well, that and the fact he has 25 home runs in 98 games. Gallo is the three true outcomes master. Rizzo has left the Second City for what I assume is the First City, and he brings with him a .357 OBP, a .467 slugging percentage and 16 home runs.
