Weather Report
Multiple games have a chance to be postponed or delayed east of the Mississippi. White Sox-Royals is the most likely to see a delay or flat-out cancellation, but Braves-Phillies, Red Sox-Yankees and Diamondbacks-Mets are all games fantasy GMs will want to pay close attention to before committing to having them in the lineup.
Injury Report
Jasson Dominguez, Yankees OF, UCL: Dominguez will miss the rest of the 2023 season and a good portion of the 2024 year after he was diagnosed with a torn ulnar ligament in his right elbow. The young outfielder was impressive in his time with the Yankees, but now won’t be an option for fantasy managers until after next year’s All-Star break, in all likelihood.
Shohei Ohtani, Angels DH, Oblique: Ohtani sat for the seventh consecutive game because of his oblique injury on Sunday, but there is a chance that the presumed 2023 MVP could be back in the lineup to start Monday’s series against the Mariners. Obviously, fantasy GMs will want to make absolute sure that the designated hitter is in the lineup, but there’s always a chance for Ohtani to hit a homer or two whenever he’s available to play.
Jordan Lawlar, Diamondbacks SS, Hand
Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks 2B, Knee
Both Marte and Lawlar suffered injury scares in Saturday’s game against the Cubs, with Marte fouling a ball off his knee, and Lawlar being hit in the hand by a pitch in the 10th inning. Both sat out Sunday’s game, but Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters that Lawlar’s absence was just a day off and his hand was “fine.”
Still, managers will need to pay close attention to this one, as there’s a chance both talented options are on the bench for the series opener against the Mets on Monday -- if the game is even able to be played.
Top Priced Starting Pitchers for Main Slate (DraftKings)
- Tyler Glasnow (TB) vs. MIN: $10,800
- Brandon Woodruff (MIL) vs. MIA: $10,300
- Framber Valdez (HOU) vs. OAK: $9,800
- Logan Gilbert (SEA) vs. LAA $9,200
- Chris Bassitt (TOR) vs. TEX: $9,000
- Sonny Gray (MIN) vs. TB: $8,800
- Jesus Luzardo (MIA) vs. MIL: $8,500
- Dylan Cease (CHW) vs. KC: $8,300
- Gavin Williams (CLE) vs. SF: $8,000
It’s a loaded Monday in terms of quality and quantity on the mound, and unsurprisingly, Glasnow is the most expensive option for the main slate. He’s coming off a start where he punched out 14 Boston hitters and allowed just one run on three hits while picking up a victory, and he’s compiled a 2.98 ERA with an excellent 134/28 K/BB ratio in his 17 starts for Tampa Bay in 2023.
The Twins lineup offers some pop, but it also offers a considerable amount of swing-and-miss to go with it. Glasnow could -- and should -- be in line for at least a good deal of strikeouts. Again.
The Blue Jays-Rangers series is one that has massive playoff implications for a handful of clubs, and it also sees one of the hottest pitchers in baseball -- Chris Bassitt -- in his last two starts. He’s gone eight innings in both of those outings while allowing just one run, but it’s worth pointing out those starts came against the Athletics and Nationals, and he “only” struck out 10 hitters over those 16 innings. He’ll take on a Texas team that is scuffling but still features some elite offensive options, so there’s a little bit of risk in using an option like Bassitt in this Monday slate.
Speaking of scuffling, the Mariners are limping into the final few weeks after a 3-7 road trip, but Gilbert has been a strong option as of late, and makes a lot of sense as a fantasy player against the Angels. The right-hander has struck out nine in back-to-back outings, and he’s allowed no more than three runs over his last four starts. Even if Ohtani is in the lineup, the Halos are a well below-average offense at this point, and with the Mariners due to pick things back up, it wouldn’t be a big surprise at all if Gilbert registered his 14th win and added double-digit or so strikeouts for good measure.
Sneaky option
Kutter Crawford vs. Yankees: $5,700
Crawford has struggled in his last two starts while allowing 11 total runs over 6.1 innings, but it’s worth pointing out that those outings came against the Rays and Astros. In this one, the young right-hander will be squaring off a Yankees’ team that isn’t bereft of talent, but doesn’t offer the same kind of lineup depth that those two aforementioned teams possess. Crawford has been a solid if unspectacular option for the majority of the season, and his cheap price would allow you to add one of the big names above without (too much) worry.
Stack Attack
Astros vs. Athletics (Mason Miller)
- 1B Jose Abreu: $3,700
- SS Jeremy Pena: $4,300
- OF Yordan Alvarez $6,200
- OF Kyle Tucker $5,900
Miller has had success in his brief time with Oakland and offers the potential for miss bats in the future, but he’ll be making his first start since May as he works his way back from an elbow sprain, and he isn’t likely to go terribly deep in this outing even if he’s effective. The Astros are starting to pick things back up as of late, and you get a pair of stars in Alvarez and Tucker with this stack on top of some cheaper options. It will make sense to stack against Oakland until the season comes to a conclusion.
Cubs vs. Rockies (Kyle Freeland)
- C Yan Gomes: $3,700
- 3B Nick Madrigal: $3,000
- OF Seiya Suzuki $4,200
Freeland has posted a 5.05 ERA in Coors Field this season. Against right-handed hitters, he’s given up a slash of .312/.357/.554 over 455 at-bats with 25 homers and 54 extra-base hits. The Rockies are 51-91. The Cubs are closing in on making a surprise trip to the postseason. This one’s pretty obvious right? Just because it’s obvious doesn’t make it a bad play, however, and the fact that none of these options are expensive means you can add some real star talent to your DFS roster both on the mound and the rest of your lineup.
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