MLB DFS: Best/worst plays for Monday, June 21st

The start of the week can sometimes be dispiriting as the reality sets in that the weekend won’t be around again for a few days. On a positive note, we have MLB DFS to play every day, giving us something to do to pass the time during the week. For Monday’s MLB DFS slate, there are only six games scheduled to be played. There aren’t any weather concerns for any games as of now, but that could be subject to change before lock.

Pitching

Favorite pitcher: Frankie Montas @ Texas Rangers ($9,400)

Outside of a start at Coors, Frankie Montas has been pitching well for the Oakland Athletics in his last eight starts. In his last two starts, Montas has struck out 16 batters and has only permitted one walk. On top of that, Montas is recording a remarkable 28.8% fly ball rate in June, and he’s only allowed one barrel in his last three outings. Montas will draw the start versus the Texas Rangers on Monday, a team that has the lowest slugging percentage at home (.331) to RHP over the last 30 days. With the limited options at pitcher on Monday, Montas is among the select-few that I’m comfortable inserting into my lineup.

Favorite cheap pitcher: Kyle Gibson vs. Oakland Athletics ($6,300)

When looking for a second pitcher on DraftKings, people typically look at the cheaper options to save salary. While there isn’t anyone I’m playing with confidence in the bargain section of pitching, Kyle Gibson is worth taking a chance on. Over the years, Gibson has been a pitcher that we’ve LOVED to target. However, Gibson has been somewhat of a safe option this season, allowing only 0.58 HR/9. He’s also producing a career-low 4.1% barrel rate. The veteran pitcher has scored 12+ points on DraftKings in all but one start, which was his first start of the season. Only worry is that he faces an Athletics squad that has a 117 wRC+ to RHP in last month.

Least-favorite pitcher: Keegan Akin vs. Houston Astros ($5,100)

Ahead of yesterday’s slate, our own Heath Capps listed Matt Harvey as his worst pitcher as the Baltimore Orioles faced the hard-hitting Toronto Blue Jays. Just a day later, the next pitcher for the Orioles to take the mound in Keegan Akin is my least-favorite pitcher on the slate. Akin has surrendered 11 earned runs in his last two starts and he’s currently recording a career-worst 8.19 K/9. The bad news for Akin is that his next start is versus the Houston Astros, who are slashing .283/.346./.453 to LHP this season.

Hitting

Favorite team to stack: Houston Astros @ LHP Keegan Akin

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that my favorite stack of the night is the team facing my least-favorite pitcher. The Astros have always been a team that has smashed lefties and it hasn’t been any different so far this season. Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and Yuli Gurriel are the right-handed batters to target in Houston’s lineup. But don’t be afraid to play Yordan Alvarez and Michael Brantley against a southpaw as both of them have 102+ wRC+ to LHP. Also, with Alex Bregman out, we could see someone like Abraham Toro ($2,100) provide us with some major value in the lineup.

Second-favorite team to stack: Cincinnati Reds @ LHP J.A. Happ

J.A. Happ has been atrocious for the Minnesota Twins this season, sporting a dismal 6.12 ERA and a 5.62 xFIP in 60.1 innings pitched. The experienced lefty has also been incapable of missing barrels in 2021, as he’s recorded a career-worst 11.4% barrel rate. Happ has also been unable to cause batters to miss, as he’s accrued a measly 7.9% swinging strike rate. He will face the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, and while they haven’t been great against lefties, Happ is a perfect pitcher to pad your stats against. Besides Nick Castellanos — who has dominated southpaws this season — Jesse Winker, Tyler Naquin, Tyler Stephenson, and Jonathan India are all hitting left-handed pitching well in the past 30 days. I also wouldn’t mind playing Joey Votto or Eugenio Suarez to differentiate your stacks.

Favorite one-off: Willy Adames @ RHP Merrill Kelly ($4,300)

I really wanted to list the Milwaukee Brewers as a low-owned stack that I’m liking for Monday’s six-game slate. Milwaukee is squaring off against Merrill Kelly, a pitcher that I’ve targeted with success this season. Kelly has been terrible to both sides of the plate, but at home he’s been worse to right-handed batters. With Kelly being a right-handed pitcher, it’s easy to say that Omar Narvaez and Christian Yelich are viable players on DraftKings. But the one player I’m using as a one-off on Monday is Willy Adames. Adames is slashing .329/.382/.557 to RHP in the last month, along with a .229 ISO.

Second-favorite one-off: Cedric Mullins ($4,600) vs. RHP Jake Odorizzi

In what has been another wasted year for the Orioles, Cedric Mullins has been one of the few bright spots on the team. Mullins is currently posting an impressive .318 batting average, and he’s also logged 13 home runs, 25 runs batted in, and 12 stolen bases. He’s spent most of the season as the leadoff hitter for Baltimore, and he’ll likely do the same versus Jake Odorizzi on Monday. Throughout Mullins’ last eight appearances, he’s averaged 13.6 points on DraftKings, including back-to-back games where he hit two home runs versus the Blue Jays. While the Orioles have quietly earned the 10th highest ISO to RHP in the past month, Mullins is a way to get exposure to Baltimore.