This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Monday returns to being a "normal" day (as of Sunday night at least) with the Red Sox/Yankees kicking off 11 games at 7:05 p.m. EDT. There are two different GPPs, one costs $15 to enter while the other's entry fee is $777. Both have $100,000 first place prizes.
Pitchers
Zac Gallen, ARI vs. OAK ($9,700): This isn't a stretch to mention Gallen given he's the most expensive pitching option on the slate. Oakland has the eighth-highest strikeout rate (25.3 percent) against right-handed pitching, and Gallen hasn't allowed more than two earned runs in any of his four starts.
Ross Stripling, LAD vs. SEA ($8,100): Stripling offers a bit more salary cap relief, allowing a couple of extra big bats into a lineup. Seattle has the eight-lowest wOBA (.296) against right-handed pitching and allowed only a .287 wOBA at home last season. Stripling is off to a nice start in the strikeout category, recording 22 in his first 22.1 innings. The Dodger are a -285 favorite, suggesting Stripling will be a good candidate for the win bonus.
Alex Cobb, BAL vs. TOR ($6,500): The salary for Cobb seems a bit off here considering his early-season success. Cobb hasn't allowed more than two runs in any of his four starts and has scored 33 and 37 fantasy points in two of those four contests. Cobb is best used for tournaments, and it helps that the Jays just lost Bo Bichette.
Top Targets
J.D. Martinez, BOS at NYY ($3,700): Martinez faces lefty Jordan Montgomery, a matchup making Martinez an auto-play. Martinez had a .539 wOBA last season against southpaws and has finally started heating up after a slow start. Martinez has games of 13, 21.9, 29.2 and 30.9 fantasy points in the last six contests.
Nelson Cruz, MIN vs. KC ($4,100): The writeups for Martinez and Cruz are almost identical, except Cruz had only a .464 wOBA against lefties last season. Cruz has been hot, too, with homers in two of his last three games and scored fantasy points in 15 straight starts. Rookie Kris Bubic is a great matchup for the 40-year-old slugger.
Anthony Rendon, LAA vs. SF ($4,000): Yet another left-masher, Rendon had a .418 wOBA against that handedness last season. He'll also have a good matchup against Tyler Anderson who has allowed a .335 wOBA over his career to right-handed hitters.
Bargain Bats
Mitch Garver, MIN vs. KC ($2,500): While Garver is off to a bad start, it's tough to ignore what he did last season when facing southpaws. Garver had a .468 wOBA against lefties and had a career-high 31 home runs. Twelve of those home runs came against left-handed pitching, and he'll be looking for another tonight.
Gleyber Torres, NYY vs. BOS ($2,900): This is a low salary to take on for getting the Yankees cleanup hitter who had a .390 wOBA at home against lefties last season. Torres has picked up his production after coming out of the gate slowly, averaging 12 fantasy points per game over his last seven contests. Not surprisingly opponent Martin Perez struggled against right-handed batterS last season, surrendering a .353 wOBA.
Stacks to Consider
Twins vs. Kris Bubic: Cruz, Garver, Miguel Sano ($3,100), Byron Buxton ($3,000)
Every rookie pitcher has their ups and downs especially considering Bubic isn't an elite prospect. Sano has a proven track record against lefties and should be hitting cleanup behind Cruz. Buxton is more of a wild card but has the speed/power upside to put together a big fantasy number Monday night.
Rockies at Brandon Bielak: Charlie Blackmon ($4,000), Garrett Hampson ($2,500), Nolan Arenado ($3,800) Trevor Story ($4,000)
Like Bubic, Bielak isn't an elite starter and should have a few bumps in the road this season as a rookie. This will be an extremely unpopular stack for a few reasons. First, this game is in Houston and not in Colorado where one would normally use a stack. Three of the players listed are high-priced, and owners should gravitate to players like Cruz and Martinez instead. This is a sneaky play with upside, especially in single-entry GPPs.
