Happy Monday, and welcome to what’s basically the midpoint for most teams in the league. We are back for another Monday edition of DraftKings DFS MLB strategy advice for a light seven-game featured slate. With fewer options tonight, let’s look at our values, studs, and fades.

If you have any questions, reach out to me on Twitter, @RyanWhitfieldNE.

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Value Plays: Pitcher

Framber Valdez has a 1.72 ERA this year, and he has scored 20-plus fantasy points in his last four appearances. Tonight he will face the Angels, who rank 18th in runs per game and 20th in team batting average.

Brad Keller has yet to surrender a run this season and carries a WHIP of 0.91. He steps to the mound to take on the Cardinals tonight, and they rank in the bottom five of the league in both runs per game and batting average. There are nine pitchers more expensive than him tonight.

Catcher/First Base

This is a really tough position tonight to find value with limited options. That said, Jeimer Candelario gives us a shot at that. He’s on a six-game hitting streak, has hit .321 over the last seven games, and has averaged 9.33 FPPG during his hitting streak. On top of that, he faces Alec Mills, who comes in with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP.

Second Base

You’re probably tired of hearing this at this point, but tonight is a tough situation, and second base is another tricky position. Marte has hit for average well this season, and he has above a .300 average against both righties and lefties. He is the fifth most expensive guy tonight, and he faces Ryan Castellani, who has a sub-four ERA and a sub-one WHIP. That said, he’s only gone hitless three times in his last fifteen games, and he has posted double-digit results five times.

Schoop is day-to-day with a sore hamstring, and he’s a risky proposition even when healthy. On the plus side, he’s cheap tonight, he’s had three double-digit performances in his last six games, and he has the same matchup that I like for Candelario.

Third Base

Hunter Dozier has been boom-or-bust, and he has fared better against lefties this year. However, he is very budget-friendly, and Jack Flaherty has struggled more against right-handed hitters this year. Suarez is batting a measly .149 on the year but has hit in four of his last five games and has had two 16-plus fantasy point performances in that stretch. Tonight he faces Chase Anderson, who has allowed 13 base runners in his limited 9 2/3 inning career in the majors.

Shortstop

David Fletcher doesn’t have a great matchup, but on a limited night, betting on a guy who is hitting .308 and has averaged 8.5 FPPG is worth considering. Correa is slashing .300/.381/.440, is averaging 7.2 FPPG, and he faces Patrick Sandoval, who has a 5.40 ERA, a 1.30 WHIP, and is letting right-handed hitters bat .302.

Outfield

Joey Gallo has been the definition of boom-or-bust fantasy player this season, which means that you always play him at your own risk. Tonight, Gallo faces Jesus Luzardo, who has struggled against left-handed batters. Additionally, Gallo has hit five home runs and driven in nine RBI against lefties. Eddie Rosario faces a tough matchup in Aaron Civale, but he’s affordable and has hit in four of his last five, with three of those games being multi-hit games. Ian Happ has an OPS of 1.007, six home runs, and 15 RBI. Tonight, he faces Casey Mize, who has pitched a grand total of 4 1/3 innings in the majors and has a 6.23 ERA and a 1.62 WHIP. Like his teammate Correa, Kyle Tucker has a great matchup tonight. For his part, his 20 RBI, 9.2 FPPG, and low price make him a good play.

5 Studs Worth Their Salary

• Charlie Blackmon (COL) $5,500: Blackmon faces a tough matchup against Merrill Kelly tonight, but he is batting .405, has hit in eight of his last nine games, and is averaging 9.9 FPPG,
• Nelson Cruz (MIN) $5,700: Cruz has hit 10 home runs, has driven in 26, has a 1.122 OPS, and has 11.0 FPPG. Additionally, while Aaron Civale has been good, he has struggled against right-handed batters.
• Trevor Story (COL) $5,200: Story will benefit from the matchup tonight, unlike his teammate, Blackmon, as Merrill Kelly has a more difficult time with right-handed batters. On his end, he is batting .296, is on a four-game hitting streak, and is averaging 11.0 FPPG.
• Yuli Gurriel (HOU) $5,100\: Gurriel has struggled over his last four, as he’s gone just 2-for-15. Regardless, I like him to bounce back tonight against a struggling Patrick Sandoval.
• Trevor Bauer (CIN) $10,200: Bauer has a 0.68 ERA, a 0.57 WHIP, and faces a Brewers offense who is bottom-five in runs per game and batting average.

5 Notable Players to Fade

• Merrill Kelly (ARI) $8,700: The Rockies’ offense is top-eight in the league in both batting average and runs per game, and Kelly is the sixth most expensive pitcher tonight.
• Matt Olson (OAK) $5,300: Olson has a bad matchup, is the most expensive first baseman, is batting .170, and he has just one multi-hit game in his last 15 games.
• Keston Hiura (MIL) $5,200: As noted above, Trevor Bauer has been dominant this year. Hiura is the most expensive second baseman tonight, and he’s only batting .240.
• Christian Yelich (MIL) $5,400: Yes, I’m bringing up this matchup again. Outside of that, Yelich is batting .194 and is just two for his last 15.
• Marcus Semien (OAK) $5,300: Semien is two for his last 18, has a bad matchup, and he is the second most expensive shortstop tonight.

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Ryan Whitfield is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Ryan, check out his archive and follow him @RyanWhitfieldNE.