MLB Monday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for April 21, 2025
Apr 20, 2025, 8:25AM
Draftstars Australia's MLB Monday DFS contest kicks off at 3:35am AEST on April 21, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for every player on the slate to help you build winning line-ups.
A handy Draftstars cheat sheet is essential for MLB fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you assemble your fantasy teams for Draftstars' MLB contests and improve your season-long fantasy line-ups on April 21 and beyond.
Featured MLB Games
Draftstars' MLB Monday slate includes the following match-ups:
- Los Angeles Angels vs San Francisco Giants
- Toronto Blue Jays vs Seattle Mariners
- New York Mets vs St. Louis Cardinals
- Baltimore Orioles vs Cincinnati Reds
- Detroit Tigers vs Kansas City Royals
- Milwaukee Brewers vs Athletics
- Boston Red Sox vs Chicago White Sox
- Pittsburgh Pirates vs Cleveland Guardians
- Atlanta Braves vs Minnesota Twins
- Philadelphia Phillies vs Miami Marlins
- Tampa Bay Rays vs New York Yankees
- Chicago Cubs vs Arizona Diamondbacks
- Texas Rangers vs Los Angeles Dodgers
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, uses the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to come up with some of the strongest DFS projections in the world.
With the latest MLB fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more MLB fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet and Projections
We've reviewed every player from every team to help you make the best selections on Monday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Tarik Skubal (DET, P) | $22,550 | 22 | 1 |
| Value | Wyatt Langford (TEX, OF) | $5,000 | 6.6 | 1.3 |
| Fade | Ramón Laureano (BAL, OF) | $9,470 | 2.2 | 0.2 |
| Cheapie | Boyce Mullins (BAL, OF) | $5,410 | 7.1 | 1.3 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks offer the most "bang for your buck," meaning they're expected to perform well relative to their salary.
Conversely, a "fade" is a player considered to offer lower value for money, based on their expected score relative to their salary. For those needing to stay under the salary cap, "cheapie" options refer to the best value players at lower price points not already mentioned.
In fantasy sports, understanding value—assessing a player's potential output against their salary—is crucial, as players scoring high relative to their cost are key in crafting the optimal line-up.
The "Pts/$1K" metric shows the predicted points for every $1,000 of a player's salary. A higher number indicates better value, making it easier to spot players who could outperform their cost.
Positional Breakdown
C (Catcher)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | William Contreras (MIL) | $9,300 | 7.2 | 0.8 |
| Value | Salvador Perez (KC) | $6,640 | 6.7 | 1 |
| Fade | Carson Kelly (CHC) | $8,530 | 3 | 0.4 |
| Cheapie | Patrick Bailey (SF) | $6,500 | 4.2 | 0.7 |
SS (Shortstop)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Robert Witt (KC) | $9,680 | 9.5 | 1 |
| Value | Robert Witt (KC) | $9,680 | 9.5 | 1 |
| Fade | Gabriel Arias (CLE) | $8,680 | 3.3 | 0.4 |
| Cheapie | Anthony Volpe (NYY) | $7,230 | 7 | 1 |
OF (Outfielder)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Shohei Ohtani (LAD) | $13,790 | 9.9 | 0.7 |
| Value | Wyatt Langford (TEX) | $5,000 | 6.6 | 1.3 |
| Fade | Ramón Laureano (BAL) | $9,470 | 2.2 | 0.2 |
| Cheapie | Boyce Mullins (BAL) | $5,410 | 7.1 | 1.3 |
3B (Third Base)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | José Ramírez (CLE) | $11,030 | 9.1 | 0.8 |
| Value | Michael Austin Riley (ATL) | $8,370 | 7.9 | 0.9 |
| Fade | Ramón Urías (BAL) | $9,030 | 2.3 | 0.3 |
| Cheapie | Matthew Mervis (MIA) | $5,000 | 4.7 | 0.9 |
2B (Second Base)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Jasrado Chisholm (NYY) | $9,610 | 7.9 | 0.8 |
| Value | Marcus Semien (TEX) | $6,980 | 7.4 | 1.1 |
| Fade | Gabriel Arias (CLE) | $8,680 | 3.3 | 0.4 |
| Cheapie | Brice Turang (MIL) | $6,930 | 7.1 | 1 |
1B (First Base)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Vladimir Guerrero (TOR) | $9,590 | 8.4 | 0.9 |
| Value | Lucas Raley (SEA) | $5,000 | 5.5 | 1.1 |
| Fade | Pavin Smith (AZ) | $9,820 | 3.6 | 0.4 |
| Cheapie | Vincent Pasquantino (KC) | $6,770 | 7.1 | 1 |
P (Pitcher)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Tarik Skubal (DET) | $22,550 | 22 | 1 |
| Value | Sean Burke (CWS) | $10,930 | 13.4 | 1.2 |
Conclusion
In DFS, creating an optimal line-up requires understanding key concepts and metrics. When building your MLB Monday teams, consider starting with a value player like Wyatt Langford. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Tarik Skubal is a strong option. If you're seeking budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, explore our cheapie options, including Boyce Mullins.
On the other hand, according to our model, Ramón Laureano is one of the lowest value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if building out multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' MLB Monday slate closes at 3:35am AEST on Monday. ENTER NOW!
As with all MLB DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider's data-driven MLB fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the MLB Monday slate. The unique insights here can help you maximize points while adhering to the salary cap when you make your MLB DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised MLB Monday line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.
Please note that if you use our DFS tips for betting purposes, ensure you gamble responsibly and keep track of your money. For free and confidential support, call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
