Monday’s MLB slate rolls out a full 12-game main board, and with September roster expansion in full swing, there are a handful of value plays hiding in plain sight. Between the Braves-Phillies rubber match at Citizens Bank Park, a pitcher’s duel brewing in Baltimore, and a Royals-Diamondbacks tilt at Kauffman Stadium, there’s plenty to build around for both cash games and GPPs.
Today’s approach leans into confirmed lineup spots, favorable batted-ball matchups, and salary relief at premium positions. Below are five MLB DFS picks worth rostering today, mixing multi-position value bats with two strikeout-heavy arms that anchor a lineup without draining the cap.
Coby Mayo, 3B/1B — Baltimore Orioles ($2,800 DK / $3,800 FD) vs. Boston Red Sox
Mayo is one of the most extreme platoon bats in the league right now, and today’s matchup plays directly into his strength. Against left-handed pitching in 2026, Mayo is slashing .323 with a 1.126 OPS, 15 home runs and 32 RBI in 140 plate appearances — a night-and-day split from his .162 average and .497 OPS against right-handers. Boston sends left-hander Payton Tolle to the mound, and even in a tough park matchup, that split alone makes Mayo worth rostering at a rock-bottom DraftKings price.
Mayo has also caught fire lately, rebounding from a rough stretch with a .272 average and five home runs in August alone, and he’s shown a pattern of getting hot in September in past seasons. At $2,800 on DraftKings, he’s priced like a bench bat despite being a legitimate power threat any time a southpaw is on the mound. He projects as one of the cheapest paths to real home run upside on the entire slate, and if you’re stacking Orioles bats today, it’s worth a quick look at the DraftKings promo code before setting your lineup.
Carter Jensen, C — Kansas City Royals ($3,100 FD) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Jensen has quietly turned into one of the better values at catcher, batting leadoff for Kansas City and putting together a .230/.315/.440 line with 22 home runs, 67 runs and 67 RBI across 533 plate appearances this season. That kind of power production from the catcher spot is rare, and catcher remains one of the shallowest, cheapest positions on both major DFS sites — meaning Jensen offers a legitimate path to double-digit fantasy points without eating into premium outfield or pitcher salary.
He’s also been running hot recently, homering three times in a two-game stretch against Miami earlier this month, including a leadoff blast that made league history. Batting first in Kansas City’s order all but guarantees him four-plus plate appearances today, and against a Diamondbacks pitching staff that hasn’t announced a starter, Jensen’s combination of volume and power makes him one of the more attractive punt plays at catcher on today’s board.
Jesús Luzardo, SP — Philadelphia Phillies ($11,000 FD) vs. Atlanta Braves
Luzardo is the highest-priced pitcher on the slate for good reason. He’s having a career year at 13-5 with a 3.02 ERA and 209 strikeouts, giving him arguably the best floor-and-ceiling combination available today. He draws Atlanta, and while the Braves lineup isn’t punchless, Luzardo’s strikeout rate and ability to work deep into games make him a strong anchor for cash lineups where swallowing a premium salary is worth it for reliability.
Against a Braves roster that has posted a modest .294 wOBA in limited career sample against Luzardo, the left-hander should have the swing-and-miss stuff to rack up strikeout points even in a tricky home run environment at Citizens Bank Park. For GPP builds, he’s a legitimate stack-against target if you want to fade Atlanta bats, but for cash games, his strikeout upside alone justifies paying up.
Heriberto Hernandez, OF — Miami Marlins ($4,300 DK) vs. New York Mets
Hernandez has developed into one of the more well-rounded offensive threats in Miami’s lineup, posting 23 home runs, 61 RBI and 10 stolen bases across 417 plate appearances this season — a 20/10 power-speed combination that’s tough to find at his salary tier. He’s a middle-of-the-order presence for the Marlins and offers correlation upside if Miami’s lineup gets going against Mets right-hander Jonah Tong, who is making just his second career MLB start.
Tong’s inexperience at the highest level is exactly the kind of soft matchup DFS players should be hunting for on a Monday slate, and Hernandez’s blend of power and speed gives him a strong point-per-dollar case in a Miami lineup priced to be overlooked outside of South Florida. He’s a strong value target in both cash games and stacks.
Grant Holmes, SP — Atlanta Braves ($7,500 DK) vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Holmes rounds out the pitching pool as the clear value option relative to the two aces above him. He carries a 9-5 record with a 3.62 ERA and 104 strikeouts on the season, and he gets a Phillies roster he’s handled reasonably well in limited career innings, holding them to a .310 wOBA with a strong 20.3 percent strikeout rate in his prior look. At roughly $2,000-$3,500 cheaper than the top arms on today’s board, Holmes offers salary relief without asking DFS players to fully punt on pitching.
Philadelphia’s lineup is dangerous from top to bottom, so Holmes carries some real risk, but his strikeout stuff gives him a workable floor even in a tougher park and lineup matchup. For lineup builders who want to spend up on a stacked offense elsewhere, Holmes is the pitcher who lets that math work, and new players can lean on the Fanatics Sportsbook promo for added value while tracking the game.
Building Your Lineup
With Luzardo pricing out as the clear premium arm today, pairing him with cheap power at catcher and third base — Jensen and Mayo, specifically — frees up real salary to spend on a stack elsewhere, whether that’s Atlanta’s top of the order or a soft Marlins-Mets matchup around Hernandez. Cash game players should prioritize the floor plays here: confirmed leadoff volume for Jensen, a favorable pitching matchup for Luzardo, and Mayo’s extreme platoon edge against a left-hander.
For GPPs, consider pivoting off the more popular studs at the top of the salary pool and building around lower-owned value like Mayo and Holmes, both of whom carry legitimate upside without the ownership that comes with obvious plays. If you’re building your DraftKings lineup or setting a FanDuel roster today, check the live MLB odds before locking anything in, since game totals and lineup shifts can move quickly on a Monday slate with several teams still jockeying for playoff position. Stacking correlated bats from a single high-total game remains the highest-ceiling strategy for tournaments, while cash game rosters should lean toward the safer, confirmed-role plays detailed above.
Ultimately, today’s slate rewards DFS players willing to dig past the top-priced names. Mayo and Jensen offer legitimate power at bargain prices, Hernandez brings a rare power-speed floor against a rookie starter, and the Luzardo-Holmes pitching pairing lets you build a complete roster without overcommitting salary to any one position. That’s the formula for solid cash game picks and live GPP picks alike on a busy Monday MLB slate.
