Major League Baseball has seven games under the lights to start the new work week off with a pretty full evening scoreboard. Only two of the seven series on the main DFS slate are divisional matchups, with four interleague series getting underway. With 14 teams in the player pool, finding the right MLB DFS Value Picks will be key to helping to stretch your salary cap space. In this post, we’ll examine my top three MLB DFS Value Picks, who all bring good upside at their low salaries.

• SP David Sandlin, Chicago White Sox at Minnesota Twins, $7,000: Sandlin earned 22.9 FPTS in his debut after posting a 0.55 ERA in 16 1/3 minor-league innings. His high strikeout potential gives him a high ceiling.
• OF Carson Benge, New York Mets at Seattle Mariners, $3,500: Benge had double-digit FPTS in three of his last four games and is averaging 8.2 FPTS per game in his last 13. He’s in a great spot at the top of the Mets lineup.
• 1B/3B Vaughn Grissom, Los Angeles Angels vs. Colorado Rockies, $3,100: Grissom had double-digit FPTS in four of his last six games, averaging 11.8 FPTS per game.

Let’s dive in and take a closer look at these options, who come with low salaries but high ceilings this Monday.

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Best MLB DFS value plays

SP David Sandlin, Chicago White Sox at Minnesota Twins, $7,000

The probable pitchers on Monday night include an interesting mix of pitchers to consider, including some young arms on the rise and a few established veterans. In one head-to-head matchup of new school vs. old school Sandlin faces off with Joe Ryan ($9,000) of the Twins in Minnesota.

Sandlin will be making his second MLB start, facing the Twins for a second straight game. He held them to one run on one hit with four strikeouts through six innings last Wednesday, earning another turn in the rotation and 22.9 FPTS.

Sandlin was excellent in Triple-A before his promotion, posting an impressive 0.55 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings in the minors. Last year, he went 9-6 in the Red Sox farm system with 107 strikeouts in 106 innings and a 4.50 ERA.

Sandlin only needed 61 pitches (41 strikes) to get through six innings and retired 18 in a row after a leadoff homer. Sandlin did not cover more than four innings in any of his last four Triple-A starts, so there’s still some added risk that he isn’t all the way stretched out, but he’s been dominant enough to be worth a look at only $7K since he brings so much upside in this favorable matchup.

OF Carson Benge, New York Mets at Seattle Mariners, $3,500

Benge had a slow start after his Opening Day homer, but he has picked things up over the last few weeks. In his last 20 games, Benge is hitting .318 with four doubles and a home run. He has a barrel rate just over 10% and a hard-hit rate over 40%.

Benge homered and had 18 FPTS on Sunday against the Marlins and has double-digit fantasy points in three of his last four. He and the Mets are in Seattle facing Emerson Hancock ($8,000). Hancock is 4-2 in 11 games with a 2.78 ERA. Lefties have hit five of the eight homers against Hancock, and he’s been fortunate with an 84.5% LOB% and 4.06 xERA. Benge is typically in a premium lineup spot leading off, and he has a good chance to be involved as the Mets look to start their series in Seattle with a win.

1B/3B Vaughn Grissom, Los Angeles Angels vs. Colorado Rockies, 3,100

Grissom and the Angels are hosting the Rockies this week, and on Monday night they’ll take on Kyle Freeland ($5,300), who has an 8.08 ERA on the season. While he has been crushed at Coors Field, even on the road, he has allowed 22 runs in 23 1/3 innings. Righties have hit 11 of the 12 homers against Freeland this year with a .331 batting average, .614 SLG and .436 wOBA.

Over the last week, Grissom has taken over at 1B for the Halos and is hitting third in the order. In his last six games, he averaged 11.8 FPTS, posting at least 11 FPTS in four of those six contests. He’s hitting the ball extremely well and brings a good floor with his contact-forward approach. His versatility to fit at either corner infield spot also makes him easy to slot into roster builds with other stars you are looking to include.