Josh Shepardson | Mon, Aug 24th 2026, 4:33am EDT

MLB DFS Picks & Underdog Player Props: Monday (8/24)

Monday’s MLB DFS main slate features 10 games on FanDuel, starting at 6:40 p.m. ET. It has seven games on DraftKings, beginning at 7:40 p.m. ET. The Underdog player props are also from the night’s games.

Monday’s Top MLB DFS Picks & Player Props

Monday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings (8/24)

Chase Burns (SP – CIN) at San Francisco Giants

Chase Burns is the top pitching option available on both DFS platforms. As a quick aside, Cade Cavalli ($10,300) is a more appealing option available only at FanDuel. Circling back to Burns, Cincinnati’s righty is having a sensational sophomore campaign. Per FanGraphs, Burns has spun the following numbers in 24 starts spanning 136 innings this season:

14 wins
11 quality starts
2.51 ERA
3.01 xERA
3.46 xFIP
3.46 SIERA
1.11 WHIP
8.8% walk rate
29% strikeout rate
14.2% SwStr%
28.5% CSW%
112 stuff+
102 location+
115 pitching+

Burns has a tasty matchup and betting info tonight. The Giants are 14th in wRC+ (102) with a 20.5% strikeout rate versus righties and 25th in wRC+ (97) with a 20.7% strikeout rate at home in 2026.

San Francisco is also 22nd in wRC+ (86) with a 22.4% strikeout rate in the previous 30 days and tied for 21st in wRC+ (79) with a 25.6% strikeout rate in the last 14 days. The Reds are -150 favorites, and the game’s total is a pitcher-friendly 7.5 runs.

Parker Messick (SP – CLE) at Los Angeles Angels

Parker Messick is locked in. In his previous five starts spanning 31.1 innings, the lefty has recorded the following marks:

1 win
3 quality starts
2.01 ERA
1.95 xERA
2.71 xFIP
2.79 SIERA
0.93 WHIP
3.2% walk rate
29% strikeout rate
12.4% SwStr%
28.8% CSW%
101 stuff+
110 location+
109 pitching+

Messick should remain in a groove in a plus-matchup. The Angels are tied for 20th in wRC+ (93) with a 25.4% strikeout rate versus lefties and 30th in wRC+ (77) with a 25.7% strikeout rate at home this season.

They’re also dead last in wRC+ (72) with a 25.2% strikeout rate in the previous 30 days and tied for 22nd in wRC+ (78) with a 24% strikeout rate in the last 14 days. The Guardians are -160 favorites, and the game’s total is eight runs.

Robbie Ray (SP – SDP) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

Robbie Ray has a knack for outproducing his ERA estimators. Nevertheless, his ERA estimators offer a glimpse into the potential for him to bottom out, rendering him a matchup- and salary-driven GPP option.

The Pirates are tied for 26th in wRC+ (88) with a 25.9% strikeout rate versus lefties and tied for 20th in wRC+ (94) with a 26.5% strikeout rate on the road this season.

Pittsburgh is also 26th in wRC+ (81) with a 24.2% strikeout rate in the previous 30 days and 20th in wRC+ (80) with a 26.5% strikeout rate in the last 14 days. Regardless, the Padres are slight underdogs (-108), but the game’s total is a pitcher-friendly 7.5 runs.

Suggested Lineup Stacks

Road (Sutter Health Park )
Game Total/Moneyline: 10.5 Runs/MIN -152

The Twins will get a lift from playing at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park tonight. They’ll also benefit from facing Jeffrey Springs. In 12 home starts spanning 58.1 innings this season, Springs has been battered to the tune of a 6.63 ERA, 4.88 xFIP and 1.59 WHIP.

Springs has also allowed a .366 wOBA to 82 left-handed batters at home and a .393 wOBA to 186 right-handed batters at home. The A’s rank dead last in bullpen ERA (5.66) in 2026.

Home (Rate Field)
Game Total/Moneyline: 8.5 Runs/CWS -130

In 22 starts and two relief appearances this season, Kumar Rocker is responsible for a 4.46 ERA, 4.72 xERA, 4.32 xFIP, 4.36 SIERA and 1.40 WHIP. The 26-year-old righty has also allowed a .369 wOBA to 294 left-handed batters, albeit while holding 234 right-handed batters to a .283 wOBA.

Chicago’s left-handed batters and switch-hitters are the most appealing stacking options, and the lineup features seven of them.

Core Studs

Ryan Jeffers has drilled 13 dingers with a .401 on-base percentage (OBP), .185 ISO, .381 wOBA and 148 wRC+ in 384 plate appearances against lefties since 2024.
Byron Buxton has mashed 17 taters with a .350 OBP, .249 ISO, .374 wOBA and 143 wRC+ in 334 plate appearances against lefties since 2024.
Colson Montgomery has hit 35 homers with a .290 OBP, .250 ISO, .321 wOBA and 105 wRC+ in 552 plate appearances against righties since reaching the Majors last season.

Value Plays/Punts

In 263 plate appearances from June 2nd through August 22nd, Steven Kwan rattled off one home run, 34 runs, 13 RBI, seven stolen bases, a .406 OBP, .067 ISO, .356 wOBA, .349 expected wOBA (xwOBA) and 131 wRC+. He also recorded two hits and two runs in five plate appearances on Sunday.
Andrew Benintendi has hit 13 homers with 48 runs, 65 RBI, one stolen base, a .308 OBP, .177 ISO, .317 wOBA and 102 wRC+ in 390 plate appearances this season, and he bats cleanup against righties.
Kaelen Culpepper is off to a fast start in his first crack at the Majors, hitting two homers with five runs, three RBI, a .340 OBP, .156 ISO, .342 wOBA and 119 wRC+ in 50 plate appearances for the Twins.

Monday’s Top 3 Underdog Player Props

Check out our best picks on the MLB Underdog Cheat Sheet

Cade Cavalli (SP – WSH): 6.5 Strikeouts — Higher

In Cade Cavalli‘s previous five starts spanning 32 innings, he’s logged the following stats:

1.97 ERA
3.44 xERA
2.78 xFIP
2.98 SIERA
0.97 WHIP
35 strikeouts
28.7% strikeout rate
12.8% SwStr%
30% CSW%
103 stuff+
98 location+
99 pitching+

Cavalli has exceeded 6.5 strikeouts in three straight games, rattling off eight, 10 and 11 in those turns. Conversely, the Rockies are 16th in strikeout rate (21.8 K%) versus righties and 24th in strikeout rate (23.7 K%) on the road in 2026. They’re also 20th in strikeout rate (23.2 K%) in the previous 30 days and 15th in strikeout rate (22.5 K%) in the last 14 days.

Robbie Ray (SP – SDP): 16.5 Outs Recorded — Higher

Robbie Ray has exceeded 16.5 outs in precisely half of his 24 starts. However, he has a plus-matchup tonight, and he’s cleared that threshold in three of his previous five starts.

Byron Buxton (OF – MIN): 1.5 Total Bases — Higher

Byron Buxton has tallied 48 singles, 17 doubles, one triple, 25 homers, a .251 batting average, .511 slugging rate and .260 ISO in 399 plate appearances this season.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Springs has allowed 86 hits, a .270 batting average and a .520 slugging rate to right-handed batters in 356 plate appearances.

Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.

NFL

MLB

NBA

NHL