MLB Monday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for September 8, 2025
Last updated: Sep 7, 2025, 5:26PM | Published: Sep 7, 2025, 8:26AM
Draftstars Australia's MLB Monday DFS contest starts at 3:35am AEST on September 8, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has looked at the data for each 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 build your fantasy teams for Draftstars' MLB contests and enhance your season-long fantasy line-ups on September 8 and beyond.
Featured MLB Games
Draftstars' MLB Monday slate consists of the following match-ups:
- Pittsburgh Pirates vs Milwaukee Brewers
- Colorado Rockies vs San Diego Padres
- Chicago Cubs vs Washington Nationals
- Arizona Diamondbacks vs Boston Red Sox
- Los Angeles Angels vs Oakland Athletics
- St. Louis Cardinals vs San Francisco Giants
- Miami Marlins vs Philadelphia Phillies
- Baltimore Orioles vs Los Angeles Dodgers
- Cincinnati Reds vs New York Mets
- Kansas City Royals vs Minnesota Twins
- Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros
- New York Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays
- Detroit Tigers vs Chicago White Sox
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, employs the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to come up with some of the best DFS projections in the world.
With the best 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 choices on Monday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Dylan Cease (SD, P) | $20,000 | 19.4 | 1 |
| Value | Brandon Sproat (NYM, P) | $5,000 | 13 | 2.6 |
| Fade | Colby Thomas (OAK, OF) | $8,740 | 2.3 | 0.3 |
| Cheapie | Tanner Gordon (COL, P) | $7,540 | 10.4 | 1.4 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks provide 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 highlight 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 | Salvador Perez (KC) | $8,350 | 6.9 | 0.8 |
| Value | Salvador Perez (KC) | $8,350 | 6.9 | 0.8 |
| Fade | Carson Kelly (CHC) | $9,940 | 3.6 | 0.4 |
| Cheapie | Alejandro Kirk (TOR) | $7,010 | 4.7 | 0.7 |
SS (Shortstop)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Trea Turner (PHI) | $12,010 | 8.6 | 0.7 |
| Value | Gunnar Henderson (BAL) | $7,520 | 8.3 | 1.1 |
| Fade | Colson Montgomery (CWS) | $10,550 | 5.5 | 0.5 |
| Cheapie | Ezequiel Duran (TEX) | $5,000 | 4.6 | 0.9 |
OF (Outfielder)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Shohei Ohtani (LAD) | $11,040 | 9.8 | 0.9 |
| Value | Lawrence Butler (OAK) | $5,000 | 6 | 1.2 |
| Fade | Colby Thomas (OAK) | $8,740 | 2.3 | 0.3 |
| Cheapie | Nicholas Castellanos (PHI) | $5,000 | 5.7 | 1.1 |
3B (Third Base)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Manuel Machado (SD) | $11,170 | 7.8 | 0.7 |
| Value | Maikel Garcia (KC) | $8,450 | 7.3 | 0.9 |
| Fade | Yoán Moncada (LAA) | $8,110 | 3.9 | 0.5 |
| Cheapie | Joshua Jung (TEX) | $6,850 | 5.5 | 0.8 |
2B (Second Base)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Ketel Marte (AZ) | $9,320 | 7.8 | 0.8 |
| Value | Nicholas Gonzales (PIT) | $6,500 | 5.6 | 0.9 |
| Fade | Yoán Moncada (LAA) | $8,110 | 3.9 | 0.5 |
| Cheapie | Lenyn Sosa (CWS) | $6,910 | 5.7 | 0.8 |
1B (First Base)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Vladimir Guerrero (TOR) | $9,930 | 8.3 | 0.8 |
| Value | Peter Alonso (NYM) | $8,830 | 7.9 | 0.9 |
| Fade | Ryan O'Hearn (SD) | $11,080 | 4.9 | 0.4 |
| Cheapie | Jared Triolo (PIT) | $6,090 | 5 | 0.8 |
P (Pitcher)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Dylan Cease (SD) | $20,000 | 19.4 | 1 |
| Value | Brandon Sproat (NYM) | $5,000 | 13 | 2.6 |
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 Brandon Sproat. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Dylan Cease is a strong option. If you're looking for budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, check out our cheapie options, including Tanner Gordon.
On the other hand, according to our model, Colby Thomas is one of the lowest value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if putting together 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 balance star power, value and budget management 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.
