Three of my four stacks for Monday are pretty expensive. That wasn’t my intention when I started doing my research, but that is just the way the slate shook out. Fortunately, most of the expensive pitchers in Monday’s slate have tougher matchups, so I have no problem paying up for a couple of stacks and taking a chance on a cheap pitcher or two. At the same time, there is one cheaper stack with a really nice matchup, so you can still play a stack or two even if you really want to play Jose Quintana or Jerad Eickhoff.As always, the stacks for Monday, August 14 are listed in order of preference.

 

Cleveland Indians @ Boston Red Sox (Doug Fister, R)

Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion, Carlos Santana, Bradley Zimmer, Austin Jackson, Jay Bruce

Whoever bats second probably needs to be in your Cleveland stack, whether that is Austin Jackson, Bradley Zimmer or somebody else. Zimmer and Jackson are likely to be the cheapest part of any Cleveland stack. I am rooting for Zimmer to bat second because Fister is allowing a .401 wOBA to left-handed batters this season, but Jackson is cheap enough to make up for the fact he bats from the right side. Fister has a 5.03 ERA and 4.71 FIP this season, and he has given up at least two earned runs in eight of his nine big league outings this season.

 

Atlanta Braves @ Colorado Rockies (Chad Bettis, R)

Freddie Freeman, Brandon Phillips, Tyler Flowers, Danny Santana, Ender Inciarte, Ozzie Albies, Nick Markakis, Matt Adams, Kurt Suzuki

I don’t remember the last time I played a Coors Field game stack, but I might consider it Monday. The Braves represent a better value than the Rockies, especially on DraftKings, which is why I like Atlanta better. Chad Bettis is a great story making his first big league start since undergoing chemotherapy to treat testicular cancer, but that isn’t going to help him get batters out. Bettis has a 4.82 ERA and 5.10 FIP at Triple-A this season, and he has not gotten through the sixth inning in any of his last three starts. Colorado’s bullpen has a 4.50 ERA, so even if Bettis limits the damage, Atlanta could still rack up runs in the later innings.

 

New York Mets @ New York Yankees (Luis Cessa, R)

Curtis Granderson, Travis d’Arnaud, Jose Reyes, Michael Conforto, Asdrubal Cabrera, Brandon Nimmo, Yoenis Cespedes, Wilmer Flores

The Mets’ lineup is in a state of flux after the trades of Neil Walker and Jay Bruce, so be sure to check the lineup before you settle on a stack. Curtis Granderson and Jose Reyes will likely bat first and second, respectively, but Asdrubal Cabrera, Brandon Nimmo and Michael Conforto have all occupied those spots within the last week. Out of those five, Conforto is the one player I like regardless of his spot in the lineup. Wilmer Flores is the hottest Met, going 7-for-17 with two home runs over his last four starts.

I want the guys at the top of the Mets’ lineup regardless of who actually holds those spots because they should have a great matchup against Luis Cessa.  Cessa has a 6.23 ERA as a starter this season, and he hasn’t exactly torn it up at Triple-A, with a 3.45 ERA and 3.86 FIP in 78.1 innings for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Only the Astros have a higher wOBA on the road than the Mets this season, and the guys at the top of the order.

 

Colorado Rockies vs. Atlanta Braves (Julio Teheran, R)

Charlie Blackmon, Gerardo Parra, Pat Valaika, DJ LeMahieu, Mark Reynolds, Carlos Gonzalez, Jonathan Lucroy, Ryan McMahon

I am interested to see how what Colorado’s lineup looks like without Nolan Arenado who has a left hand contusion after he was hit with a fastball Sunday. Pat Valaika went 3-for-4 Sunday and is 5-for-8 with a home run in his last two starts, but Ryan McMahon started 24 games at third base in the minors this season, so he is a candidate as well. The best result for DFS players would be for both players to start, but that seems unlikely unless DJ LeMahieu gets a day off following his fifth consecutive start.

Julio Teheran has struggled all season to the tune of a 5.25 ERA, 5.67 FIP and 1.41 WHIP. The Rockies have a .864 OPS at home this season, and it has to be encouraging to see Carlos Gonzalez starting to come around. Gonzalez is 6-for-17 during his current four-game hitting streak.