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Even with just five games on the MLB schedule for Monday, daily baseball Fantasy players should still be able to find plenty of offense. Four of the five matchups have an over-under of nine runs or higher at Caesars Sportsbook, with Yankees vs. Royals going off with a total of 10 runs. Making the right MLB DFS picks on Monday could lead to some big returns with FanDuel running a $150K Monday MLB Squeeze contest and DraftKings hosting a $300K Relay Throw, among many other daily Fantasy baseball options.

Who are the best values for MLB DFS lineups? And what daily Fantasy baseball strategy can help you separate from the thousands of other entrants? Before locking in any MLB DFS picks for Monday, be sure to check out the MLB DFS advice, strategy and projections from SportsLine Fantasy expert Scott Engel. 

Engel is an inaugural member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association's Hall of Fame and is a prime source to consult for MLB DFS success. Engel has been a premier analyst and Fantasy personality for 25 years. He is a four-time FSWA Award Winner and 10-time nominee, including winning an FSWA award for Best Fantasy Baseball Series.

On Sunday, Engel included Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler as one of his top MLB picks. The result: Wheeler was masterful in a two-hit complete game shutout where he struck out 11. That performance returned a whopping 70 points on FanDuel and almost 50 on DraftKings. Anybody who followed that pick was well on their way to a profitable day.

Now, with the 2021 MLB season rolling on, Engel has locked in his top MLB daily Fantasy picks for Monday. Head to SportsLine now to see them. 

Top MLB DFS picks for August 9, 2021 

One of Engel's top MLB DFS picks for Monday is White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson at $6,100 on DraftKings and $3,400 on FanDuel. Anderson absolutely smoked the ball on Sunday, going 3 for 5 against the Cubs with a home run and a pair of runs scored. That performance returned well over 3x value and more than 30 points on FanDuel. 

Now Anderson, who is hitting .296 with 11 home runs and 42 RBIs this season, gets a great matchup against the Twins on Monday as Minnesota plans to throw a bullpen game that will feature Beau Burrows (11.00 ERA) as the opener. The over-under at Caesars Sportsbook is 9.5, so there should be enough offense for Anderson to return more value for MLB DFS players. 

Part of Engel's optimal MLB DFS strategy includes rostering Padres infielder Jake Cronenworth at $4,000 on DraftKings and $3,700 on FanDuel. The 27-year old is filling in for Fernando Tatis Jr. (shoulder) at shortstop and is doing it so well that San Diego is considering playing Tatis in the outfield when he returns from the injured list. Cronenworth is hitting .275 on the season with 16 home runs and 53 RBIs.

He's been a great asset in daily Fantasy as well, returning 5x or higher value on FanDuel in six of his last 10 games. That includes his Sunday performance, where he went 2 for 4 with a home run and a pair of RBIs, returning around 7x value. He's slugging .542 in August and, for the season, he's hitting .304 with 11 of his 16 home runs coming at Petco Park, which is where Monday's game will be held.

How to set your MLB DFS lineups for August 9, 2021 

Engel is also targeting an undervalued player who is set to explode for huge numbers on Monday. The stars are aligning for him to return tournament-winning value and he comes at a price that won't break the bank. You can only see who it is here.

So what are the top MLB DFS picks for Monday? Visit SportsLine now to see Fantasy Hall of Famer Scott Engel's complete player pool and picks for FanDuel and DraftKings, and cash in big on MLB DFS.