Tuesday night offers a nine-game featured fantasy baseball slate on DraftKings as the race for the postseason continues to heat up with less than two months left in the season. The action on Tuesday includes a showdown in Minnesota between the Royals and Twins. Those teams begin the day in the second and third AL Wild Card spots just ahead of the Red Sox and Mariners. In the NL Wild Card race, the Braves hold a one-game lead over the Mets for the third and final Wild Card spot, but the big head-to-head matchup features a pair of division leaders as the Brewers host the Dodgers.
Whether you’re attacking those matchups of potentially playoff-bound teams or staying to lower-profile matchups, there are plenty of players to consider in the 18-team player pool on Tuesday. As you assemble your squad, you may start running out of salary cap space, but don’t worry! Check out these bargain options that bring a high ceiling despite a very affordable salary.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Knuckleball [$50K to 1st]
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SP Paul Blackburn, New York Mets vs. Oakland Athletics, $7,500
Blackburn was traded from the Athletics to the Mets just two weeks ago, and on Tuesday night, he’ll face his former team at his new home of Citi Field. Blackburn has allowed one earned run in six innings with six strikeouts in each of his first two starts for the Mets, earning 22.1 fantasy points against the Angels and 19.3 fantasy points against the Rockies. He has a solid 7.1 K/9 rate on the season but showed more punch-out potential with a 9.0 K/9 last season.
Each of his two starts for the Mets was on the road, so he’ll make his home debut this Tuesday facing his former team. Blackburn only made nine starts this season for Oakland before the trade, going 4-2 with a 4.41 ERA and 4.61 FIP. The A’s are much improved this year and already matched last year’s win total, but they have cooled off and scored three runs or fewer in seven of their last 10 games after a team-wide hot streak coming out of the All-Star break. They should be a solid matchup for Blackburn, who brings a good ceiling at this salary.
SS Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Colorado Rockies, $2,800
The Diamondbacks’ lineup has been hit hard by injuries in the last several games, which could mean that Perdomo moves into the leadoff spot on Tuesday against Austin Gomber ($6,500) and the visiting Rockies. Perdomo would be an outstanding value from that premium spot, but he’s been heating up enough lately, that he’s a good play under $3,000 wherever he bats in the order. Perdomo could be a solution for the Snakes in the leadoff spot while Ketel Marte (ankle) recovers from an ankle injury he tweaked on Monday. In his last 14 games, Perdomo has gone 19-for-48 (.396) with five doubles, a home run, three stolen bases and a .429 wOBA that has helped him average a robust 9.8 fantasy points per game over that stretch.
Perdomo is in the middle of his third full season with Arizona but is still only 24 years old. He is on pace for his best batting average by a wide margin and is up to .284 on the season with a .314 wOBA. He only has four stolen bases on the season, but he has been getting more aggressive on the basepaths lately, which also boosts his ceiling. The switch-hitter is batting .317 against lefties this season, and he’ll be in a good matchup against Gomber, who has allowed 23 runs on 30 hits in 24 1/3 innings over his last five outings.
OF Jordan Beck, Colorado Rockies at Arizona Diamondbacks, $2,000
With Kris Bryant (back) headed to the IL for the third time this season on Monday, the Rockies called up Beck, who has been sidelined by a broken hand suffered in May. He is the No. 3 prospect in the Rockies system, per MLB Pipeline, and the No. 53 prospect in all of baseball. Prior to the injury, Beck was playing in the MLB but had hit just .190 with two home runs and two stolen bases in 23 games. Before being called up, he had five homers and five stolen bases while hitting .307 with a .425 wOBA in the minors.
While working his way back from his hand injury, the big 23-year-old looked excellent for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes, hitting .339 over 14 games with three homers, a stolen base and a .390 wOBA. He had multiple hits in six of his last eight games before being called up. While he didn’t get into Tuesday’s 5-4 loss to Arizona, he’ll likely get plenty of playing time over the next few weeks as the Rockies evaluate his MLB readiness. He has great raw power and also brings good speed potential, making him an awesome play at the minimum if he’s in the lineup on Tuesday against lefty Eduardo Rodriguez ($8,700) and the Dbacks.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Knuckleball [$50K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
