After a long weekend full of great fantasy baseball action leading up to an outstanding holiday with wall-to-wall baseball, Major League Baseball is back on the diamonds this Tuesday night with a massive 11-game slate on tap. The DraftKings main MLB DFS slate gets underway at 7:05 p.m. ET, and with 22 teams of options, there is no shortage of star power to consider. Since many of the star options come with hefty price tags, you may need some salary-savers to round out your roster. If you’re looking for cheap plays with upside, check out these three MLB DFS Bargain Plays for Tuesday night.
As always for MLB DFS, be sure to double-check weather conditions and lineups before game time. For the most part, the main slate looks fairly clear, with some rain potentially creeping in at Tampa and Kansas City. It will also be chilly and windy in Chicago, which sets up well for pitching but poorly for hitting at Wrigley Field.
As you make out your lineup card for this Monday afternoon, be sure to check out the full range of MLB coverage from the team at DKNetwork, since these bargain values are just one piece of the MLB DFS picture to consider.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
SP Taj Bradley, Tampa Bay Rays vs. Minnesota Twins, $7,000
Last night, Zack Littell was a great value play on the night slate, and I’m going back to the well for this matchup as Bradley takes on the Twins in Tampa. Bradley has been up and down this season, but he is coming off a strong outing against the Astros, in which he matched his season high with seven strikeouts on his way to 23.3 fantasy points.
Bradley has been beaten up in his last two road starts in New York and Miami, but he has earned over 23 fantasy points in three of his starts this season, all of which have come at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. He has elite strikeout stuff, which gives him a high ceiling when he’s on his game, but his 4.61 ERA shows that he hasn’t been able to consistently deliver this season.
He is in a good matchup against the Twins, though, who Littell and the Rays held to just two runs on Monday. Over the last week, Minnesota has scored an MLB-low 12 runs in their five games while hitting .168 as a team with a 23.1% K%. That’s a very small sample size, but it shows their lack of current form, and if Bradley can build on his strong finish to his last start, he should be able to keep them quiet on Tuesday.
Especially among the options on Tuesday’s slate under $8,000, Bradley stands out due to his very high ceiling. He is risky, but the matchup should be favorable enough for him to deliver a good performance as a SP2 in your roster builds.
1B Nick Kurtz, Athletics at Houston Astros, $2,900
Kurtz is a top slugging prospect who was just finding his rhythm in the majors when he left Saturday’s game with a hip flexor injury. He sat out Sunday’s game but could be back in the lineup Tuesday after the team’s scheduled off-day on Monday.
Kurtz went 2-for-3 with two walks before leaving that game on Saturday, and went 7-for-17 (.412) with four home runs and five walks in his last five games. He averaged 17.4 fantasy points per game over that five-game span and seems to have made the needed adjustments after jumping to the majors after less than a year in the minors.
He was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft and hit .321 with seven homers and a .434 wOBA in Triple-A this season before his promotion. Getting such huge potential under $3,000 won’t last long if he keeps mashing, so take advantage of his affordable salary while you can if he returns to the lineup on Tuesday.
OF Alejandro Osuna, Texas Rangers vs. Toronto Blue Jays, $2,500
I highlighted Osuna in yesterday’s values, and he delivered his first two MLB hits while going 2-for-3 against Kevin Gausman and the Blue Jays, who dominated the rest of the Rangers’ lineup. Osuna made his MLB debut on Sunday and should bet plenty of playing time with Joc Pederson (hand) and Evan Carter (quadriceps) on the injured list.
Osuna is a 22-year-old prospect who brings a lot of upside after being ranked as the No. 7 in the Rangers’ system by MLB Pipeline. He posted a .292 batting average with 18 homers and 17 stolen bases in 102 games last year across three levels of the minors, and started this year in Double-A, where he hit .283 with seven stolen bases, two homers and, a .357 wOBA. He only played eight games since his promotion to Triple-A but went 7-for-27 (.259) with nine walks, five doubles, and two stolen bases with the Round Rock Express.
Osuna has good stolen base potential if he continues to get regular starting time with the Rangers, and some sneaky power potential as well. The Texas lineup should have more success as a whole on Tuesday against Bowden Francis ($5,700), so Osuna could be in for an even bigger day as he continues to fill in an outfield spot at this bargain salary.
