On Tuesday, MLB has a dozen games scheduled under the lights for the main DFS slate, which begins at 7:05 p.m. ET. Five of the 12 matchups are divisional games, and four are interleague matchups, so there’s a nice blend of familiar foes and a few more unusual matchups. As you make out your lineup card, you may need to include a few value plays to stretch your salary cap space. In this post, I’ll highlight my top three bargain plays for Tuesday.
As always, be sure to double-check weather conditions and lineups before the first pitch. The forecast for Cincinnati, Atlanta, New York, Tampa and Chicago calls for some chance of rain during the game, so seek out the latest to be sure to avoid losing any players in a washout. When playing values, it’s also especially important to check starting lineups to ensure your players are getting the start and hitting in good spots in the batting order.
Check out the full range of MLB coverage from the team at DKNetwork, since these bargains are just one piece of the MLB DFS picture to consider.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $222K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
SP Zack Littell, Tampa Bay Rays vs. Baltimore Orioles, $7,300
The Rays and Orioles continue their AL East throwdown this Tuesday night in Tampa, and Littell is a strong bargain play to consider as long as the rain doesn’t cause any issues. Littell has great home splits for the second straight season since joining the Rays, even though his team’s home park has shifted from Tropicana Field to George M. Steinbrenner Field. Littell has been solid overall with a 6-6 record in 14 starts with a 3.84 ERA, 5.40 FIP and 1.11 WHIP. His strikeout rate is a little down from last year, but he has recorded more punchouts in his recent starts than earlier in the season.
At home, Littell sports a 3.43 ERA, 3.37 FIP and 8.01 K/9. He has worked 6+ innings in five of his seven home starts this year and posted over 14 fantasy points in all but one of those seven outings. In his most recent home start, he held the Marlins to just one run in six innings to earn 19.9 fantasy points. Overall, he has 19+ fantasy points in three of his last five games with at least four strikeouts in each of his last five games.
On Tuesday, he’ll take on the Orioles, who only managed one run in Monday’s loss in Tampa and have struggled to produce offense on the road. The O’s have hit just .230 on the road this season with a .292 wOBA and 86 wRC+ in the split. All three of those numbers rank in the lower-third of the majors. Littell’s strong home numbers and the O’s road woes combine to make the 29-year-old righty one of the most reliable bargain arms of the night.
1B/3B Abraham Toro, Boston Red Sox at Seattle Mariners, $3,300
In the Red Sox’ first game without Rafael Devers in the lineup after Sunday’s shocking blockbuster trade, Toro hit second in the batting order for Boston and continued to fill in at 1B. Toro went 1-for-3 with a walk, a critical RBI and seven fantasy points in the team’s 2-0 win against his former team, the Mariners. Toro has been a great fill-in for the Red Sox since Triston Casas (knee) suffered his season-ending injury.
On the season, he’s hitting .317, but over his last 15 games, he has seven multi-hit performances and has gone 21-for-57 (.368) with five doubles, two home runs and a 36.2% hard-hit rate. He is more of a contact hitter than a power option, but if he stays in the second spot in the order, he should get good run-proucing opportunities. At under $3,500, Toro brings both a good floor and a solid ceiling, while slotting into either corner infield spot, depending on how the rest of your lineup takes shape.
OF Will Robertson, Toronto Blue Jays vs. Arizona Diamondbacks, $2,200
Robertson made his MLB debut on Sunday, going 1-for-4 with an RBI and five fantasy points against the Phillies. The 27-year-old lefty has worked his way through the Blue Jays’ minor-league system over the last six years, and he was putting together a good season in Triple-A for the Buffalo Bison prior to his promotion. In 52 games, he hit .288 with 12 homers, a .429 wOBA and a 53.6% hard-hit rate.
In his MLB debut, Robertson did strike out twice, but both of his batted ball events were hard hits, according to Statcast. He should continue to help fill in the outfield since the Blue Jays are without Anthony Santander (shoulder), Daulton Varsho (hamstring) and Nathan Lukes (concussion) as they open their series against Arizona and Brandon Pfaadt ($6,800). Pfaadt has allowed lefties to hit .297 off him this season with a .374 wOBA. In the hitter-friendly Rogers Centre, Robertson is a strong bargain to consider in the outfield since he brings a little pop and comes at barely more than the minimum salary.
