Every team is in action on Tuesday night, but this article will focus on the nine-game featured MLB DFS slate on DraftKings, which kicks off at 7:10 p.m. ET.
It will also focus on saving you some salary. You’re welcome.
Here are my best value plays for this evening’s action on the diamond:
- Astros SP Cristian Javier ($7,500) vs. Angels
- Red Sox OF Jarren Duran ($3,800) vs. Diamondbacks
- Rockies OF Jordan Beck ($3,100) vs. Dodgers
Set your DraftKings MLB DFS lineups here: MLB $175K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
SP Cristian Javier, Houston Astros vs. Los Angeles Angels, $7,500
This is a massive exercise in low-floor and high-ceiling fantasy archetypes.
Javier has not been very good this season. First and foremost, he’s barely been available, pitching only 32.1 innings, but even when he’s been healthy, the right-hander has posted a 6.68 ERA and a 5.92 xERA. He’s also in possession of a career-low 16.8% strikeout rate. So… Why in the world would you put him in a DFS lineup?
Well, that’s how bad the Angels are at the moment. Since the beginning of August, Los Angeles is slashing .210/.273/.296 as a team with league-worst marks in ISO (.085) and wRC+ (59). Ironically, Javier has one great start in 2026, and it came against the Angels on July 27. He threw five scoreless frames with seven strikeouts and 27.4 FPTS. Who am I to say history won’t repeat itself on Tuesday?
OF Jarren Duran, Boston Red Sox vs. Arizona Diamondbacks, $3,800
There are a couple ways you can go with exposure to the Red Sox this evening.
Merrill Kelly ($7,300) is taking the mound for Arizona, and the veteran RHP enters the day with first percentile marks in xERA (7.15) and opponent expected batting average (.302), while additionally owning a second percentile opponent barrel rate (12.7%). He’s been hit super duper hard in 2026, especially by opposing LHBs.
With that in mind, you could take a safer value on Boston’s roster: Nick Sogard ($3,000). The utility man is not only cheaper than Duran, but he’s probably going to hit leadoff this evening. That said, Duran obviously has more upside. Even in a campaign where Duran owns the lowest qualified wRC+ in the American League (64), the outfielder is on pace for a 20/20 season. He’s just got so many raw skills. He’s also maybe starting to come out of this prolonged slump. Duran has a hit in six of his last seven games and, in August, he’s registering a .218 ISO and a 101 wRC+. It’s something.
OF Jordan Beck, Colorado Rockies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, $3,100
Do not look at Beck’s numbers against right-handed pitching this season. They might burn your eyes. The whole reason the former 38th-overall pick is still in the majors is his success against LHPs. In 51 plate appearances within the split in 2026, Beck is slashing .319/.353/.511 with a .368 wOBA. It’s why he hit second for the Rockies in Monday’s matchup with Blake Snell. That’s a premium lineup spot in a vacuum, but certainly even more so at Coors Field.
The even better news? Tonight’s lefty isn’t a former Cy Young Award winner — it’s Eric Lauer ($6,000). The southpaw has managed to combine a fifth percentile strikeout rate (15.1%) with a ninth percentile opponent barrel rate (10.7%) this season. It’s no wonder that he’s also given up 2.01 home runs per nine.
