Tuesday night is another jam-packed night of fantasy baseball goodness, featuring an incredible 12-game slate for the main contests on DraftKings, which begin at 7:10 p.m. ET. There are several regional matchups on Monday’s slate including the Guardians and Reds meeting in the Buckeye Series and the Phillies rolling into Fenway. There are also two divisional games in the mix and a great matchup between the defending World Champions and the Dodgers in Los Angeles in the final game of the night.
With 24 teams in the player pool, there are so many matchups to break down and analyze. However you build your roster, you’ll need to make every scrap of space under your salary cap count. If you have to go with cheaper plays in a spot or two to afford the stars you want to build around, consider playing the bargain values highlighted below. The three players highlighted save serious salary space while still bringing high ceilings.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $250K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
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Several affordable pitchers on this slate have had some level of recent success, but Megill stands out from that group as the one with the most strikeout upside and the most favorable matchup. Megill has been limited to four starts this season after missing over six weeks with a right shoulder strain. In his 21 innings, he has a 3.00 ERA, 2.91 FIP and 24 strikeouts. He had a dominant outing in his most recent home start, shutting out the mighty Dodgers for seven three-hit innings and setting season highs with nine strikeouts and 31.4 DKFP. He had 23 strikeouts in 14 innings on his rehab outings after 23 strikeouts in 20 2⁄3 innings in Spring Training. With a strikeout rate of 10.29 K/9 so far this season, Megill brings a high ceiling to this home start against Miami. The Marlins have scored the second-fewest runs in the MLB this season and have hit the second-fewest home runs with the lowest ISO and second-lowest wOBA. The Marlins come into this series in Queens after dropping six of their last seven games, scoring three runs or fewer in six of those contests.
The Mariners are expected to give Locklear a long look at 1B while Ty France (heel) is on IL with a hairline fracture in his right heel after being hit by a pitch Friday in Kansas City. Locklear was rated the No. 8 prospect in Seattle’s system coming into the season and climbed from Double-A to Triple-A with a hot start to the season. In Double-A, the 23-year-old had eight homers, a .291 batting average and a .423 wOBA in 41 games, and in Triple-A, he hit .300 with one home run and a .404 wOBA in 10 games. Locklear picked up his first MLB hit on Sunday and has gone 2-for-7 (.286) with two hard-hit events, per Statcast. The big righty has elite raw power and could force his way into a permanent spot on the roster with a strong run while France is out. Locklear will face fellow prospect Drew Thorpe ($7,700) on Tuesday against the White Sox, and he brings a lot of upside for a player with a minimum salary in what should be a favorable home matchup.
Stefanic led off for the Halos on Sunday in his first start of the season, and he’s still available at the minimum salary as the Angels head to Chase Field to take on lefty Jordan Montgomery ($8,000). Stefanic played 25 games for the Angels last year, hitting .290 with a .332 wOBA but no home runs or stolen bases. In February, he seriously strained his quad and was on the 60-day IL to open the season. He was activated and sent to Triple-A in late May, and in 15 games for the Salt Lake Bees, Stefanic hit .352 with one stolen base and a .410 wOBA. Stefanic should continue to be in the mix at 2B until Brandon Drury (hamstring) is ready to return and could use his strong on-base and contact skills to be the answer to the Angels’ need for a leadoff hitter. He doesn’t have blazing speed or elite power, but he is a solid and consistent enough producer to be worth a look if he leads off at the minimum salary on Tuesday night. He doesn’t have the power upside of Locklear but is a little safer option if he’s leading off and Locklear continues batting around seventh.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $250K Bat Flip [$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.