This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
There aren't a lack of options for Tuesday night's 15-game schedule. Even better is that you can attack the slate anyway you want with a few high-priced aces, but also some surprisingly cheap, viable arms.
PITCHING
It makes sense to spend on Justin Verlander ($12,000) given his recent form. Even though he's allowing home runs, he has at least 10 strikeouts in his last seven starts and Tampa's batters have a combined .279 OBP against him through their careers. The other move is to hope Lucas Giolito ($11,500) can repeat what he did against the Twins last start, racking up 51.5 fantasy points. Patrick Corbin ($11,200) doesn't have the same upside as those guys and probably isn't worth the money even as the biggest favorite on the slate.
Instead, I'd rather look at the level below with guys like Walker Buehler ($11,000), Luis Castillo ($10,000) and Andrew Heaney ($9,800). Unlike Corbin, Buehler is worth the money because he already struck out 15 Padres a month ago and they've been one of the worst against righties this month with a 29.0 K% and .284 wOBA. Castillo has been a little unpredictable, though it's usually beneficial to go against the Marlins, who have a .305 wOBA against righty arms in August. The only reason Heaney is intriguing is because he struck out 14 Rangers last start. Otherwise, he's rarely hit more than 20 fantasy points.
Digging deeper, there are a few options you could combine and hope they both reach 20 points. Adam Plutko ($6,500) was surprisingly shelled by the Tigers last meeting, but is still a reasonable bet to have success. Detroit is hitting somewhat better with new players, though still has a 27.2 K% against righty hurlers in August. Adrian Houser ($5,000) will likely be chalk having hit 18 fantasy points in each of his last three starts, the most recent one against the Cardinals, who have a subpar .321 wOBA against righties this month. You could save more money on Drew Smyly ($4,600) because the Pirates have been brutal against southpaws in the last month with a .289 OBP. Smyly had 23.9 points when they met a little over a month ago. Even Mike Montgomery ($4,000) isn't a terrible choice as he has 16 at least fantasy points in three of his last four outings. The A's also have ugly numbers against lefties away from home with a .291 wOBA since the beginning of July.
KEY VALUES/CHALK
The are a lot of top teams in great situations, but none of them compare to two questionable pitchers at Coors Field. Rick Porcello already has bad numbers on the road with a .381 wOBA allowed while Rico Garcia is set to make his major league debut for the Rockies. Garcia may be a top prospect, but his numbers have been bad in 12 Triple-A starts, highlighted by a 6.23 xFIP. If you don't want to spend on Boston's top guys, Andrew Benintendi ($4,800) is viable if he plays while Brock Holt ($4,000) and Jackie Bradley Jr. ($4,200) provide a touch more value. At home, Ryan McMahon has a .456 OBP and .431 ISO in his last 57 plate appearances against righty arms. Ian Desmond ($4,300) hasn't been as good, but his price is still worth capitalizing on.
There's a game at Coors, yet that won't stop people from stacking the Yankees against Yusei Kikuchi. The southpaw went the distance last start, but it's hard to ignore his numbers, allowing a .342 OBP to righty bats with power allowed to both sides of the plate. Anyone is in play led by DJ LeMahieu ($4,800), who has a .550 OBP in his last 40 PA against lefties, and Mike Tauchman ($4,100), who is at .500 in his last 38. There aren't a ton of value routes with this roster, but Brett Gardner ($4,000) is worth a lefty-lefty play and Gio Urshela ($4,200) is somewhat cheap. The Indians will also be popular against Spencer Turnbull, especially lefties with his .372 OBP allowed. That means you can either spend on Francisco Lindor ($4,900) and Carlos Santana ($4,800) or roll with any of the cheaper options who may start like Jason Kipnis ($3,700) and Greg Allen ($3,500).
If you want to bank on prior success this season, Mike Minor has allowed nine runs while walking six in his last two starts against the Angels. Minor's had a solid season, but those struggles are relevant. Mike Trout ($5,200) is always an option, though David Fletcher ($3,600) has a better .500 OBP in 20 career plate appearances against Minor. Justin Upton ($3,500) is also worth a look simply because of price.
Mike Montgomery has better numbers at home, but he's had some bad outings and gave up three homers last start. That said, I'm more intrigued by Oakland's value options like Jurickson Profar ($3,700) and Josh Phegley ($3,500). It's a similar case for the Giants against Mike Leake because he's been terrible, allowing 17 runs in his last three starts, including three homers in this matchup a couple weeks ago. Lefties are safer, but he's giving up more power to righties.
STACKS
Nationals vs. Aaron Brooks (Orioles)
(OF Adam Eaton - $5,000), (OF Juan Soto - $5,400), (3B Asdrubal Cabrera - $4,200)
Brooks doesn't have many good numbers and is allowing more than two homers per nine innings to both sides of the plate to go with a .363 OBP allowed to lefty bats. Unfortunately, that's where the Nationals have a strength and they lead the league with a .381 wOBA against righties in August. Eaton and Soto both have OBPs above. 400 against righties in the last month while Cabrera has a .375 OBP in his last 40 PA.
Brewers vs. Miles Mikolas (Cardinals)
(OF Christian Yelich - $5,800), (C Yasmani Grandal - $4,300), (1B Eric Thames - $4,700)
Mikolas has been in a funk, allowing five runs in each of his last three starts, and I think that's worth betting against. It also helps that he gave up five runs to the Brewers last meeting and has allowed a .369 wOBA to lefty bats this year. Yelich and Grandal have similar numbers against righty arms in the last month with close to .400 OBPs and ISOs above .300. Thames isn't as consistent, but he still has a cool .316 ISO in his last 86 PA against righties.
Tigers vs. Adam Plutko (Indians)
(OF Travis Demeritte - $3,800), (2B/SS Ronny Rodriguez - $3,900), (SS Jordy Mercer - $3,000)
If you want a GPP stack, here you go. Plutko has good overall numbers against the Tigers, but most of those came before this year. He's struggled in two 2018 starts, allowing 12 hits and five home runs in 11.1 innings. Demeritte has been the biggest spark for Detroit with a .357 OBP in 70 PA against righties. Mercer has been on a nice run with two hits in three of the last four games and he also homered against Plutko earlier this year. The Tigers don't have a ton of lefty bats, but I'd still consider Victor Reyes ($3,800) and Harold Castro ($3,500) if you need to fill other positions.
