There are 11 games on the slate tonight with some high-powered offenses eligible for selection. Some of the standout matchups on this slate are the Dodgers-Rangers, the Astros in Oakland, and the Diamondbacks-Reds. Also worth mentioning is the Atlanta Braves, who are in an offense-friendly ballpark. Shohei Ohtani gets the start for the Angels and we’ll see if he leaves this one early as he has his previous few starts. Elsewhere, the Yankees welcome the Royals in what should be an easier matchup for them, but at this point something has got to happen in the Bronx. They just announced that Jose Trevino will be out for the season, so maybe Salvador Perez can make himself comfortable at Yankee Stadium with the trade deadline looming.

This is for the 7/21 4:05 PM PST classic slate on Draftkings.

Writer’s Record

38-21-1

Los Angeles Dodgers ML (+105) @ Texas Rangers 

Any time you can get the Dodgers at plus money, it’s always an attractive play. Andrew Heaney gets the start for the Rangers and he has been inconsistent. The Dodgers just have a ton of firepower and should be in this game until the end. They are too good to count out and should be able to put some runs up against their former teammate. Heaney has a 4.75 ERA at home this season.

DFS Pillar Plays

Framber Valdez

Position: P

Salary: $10,800

It’s one of the best pitchers in the league against the worst team in the league. Valdez has faced Oakland twice this year and has only given up one run in both games combined. Their first matchup, Framber went the whole nine innings and gave up only four hits and no runs. That’s the kind of upside that he offers in this matchup, so he will be a surefire play for DFS players tonight. 

J.D. Martinez

Position: OF

Salary: $5,200 

J.D. has potential at his price point to produce some big points. Andrew Heaney gets the start for Texas and has given up 17 home runs this year, all against right-handed batters. Martinez has actually been more effective on the road, with an OPS of .931 compared to .784 at Dodger Stadium. This should be a high scoring affair between these two offenses. 

Luis Robert Jr.

Position: OF

Salary: $5,900

Since the All-Star break, Luis Robert has registered a hit in all but one game. Joe Ryan gets the start for Minnesota, and he has fallen off a bit since his decent start to the season. In his last four starts, Ryan has given up nine homers. Robert is a right-handed bat and Ryan’s struggles have mostly come against right-handed batters. 14 of Joe Ryan’s 17 home runs given up this year came from righties.

DFS Value Plays (<$3000 Salary)

Travis Jankowski

Position: OF

Salary: $2,900

Since June, Tony Gonsolin has not been able to produce two quality starts in a row for the Dodgers. His ERA in June was 5.82 and in July, it’s sitting at 5.28. The Rangers should be able to produce a good amount of runs and Jankowski is a cheap option to fit into your lineup. He is a stolen base threat and has been in the lineup six games in a row, a good sign for the journeyman.

Will Benson

Position: OF

Salary: $2,800

Will Benson continues his strong play. In the Reds’ series against the Giants, Benson hit two home runs, two doubles and racked up six RBIs. He’s still in the lineup, against a lefty tonight in Tommy Henry for the Diamondbacks. This game has a really good chance to be high-scoring. The bottom half of the Reds’ lineup has been outproducing the top half of late and that’s partially due to Will Benson.

Josh Bell

Position: 1B

Salary: $3,000

The Guardians remain firmly in the race for top spot in the AL Central. Josh Bell had a nice series against the Pirates with two homers in the last two games and five total hits. Ranger Suarez starts for Philadelphia tonight and despite his stellar June, where he had a 1.08 ERA and gave up only four runs in the entire month, this month has been a different story. He has allowed 11 earned runs in only three July starts. Bell is a switch-hitting power threat and with rookie Gavin Williams on the mound for Cleveland, they may need to put some runs on the board to stay in that pennant race.