Daily Fantasy Baseball 2015: Top DraftKings Bargains, Strategy for July 21

All 30 MLB teams are in action on Tuesday night, giving DraftKings daily fantasy players plenty of options to choose from.  With no dominant aces taking the mound, it's a great day to find bargains on pitching.

After anchoring your lineup with a stud like Mike Trout ($5,800), Bryce Harper ($5,600) or Paul Goldschmidt ($5,300), there are also many other quality bats to be had at much more affordable prices.

Here are five low-cost players for July 21 with the potential to score big.

Chris Heston, P ($8,200), at San Diego Padres

For the season, Chris Heston owns a 3.39 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP, both of which are solid yet unspectacular.  But the 27-year-old's stats are trending in the right direction of late.  Over his past seven starts, Heston is 4-1 with a 2.12 ERA and a .215 batting average against.  He also held his opponents to three or fewer runs on each occasion.

In his two most recent outings combined, Heston allowed just one earned run in 14 total innings.  The righty last faced the Padres four weeks ago, picking up a win while yielding two runs and striking out six over seven innings.

Heston has not surrendered a home run since May 23, a span of 10 starts.

Joe Ross, P ($5,000) vs. New York Mets

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

The Washington Nationals called up Joe Ross from Triple-A to pitch Tuesday's contest against the Mets.  Ross has just three big league starts under his belt, with all of them coming last month.

It's a very small sample size, but the rookie is averaging 18.8 fantasy points per game and has been effective in each of his three outings:

Date	Opp.	W-L	IP	H	ER	BB	K
6/6	CHC	L	5	6	3	0	4
6/13	@MIL	W	8	7	2	1	8
6/19	PIT	W	7.1	6	1	1	12

Ross has the good fortune of facing a New York lineup with a .234 batting average and only 319 runs scored on the season, both of which rank last in the National League.  If he can come even close to matching the 29.2 or 36.3 fantasy points he posted in his previous two appearances, Ross will be a steal at $5,000.

Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers ($3,900)

John Bazemore/Associated Press

There are 16 first baseman with higher price tags than Adrian Gonzalez, but the Dodgers' slugger is as hot as any of them.  Since the All-Star break, Gonzalez is 9-for-16 with three home runs, five RBI and five runs scored in four games.

As Jon Weisman of Dodgers.com notes, Gonzalez has been on a home run binge for the entire month of July:

Putting aside the tear he's currently on, at less than $4,000, Gonzalez is a bargain regardless.  He's averaging 8.6 fantasy points per game, a higher output than nine of the 16 first baseman who cost more than him. 

Ruben Tejada, SS/3B, New York Mets ($2,900)

Jeff Roberson/Associated Press

Like Gonzalez, Ruben Tejada came out of the All-Star break on fire, going 8-for-18 in four games.  MLB.com's Michael Baron notes Tejada's extended run of success:

On July 2, Tejada's season average stood at .224.  Following an on-base streak of 13 consecutive games, the 25-year-old is now batting .255.  Tejada also has a hit in eight straight contests.  He has only 17 RBI all year, but four of those have come in his last six games.

Shortstop can be a good position to save money at, and Tejada could provide solid value at a discount salary. 

Michael Bourn, OF, Cleveland Indians ($2,700)

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

If you're over budget and are having trouble cutting your payroll down to the required $50,000, swapping out an outfielder for Michael Bourn will likely do the trick.

On the surface, it looks like a terrible move—the once-speedy veteran is hitting only .229 with seven stolen bases in 2015.  However, Bourn has had great success over the course of his career against Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Matt Garza:

AB	H	BB	SB	RBI	AVG	OBP
19	10	1	2	2	.526	.550

Don't expect the 32-year-old to put up big numbers, but he is extremely cheap and may hold his own with many pricier outfielders.

All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Statistics via MLB.com unless otherwise noted. Mark Vandeusen is an MLB Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @LucidSportsFan.

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