With production being highly variable on a night-to-night basis, daily fantasy baseball plays a bit differently than other sports.

An 0-for-4 dud from a chalky high-priced slugger is a lot more common than a total dud from a top-priced NBA player or even than a stinker from a top quarterback or running back.

That means that it's not uncommon for value plays to end up doing the heavy lifting in carrying your lineup. The fact that they can be the difference between a good and a great lineup isn't much different than other sports, but value plays being able to make up for a whiff on a high-priced play completely is somewhat unique.

Let's get right into it and take a look at the top value options on today's slate.

Josh VanMeter, OF, Cincinnati Reds ($3,000)

Hitting leadoff tonight with a great matchup, Josh VanMeter is one of the clear values of the evening.

VanMeter has continued to hit well against right-handed pitching, posting a .295/.376/.482 slash line, with all five of his home runs coming against righties.

Tonight, VanMeter faces off against Miami Marlins starter Robert Dugger. Dugger struggled mightily in his first start of his MLB career, allowing six runs in five innings. His stuff, for the most part, is fairly middling, which is what led to a 5.15 ERA in 124 innings in Triple-A this season, and the Reds' lineup should take advantage, with VanMeter at the top.

Nick Solak, 2B, Texas Rangers ($2,900)

In his first 35 plate appearances in the big leagues, Nick Solak hasn’t missed a beat from his impressive minor league numbers. His 1.021 OPS isn’t sustainable, but considering he’s red-hot and has hit fifth in the Texas Rangers' lineup in their last five games, he’s a great option at this price.

Solak faces off with Seattle Mariners starter Felix Hernandez. Hernandez isn’t what he used to be, and both his 6.09 ERA and 5.80 FIP speak to that. There’s a chance the Rangers put up huge numbers against Felix tonight, and with Solak in the middle of the order, he's a great value target.

Matt Beaty, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers ($2,800)

Chris Taylor, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers ($2,800)

In a short six-game main slate, a Los Angeles Dodgers stack against struggling Arizona Diamondbacks hurler Merrill Kelly makes a lot of sense.

Starting with Matt Beaty, Beaty has seen consistent playing time against right-handed pitching. He has certainly earned it, posting a .321/.368/.562 slash line in 174 plate appearances in the split, with all seven of his home runs this season coming against righties.

Meanwhile, Chris Taylor has been red-hot since returning from the injured list. In his first 31 plate appearances back, Taylor is hitting .310 with four extra base hits. He’s also seen fairly consistent playing time since returning, starting seven of his last eight games.

The main reason for this stack is Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly. Kelly has been abysmal over his last six starts, allowing a 9.20 ERA and 10 home runs in his past 29 1/3 innings. With his recent struggles and the Dodgers' plethora of options, we should be targeting LA today.

Wilmer Flores, 2B, Arizona Diamondbacks ($2,700)

Wilmer Flores against left-handed pitching is always a good play. Flores has always been better against lefties, but this year he’s completely dominated. In 87 plate appearances, Flores has a .971 OPS with all six of his home runs coming against southpaws.

Flores faces off against Los Angeles Dodgers starter Hyun-jin Ryu. Ryu has been great all season long, but he has shown signs of slowing down a tad recently. In his last two starts, Ryu has allowed 11 runs and five home runs. With Ryu’s recent struggles and Flores’s dominance against left-handed pitching, the Arizona infielder is a sneaky play with big upside.