FanDuel MLB: Saturday Playoff Picks

FanDuel MLB: Saturday Playoff Picks

This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.

PITCHER

Hyun-Jin Ryu, LAD at MIL ($9,700): Ryu will be chalky if for no other reason than he's $800 cheaper than the top-priced Justin Verlander. The Brewers ranked 10th in the regular season with a .320 wOBA against lefties, but that can be overlooked when considering Ryu's current form. He's allowed one run or fewer in four straight starts and in seven of 10 since the All-Star Break, fanning at least eight in four of those outings.

GPP Fade: Chris Sale, BOS vs. HOU ($10,300): The margin of error, for lack of a better term, is razor thin across top-priced arms. The Astros lead the league with a .345 wOBA against lefties, adding a .184 ISO and 123 wRC+, which is enough to look elsewhere if paying for pitching.
Cheap GPP Consideration: Wade Miley, MIL vs. LAD ($5,800): This is too obvious, but with three arms at $9,700 or higher, you're left with Miley if not paying on the bump. He hasn't allowed more than three runs in any outing all season, but longevity is the issue, as he's failed to work five innings in his last three outings. The Dodgers are the "worst" offense of the three facing lefties Saturday, and if he can scratch out 20 points, you'll have a plethora of funds for stable bats.

CATCHER/FIRST BASE

Mitch Moreland, BOS vs. HOU ($2,900): Head-to-head stats aren't usually a DFS recipe for success. But they can weigh heavily in playoff lineup decisions. Moreland has enjoyed facing Justin Verlander, going 10-for-32 with six doubles and six RBI. He's fanned 11 times, so when he's put it in play, it's been productive. A hamstring injury and a surging Steve Pearce ($2,900) have Moreland questionable to even make the ALCS roster. But if he's in the lineup, his .204 ISO against righties adds to the potential.

SECOND BASE

Jose Altuve, HOU at BOS ($3,600): It's not an exorbitant amount to pay here at a position with little upside or diverse options. Altuve struggled against lefties during the regular season, but put up four hits, two for extra bases, four runs and two RBI in three games during the ALDS. He also is a solid 8-of-24 in his career against
Chris Sale.

THIRD BASE

Justin Turner, LAD at MIL ($3,900): A simple process of elimination appears to force your hand with Turner, as the options below him aren't ideal, and he seemingly has a better matchup than Alex Bregman ($4,000). Turner put up a stable .433 wOBA and 179 wRC+ in the regular season against lefties and hit safely in all four NLDS games, going 5-for-14 overall.

SHORTSTOP

Orlando Arcia, MIL vs. LAD ($2,600): Arcia's September surge isn't reflected in this price, and position scarcity makes this an ideal spot to pay down. Arcia posted a .401 wOBA, 152 wRC+ and .211 ISO against lefties in September. Arcia managed two double-digit scoring outings in four postseason games entering Friday.

OUTFIELD

Christian Yelich, MIL vs. LAD ($4,700): Stats largely don't matter here. Click on Yelich's game log, look at his production and build your lineup around him. If you want numbers, he had a .415 wOBA against lefties, adding a .250 ISO.

J.D. Martinez, BOS vs. HOU ($4,300): Martinez is cheaper than Mookie Betts ($4,400), who is 0-for-13 against Verlander in his career. Martinez had a .315 ISO against righties during the regular season, adding a .434 wOBA and 174 wRC+, and is the BoSox bat for which to pay Saturday.

Chris Taylor, LAD at MIL ($2,900): The popular, and probable, winning strategy Saturday will be to pay up for pitching and stack secondary Dodger bats against Wade Miley. Taylor has been feast or famine all season, so he's better suited for GPP formats, but his likely place atop the order can play decently in cash games as well. He posted a .327 wOBA and .195 ISO against lefties during the regular season.

UTILITY

Yuli Gurriel, HOU at BOS ($2,800): Gurriel is second among Astro regulars with a .382 wOBA against lefties. When paired with this price and his spot in the lineup, he's a great buy even against Chris Sale, someone he's 2-of-3 against in his career. He managed two double-digit fantasy point outings in three ALDS games to boot.

LAD's David Freese ($2,100) will be an obvious chalk play at his price, but I wouldn't be doing my job if I omitted him from this column.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Chris Bennett plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel: k30kittles, DraftKings: k30kittles.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Bennett
Bennett covers baseball, college football and college basketball for RotoWire. Before turning to fantasy writing, he worked in scouting/player development for the Atlanta Braves and Montreal Expos. He's also a fan of the ACC.
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