The Dodgers grabbed a split in Toronto thanks to a Game 2 win built upon Yoshinobu Yamamoto's gem of a complete game. Now, the series heads to Los Angeles all tied up. The Dodgers host the Blue Jays on Monday, with first pitch at 8 p.m. ET. I mean, that's the listed start time of the game that is relevant for DFS purposes, but if you settle in, like, 10 minutes late to watch you probably won't miss a pitch.
On the mound we have Tyler Glasnow versus Max Scherzer, a matchup that would have been more exciting four or five years ago. For your DFS lineup you have $60,000 in salary for six players, which is easy math to do in terms of per-player allotment. One player is your MVP, who has his points and his salary multiplied 1.5 times over. Here is the lineup I liked in the end.
MVP
Max Muncy, LAD vs. TOR ($9,600): Making Muncy my MVP allows me to build a lineup with a lot of heft to it. I'm yielding little in the process as well. Since 2023, Muncy has an .897 OPS versus righties and also a .918 OPS at home. In addition to getting a righty at home for Muncy to face, Scherzer is allowing two homers per nine innings this season.
Utility
Shohei Ohtani, LAD vs. TOR ($14,800): Ohtani has not been great this postseason! He's hitting .224 and has struck out 19 times. That being said, he's going to win MVP once again and he had that magical game against the Brewers. Also, he's another lefty with plenty of power when he's on his game. I didn't want to make him my MVP, but Scherzer has a 4.23 ERA over the last three seasons and clearly isn't the pitcher he used to be. Which is fair, given that he is in his 40s.
Vladimir Guerrero, TOR at LAD ($12,000): It's kind of a requirement to roster Guerrero at this point. He's been the best hitter this postseason with his 1.343 OPS and six home runs. Glasnow is able to work his way through lineups as a high-level strikeout pitcher, but Vladito has struck out all of four times in these playoffs. If he doesn't get walked, he'll be putting the ball in play, at which point plenty of positive things can happen.
Daulton Varsho, TOR at LAD ($9,800): A lefty masher from the Blue Jays, Part One. Varsho has hit .255, but he's slugged .510 with three homers and four doubles. He hit 20 homers in only 71 games this season. On top of that, he slugged .564 on the road and a whopping .591 against righties. While Glasnow doesn't allow a ton of homers and the Dodgers' ballpark tends to help on that front as well, why not take a shot on a guy who clearly can go yard in any park if a righty is on the mound? Would you rather roster Enrique Hernandez and hope for two or three singles?
Will Smith, LAD vs. TOR ($7,600): Smith only just hit his first homer of the playoffs in Game 2, but don't forget he was ailing when the playoffs began. He seems back to full strength, and he's hit .314 this postseason. Scherzer had a 5.91 ERA on the road this season, so I have no fear about him, and I don't really worry about the Blue Jay's bullpen as well. Plus, Smith has an .803 OPS versus righties over the last three seasons.
Addison Barger, TOR at LAD ($6,800): A lefty masher from the Blue Jays, Part Two. I think the Dodgers will win this game, so I wasn't inherently looking to split my roster 50/50. That's just what the salary opportunities delivered, but I certainly don't mind having Barger as my lowest-salaried player. In a single-game DFS scenario in the playoffs, it's nice to have a guy nicknamed "Bam Bam" when homers go a long way toward success. Barger is more than a southpaw who has slugged .575 in the playoffs, though. He's actually managed to hit .300, and the Blue Jays may trust him even more now given that he hit a pinch-hit grand slam against a lefty reliever in Game 1.
