FanDuel MLB: Friday ALCS Targets

FanDuel MLB: Friday ALCS Targets

This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.

Game 6 presents an elimination chance for the Astros. This series has seen some pretty drastic ups and downs, with both sides seemingly going through some 12-15 inning spurts of offense and perfect pitching at the same time. 

Pitching

Houston is short on options here, willing trotting out Luis Garcia in their close out opportunity. He's allowed 16 runs across his three post season outings, spanning just 7.2 innings. Garcia has surrendered four homers and walked eight in that span, giving up 15 hits. It's obviously a ripe for the picking spot for Red Sox bats.

Boston will apparently counter with Nathan Eovaldi, and while he's keeping the ball in the yard, he's also struggling mightily during the postseason. He's allowed nine runs across 11.0 innings, seven of those coming against Houston in two appearances.

It's a good thing this is a showdown slate, as offense seems a given and neither pitcher should be trusted for success or longevity. FanDuel has the total set at 8.5 runs, and given pitcher form and the series results to date, that seems low.

Hitter Correlation

Neither pitcher has targetable splits against left or right handed bats, so we're left trusting post season form, or season-long success. Boston has a lot of that during the regular season, with five regulars carrying a wOBA of .375 or better. Given that I'm thinking this is a higher scoring affair, building lineup depth over a Joe's and schmoes lineup makes some sense. As such, if I'm building around Boston bats, give me J.D. Martinez ($7,000), Kyle Schwarber ($6,500) and Alex Verdugo ($6,000). None of those options have been terrific in this series, but haven't produced zeros either. It should offer you flexibility elsewhere, and low usage to boot. Only Verdugo carries limited power potential.

A Houston build comes nearly as cheap on average if we stack up lefties against Eovaldi, thanks to Michael Brantley's ($5,500) current surge, collecting five hits, four RBI and three runs over the last three games, and carried a .399 wOBA against righties during the regular season. Pairing him with an equally surging Yordan Alvarez ($8,000) and a consistent Kyle Tucker ($7,500) could set up nicely. Alvarez hit his first post season homer in Game 5 but has collected hits in every game of the series. Tucker posted a .385 wOBA and .246 ISO against righties in season, and while he's cooled some of late, he still is tied for the lead with 12 RBI in he post season, and has three steals to boot, effecting the game in multiple ways.

One Offs

There's certainly nothing wrong with building around Rafael Devers ($9,500) despite the large tag. He's hit safely in every post season game since the Wild Card round, has homered in three of the five games in this series, and posted a .401 wOBA and .341 ISO against righties in the regular season. Enrique Hernandez ($7,500) has cooled a bit over the past two games. I'm torn on what to do with him. On one hand, I think he's a lazy plug in casual managers will use. On the other, we can buy a bit of a dip in price.

Jose Altuve ($9,000) is too feast or famine for me at this price if you're playing in cash settings. You Gurriel ($6,000) figures to be incredibly popular given form and price. He's collected 11 hits in his last six games, driving in six. But keep in mind he posted just a .112 ISO against righties in season. He's a fine back of roster option, but a lack of upside certainly limits his appeal for the MVP slot.

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.
RotoWire Community
Join Our Subscriber-Only MLB Chat
Chat with our writers and other RotoWire MLB fans for all the pre-game info and in-game banter.
Join The Discussion
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.
MLB DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, October 30
MLB DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays and Strategy for Wednesday, October 30
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for World Series Game 5 on Wednesday, October 30
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for World Series Game 5 on Wednesday, October 30
MLB World Series Game 5 Best Bets: Expert MLB Picks for Wednesday, October 30
MLB World Series Game 5 Best Bets: Expert MLB Picks for Wednesday, October 30
All-Bust Fantasy Team: Starting Pitchers
All-Bust Fantasy Team: Starting Pitchers
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for World Series Game 4 on Tuesday, October 29
MLB DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for World Series Game 4 on Tuesday, October 29
MLB World Series Game 4 Best Bets: Expert MLB Picks for Tuesday, October 29
MLB World Series Game 4 Best Bets: Expert MLB Picks for Tuesday, October 29