And then there were four. The first league championship series - the ALCS - starts on Sunday with Toronto hosting Seattle and the first pitch at 8:03 p.m. EDT. For DFS purposes, you have $60,000 in salary for six players. You have an MVP who earns you 1.5 times the points. But as opposed to previous years on FanDuel, your MVP's salary is also multiplied 1.5 times.
Kevin Gausman is starting for the Blue Jays. My beloved Tigers, even in a Game 5 loss, did Toronto a solid in terms of running the Mariners' pitching staff ragged. Bryce Miller will start Sunday, but will be on three days rest and was only asked to make 55 pitches last time out. And based on how busy Seattle's bullpen was during Games 4 and 5, they may hope to get four or five innings out of Miller. With that in mind, here's the lineup I selected.
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MVP
Vladimir Guerrero, TOR vs. SEA ($18,600): Miller had an issue this season allowing home runs at 1.69 per nine innings, and that's with Seattle's ballpark usually protecting pitchers. I wanted a power hitter from the Blue Jays for my MVP. Guerrero isn't the slugger he was in 2021 as he's proven to be more of a 20-homer, 30-double player who can hit for average. That's not too shabby and he did go deep three times last series against the Yankees.
Utility
Julio Rodriguez, SEA at TOR ($11,200): You obviously don't want to overload on Jays as you never know what will happen in a single game. Gausman is a solid pitcher, though he's no Tarik Skubal based on his 3.59 ERA. Rodriguez compiled a campaign with 30 homers, 30 doubles, and 30 stolen bases while significantly struggling at home while his road OPS was .912.
Daulton Varsho, TOR vs. SEA ($10,400): At some point, Seattle manager Dan Wilson will bring in a lefty to face Varsho, so he'll either struggle or get benched. Until then, I'll be happy to have him in my lineup. He racked up 20 homers in only 71 games due to his ability to hit right-handers. Varsho just launched two home runs off the Yankees' Will Warren against the Yankees, so that could also happen versus Miller if he faces him twice.
Jorge Polanco, SEA at TOR ($7,800): Polanco's status as switch-hitter who can handle both lefties and righties really helps in the playoffs. He posted an OPS over .800 whether a southpaw or right-hander was on the mound. And against the Tigers he went yard against Tarik Skubal. That means he can do anything!
Addison Barger, TOR vs. SEA ($7,000): Another Toronto lefty for the start of the game when Miller is out there. Miller did unexpectedly well against the Tigers, yet holds a career 4.01 ERA through three seasons. Barger hit .333 last round against the Yankees and produced 20 homers against righties during the regular season.
Davis Schneider, TOR vs. SEA ($5,000): The rest of this roster left me at the proverbial bottom of the barrel for my final selection. Schneider has a decent chance of drawing in somewhere at some point, even if he doesn't necessarily start. The status of Bo Bichette would certainly be clarifying on that front. Schneider only appeared in two games during the Yankees series, yet recorded a 1.000 OPS. If he came in on Sunday with this salary and hit a double, you'd be happy.
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