RADIO
With one swing of the bat, Carlos Correa ensured we get at least one more multi-game slate for the DFS season. Once down, 3-0 in the ALCS, Houston will now look to even the series on Friday night with their Game 1 starter back on the mound. In the Senior Circuit, the Atlanta Braves will look to finish off the Dodgers in a game that should feature mostly bullpen arms for both teams.
Two elimination games mean there could be some weird managerial moves to frustrate DFS players but it also means Friday could be the last time we could see more than one baseball game in the same slate. Without further ado, let's dig into what should be a fun Friday night in baseball.
I'll provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for the FanDuel main slate on 10/15/2020. Be sure to check out all the MLB player news, including late scratches, and the projected and confirmed daily MLB lineups for each DFS slate. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like DraftKings, and other sports. Feel free to follow me on Twitter @Schwarze_Mike.
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Framber Valdez - HOU vs. TB ($9,500)
Valdez took the loss in Game 1 but the offense only put up one run for him. Valdez pitched well allowing just two runs in six innings while striking out eight. He induced 13 swinging strikes on 95 pitches. Valdez did walk four in the contest but the base on balls was not an issue for him during the regular season - he had just a 5.6 percent walk rate - so I'm willing to give him a pass and roll with the Astros lefty as the main pitching option tonight.
Tampa Bay is a strong offense, but they also have a ton of swing-and-miss in their game making them as good of a matchup as you'll find among World Series contenders. The Rays had a league-worst 28.5 percent strikeout rate against left-handed pitching in the regular season so Valdez should have a safe enough floor as he should rack up some K's and he is the best bet on the slate to pitch deep into the game. Astros manager Dusty Baker rode Zach Greinke in Game 4 and that move worked out well for Houston. Expect the veteran skipper to let Valdez go as long as he's effective after Houston burned through seven pitchers last night.
FanDuel DFS Infielders
Will Smith - C, LOS vs. ATL ($3,100)
The Dodgers are the top stack of the evening as they'll face a plethora of Atlanta bullpen arms in a must-win game for LA. Smith has been batting fifth in the batting order which has been a great spot for RBI production. He has five RBI in his last four games and got hot late in the season with a .348 batting average in September. He should come up multiple times with men on base and should return value.
Brandon Lowe - 2B, TB vs. HOU ($3,400)
This is the contrerian-play of the evening as Lowe has been struggling mightily and also faces a tricky L/L matchup versus Valdez. Lowe has been struggling mightily this postseason but homered on Thursday and has strong reverse-splits this season. Lowe posted the ninth-best OPS against southpaws this season and while 2020 is inherently a small sample size, Lowe has good career numbers versus lefties as well.
Edwin Rios - 3B, LAD vs. ATL ($2,400)
Rios is one of the cheapest ways to get a piece of the Dodgers offense assuming he's in the starting-nine. With manager Dave Roberts managing for his job, I can't imagine leaving Rios on the bench would be a popular move in LA after the 26-year-old homered in back-to-back games. Rios is a cheap option who is swinging a hot bat and can be paired with the high-priced Dodger bats to create a wrap-around stack.
Corey Seager - SS, LAD vs. ATL ($4,200)
With all the money we saved by playing Rios we might as well play his partner on the left side of the Dodgers infield. Seager mashed this season posting an elite .585 slugging percentage and carried that production into October. He took an O-fer on Thursday but Seager had 10 hits in the five games before that and has been making great contact.
FanDuel DFS Outfielders
Mookie Betts - OF, LA vs. ATL ($4,500)
Betts is the most expensive bat on the slate but he also has the safest floor as the leadoff hitter for the team with the highest implied run total. Betts should bat five times in this game versus the Atlanta bullpen and he's too good of a hitter to not do much with the opportunities he'll have in this game. The last time the Dodgers had their backs against the wall, Mookie reached base twice in the first inning and scored two runs. He should be all over the bases again tonight making his combination of safety and upside worth the price tag.
Michael Brantley - OF, HOU vs. TAM ($3,100)
Brantly is another player I'll be using to try and be more contrarian on a small slate. Like Lowe, Brantley faces an L/L matchup to start the game which hopefully will suppress his ownership. Also like Lowe, Brantley has good career numbers versus southpaws and will bat third in the order, a prime slot for RBI and run production. Brantley has been swinging a hot bat and is actually $100 cheaper than he was on Thursday.
Cristian Pache - OF, ATL vs. LOS ($2,400)
Pache is another solid salary-saving option that has been a staple in this column for days. The rookie took over in the Atlanta outfield when Adam Duvall went down with an injury and ran with the starting job. The rookie has reached base safely in three-straight games and his speed gives him the chance to add fantasy points on the base paths. He'll bat lower in the order but his defense should keep him in the game ensuring he gets enough at-bats to warrant fantasy consideration.
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