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The Braves are in L.A. for a chance to play their way into the World Series. They took a commanding 3-1 series lead at Chavez Ravine last night on the back of Eddie Rosario. The ALCS is on a travel day, so we shift into showdown mode for tonight's tilt at Dodger Stadium.
For showdown mode, we pick one captain who costs 1.5x his normal salary, but he also scored 1.5x the points. We must have at least one player from each team and relievers are fair game if you think you have a bead on which relievers will be used. That can make a huge difference here.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 10/21/2021. The lineup will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also check out today's FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. It’s also important to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, contact me on Twitter.
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DraftKings DFS Captain Options
Max Fried ($16,500)
If you don't want to lose the game, start the guy that doesn't lose. Fried hasn't lost a game since July 28. His ERA in that span is a microscopic 1.58. Fried wasn't his sharpest in Game 1, but he still only allowed two runs in six innings. A start like that might not be enough to win, but it will certainly keep his team in the running to book a trip to the World Series and let them watch how the A.L. plays out with a few days off. That's a powerful motivator.
Austin Riley ($12,600)
Riley had two hits, including a homer, and two RBI in Game 1 with Corey Knebel starting. The Dodgers, facing elimination, may decide to try and get Max Scherzer out there with their backs against the wall. If they do, he's a solid captain pick and I would shy away from Braves hitters in the captain slot as well. As it stands now though, a Dodgers hitter seems really risky at captain against Fried. I will have a Brave in the captain slot unless the Dodgers change the starting pitcher.
Other Options: Ozzie Albies ($13,200), Will Smith ($14,700), David Price ($10,200)
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DraftKings DFS Utility Options
Along with the others I consider for captain, these can be good utility plays as well.
Corey Seager ($9,200)
I don't like Seager against Fried, which is why most wont use him. However, Seager has two homers in the series. He has been one of the few bright spots for the Dodgers. It's a tough sell to pay this much of a guy who is really only going to get one or two at-bats where he has a real chance to succeed. This has been a good series for Seager though, and it can separate your lineups in GPP formats.
A.J. Pollock ($7,800)
Pollock drove in both Dodgers runs last night and doubled and scored off of Fried in Game 1. If you plan on going after Fried with Dodgers righties, Pollock should probably be your first pick. Mookie is nice for the steals, but Pollock's upside is almost as high at a fraction of the price.
Joc Pederson ($6,600)
Joc has remained hot against his former team, piling up five hits with a homer and four RBI in this series so far. His homer came in Game 2, but he still had a single in Game 1. If the Dodgers stick to the plan and run David Price out of the pen as the long reliever, that diminishes my interest in Joc a little, but his first at bat is still coming against Knebel. I really like Joc for the value here tonight.
Eddie Rosario ($5,000)
Rosario hit two homers and drove in four last night. He now has 80 DraftKings points in the four games of this series, which is by far the most on either side. I don't really mind running him at captain either if you want all the bats. This is one puzzle the Dodgers have failed to solve in this series.
Other Options: Mookie Betts ($10,600), Chris Taylor ($8,000), Travis d'Arnaud ($6,200), Will Smith ($4,000), Kenley Jansen ($4,000)
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