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Happy Friday, Rotoballers! The entire ALCS was flipped on its head within 24 hours as the Astros took games 4 and 5 to put themselves in the driver's seat for their third World Series appearance in the last five years. Still, Boston is more than capable of winning two straight, and I expect another back and forth contest between the last two American League teams. The NLCS is heading back to Atlanta, so we have a one-game Showdown contest on our hands for Friday night.
For DraftKings showdown contests, you'll pick one captain who costs 1.5 times his usual salary, but he also collects 1.5 times the number of points he scores in the game. Then, you'll fill in the five remaining utility slots with any player you want, as long as your roster has at least one player from each team. Starting pitching can be tricky in situations like this, but they also provide the safest route to fantasy points. That's the great thing about showdown games; you can build your roster anyway you choose.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 10/22/2021. 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, find me on Twitter and ask away.
DraftKings DFS Captain Options
Nathan Eovaldi ($15,800)
If Boston wants to claw their way back into this series, they will need their October talisman to come through with his best stuff. I'm interested in seeing where the roster percentage lands on Nathan Eovaldi because he has been the most consistent arm for the Red Sox in the postseason. Still, he had a disastrous, 24-pitch outing in relief just three days ago. If he comes in with a low roster rate, he could be a massive edge at captain.
In his first three starts in the playoffs, the right-handed hurler struck out 19 batters over 15 2/3 innings and made himself eligible for the win by pitching into the sixth inning all three times. Make sure to check in on Alex Cora's pre-game comments to see if he mentions anything about a pitch count for his Game 6 starter.
Yuli Gurriel ($10,800)
The 2021 AL batting champ is having himself quite a series in the ALCS. Yuli Gurriel has registered a hit in every game, with three games of the multi-hit variety. Over the five games so far, the Cuban is 9-for-19 (.473 batting average) with four runs, a double, a home run, six RBI, and two walks. And yet, he's still hitting seventh for this loaded Houston lineup. It usually wouldn't play, but there are so many good hitters ahead of El Pina, and it provides countless chances for fantasy points production.
Other Options: Luis Garcia ($15,300), Rafael Devers ($15,000), Yordan Alvarez ($12,900)
DraftKings DFS Utility Selections
Rafael Devers ($10,000)
Devers is one of the other options as a Captain pick, but he still needs to be written up as a utility option because he's having a fantastic ALCS. The Red Sox third baseman is 7-for-20 (.350 batting average) for the series with seven runs, three home runs, and six RBI while averaging 14.8 fantasy points per game. He's the Boston bat I trust the most right now, and I'll be doing my best to get him in my lineups.
Yordan Alvarez ($8,600)
The left-handed slugger erupted in Game 5 for a monster 28-point outing. Alvarez went 3-for-5 with two runs, a double, a home run, and three RBI. He has a hit in every game of this series, and it's usually a good bet to be hit hard and far when Alvarez makes contact with a ball. The Astros DH is one of the best candidates to hit a home run among the two rosters.
Michael Brantley ($6,200)
If you look up professional hitter in the dictionary, there is a picture of Michael Brantley next to the phrase. While that's the oldest cliche in the book (and announcers love to use it for Brantley), sometimes the shoe fits. The veteran lefty bat has four multi-hit contests in nine playoff games this year and seems to be settling into this series at precisely the right moment. Over the three games in Boston, Brantley collected five hits, four RBI, three hits, one double, and averaged 10.3 FPPG.
Christian Arroyo ($4,000)
There is no reason for Christian Arroyo to cost only $4,000 for this Showdown contest, but I will gladly accept the free square and continue to build my lineup. He has a hit in four of five games with three runs and three RBI, and two of his hits have gone for a triple and a home run. Arroyo feels like a must-have bat for any cash-game lineup on Friday.
Other Options: Enrique Hernandez ($9,800), Jose Altuve ($9,400) Kyle Tucker ($9,200), Xander Bogaerts ($8,200), Carlos Correa ($7,400)
