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It's all-day baseball time! No more of this split-slate nonsense. The Wild Card round starts bright and early (for me, anyway) at noon Eastern and the final pitch won't hit the mitt until around midnight! This is a baseball fan's greatest week of the season. Let's parlay that with some DFS wins, shall we?
We have the Rays in Cleveland for the early matchup. The Cardinals host the Phillies a couple of hours after that. Toronto hosts the Mariners a couple of hours later. The Mets have the nightcap in Citi Field against the Padres. We start in the east and finish in the east. How's that for full circle?
As always, this article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel. Friday's main slate locks at 12:07 pm EST on 10/7/2022. The lineup picks will range from some elite high-priced players to mid-priced options and value plays. I'll give you a few of my top pitching options and then some infielders, outfielders, and teams to stack! You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. Now that we got all of that out of the way, it's onto the picks!
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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Max Scherzer vs. SD ($9,800 DK, $10,600 FD)
The Mets treated Max with kid gloves the entire last month of the season until the really needed him against the Braves. He then got blown up by Hot-lanta and relegated the Mets to the Wild Card round. It's fitting that he starts Game 1 then, yeah?
I'm not really scared of a repeat performance here. Max is striking out the current Padres lineup at 39% in 177 at-bats. That's a nice sample size and suggests that the strikeouts MAXimize his potential on this slate. The fact that he isn't five figures on DraftKings makes him a great bargain.
Zach Wheeler at STL ($7,200 DK, $10,000 FD)
Don't worry about pitching prices on FD. They're all nuts. That makes Max look like even more of a value. The Phillies took it easy with Wheeler after he missed a month with a forearm injury. He was back up to 77 pitches in his regular season finale and was looking strong when the Phillies pulled him. There are no more piggyback pitchers scheduled for Wheeler. He should get 90-100 pitches in this one.
That's a good thing. The Cardinals don't have a run in 14 innings this year against Wheeler. The 10 strikeouts leave something to be desired, but the playoffs are an entirely different animal. We need to make sure to get the most out of our pitching. Getting Max/Wheeler for $17k on DraftKings feels like a really good deal!
Also consider: Shane Bieber, Alek Manoah
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Pete Alonso - 1B, NYM vs. Yu Darvish ($5,300 DK, $4,200 FD)
In the land of the playoffs, home runs are king. Alonso closed the regular season on a bit of a heater, reaching base in each of his last nine games with two homers, eight RBI, and 11 runs scored in that span. He is only 2-for-10 lifetime against Darvish, but one of those hits is a homer. Hey, this is the playoffs. You're not going to find a ton of favorable BvP lines.
Whit Merrifield - 2B, TOR vs. Luis Castillo ($2,800 DK, $2,900 FD)
Hey, remember when back at the trade deadline we wondered what exactly the Jays were going to do with Merrifield? The answer is: play him! In 44 games with the Blue Jays, Merrifield hit .281 with five homers, 16 RBI, 19 runs scored, and he even stole a base! I like the savings on DK especially since Whit doesn't occupy a coveted lineup slot. He hit .338 in September with four of those five homers. Castillo didn't finish strong, so I will definitely have some Jays exposure.
Yandy Diaz - 3B, TB at Shane Bieber ($4,100 DK, $3,000 FD)
Homers may be king, but they also produce an all-or-nothing lineup that isn't conducive to cash game success. Sometimes you just have to go with a guy who profiles well. It also doesn't hurt that Yandy usually leads off for the Rays and he is a big reason for the playoff push. Diaz hit .344 leading off for the Rays in September and October with a homer, a steal, nine RBI, and eight runs scored while striking out just 11 times. He's making contact and getting on base. That's what I like to see come playoff time.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Julio Rodriguez - OF, SEA at Alek Manoah ($5,800 DK, $4,200 FD)
If you want a reason why Seattle made the playoffs, look no further than Julio. He hit .429 with five homers and six RBI in the last ten games of the season with ten runs scored and a steal. This is not a great matchup with Manoah, but that can be said of nearly anyone today. I'll pay the premium for Julio and hope he keeps up his hot streak.
George Springer - OF, TOR vs. Luis Castillo ($4,900 DK, $4,100 FD)
Anytime I can get a guy who is a homer/steal threat for a price like this I pay close attention. Springer hit four homers of the last eight games of the season, drove in nine, and stole a base to go with his .316 average and .357 OBP. Springer averaged double-digit fantasy points in that span. I like him against Castillo, who gave up ten runs is his last three starts to the offensive juggernauts of Kansas City and Oakland (twice).
Wil Myers - 1B/OF, SD at Max Scherzer ($3,200 DK, $2,600 FD)
Myers came up big when the Padres needed him, hitting three of his seven homers on the season in the last nine games. He also drove in ten runs in that span, hit .321, and stole a base. His glory days are likely behind him, but Myers is 7-for-25 in his career against Mad Max with a pair of homers and four RBI. Yeah, Max is going to rack up the strikeouts in this one, but he is prone to the occasional long ball. Myers is a strong GPP play at this price.
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
Here are my top stacks for tonight (in the order in which I like them):
Toronto Blue Jays - I mentioned that Castillo didn't close the season strong, but it's more than that. Most of the Toronto lineup did and I couldn't mention all of them above. Along with Springer and Whit hitting well down the stretch, Teoscar Hernandez, Bo Bichette, and Raimel Tapia all hit .290 or better over the last half of September and Vladdy is still hitting homers. I don't usually stack in the playoffs, but if I do, Toronto is the best option.
Cleveland Guardians - Shane McClanahan allowed 11 runs in his last three starts. Yes, they were all against playoff teams, but Cleveland is one of those too. His only start against Cleveland this year didn't go well either. The Guardians battered Shane for five runs on seven hits in 4.1 innings back on July 31. The righties are the priority hear, spearheaded by Jose Ramirez, Amed Rosario, and Oscar Gonzalez.
Honorable mention: Philadelphia Phillies
I hope I gave you a head start on your research today and I wish you the best of luck! If you ever have questions about DFS or fantasy baseball, my DMs are always open and I appreciate you taking the time to read my picks today.
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