4 weeks agoCleveland Guardians outfielder
Lane Thomas went 1-for-4 with a three-run shot in Game 1 of the ALDS. Thomas broke the game open early by hitting a three-run blast in the first inning to score third baseman
Jose Ramirez and first baseman
Josh Naylor to cap off an impressive five-run inning. The 29-year-old was able to carry his power surge into the postseason after tallying seven round-trippers with a .560 SLG during the final month of the regular season. Thomas should continue to bat in the five-hole of a deep Guardians lineup, which should present him with several RBI opportunities. However, Thomas is best to fade in DFS on Monday as he will face Detroit ace
Tarik Skubal, who is coming off a six-inning shutout in the AL Wild Card Series.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 weeks agoNew York Mets outfielder
Brandon Nimmo went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a walk in their victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Nimmo was quiet at the plate until the eighth inning when he knocked a single to left field, which brought in the eventual game-winning run. Later in that inning he was able to score off a
J.D. Martinez single. Then, in the ninth, Nimmo hit his second single to bring in an additional run to increase their lead. The 31-year-old has now tallied at least one hit in every playoff game, providing a great spark at the top of the New York lineup. Nimmo remains a solid pick in DFS formats on Sunday when he will face Philadelphia southpaw
Cristopher Sanchez, who carries a 3.32 ERA.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 weeks agoPhiladelphia Phillies starting pitcher
Zack Wheeler tossed seven shutout frames in Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday afternoon. He allowed just one hit to third baseman
Mark Vientos and four free passes. He struck out nine. Wheeler put the Phillies in position to win the opening game of the series, but the bullpen could not hold the one-run lead late into the game. The 34-year-old will likely take the again mound in Game 4 or 5, depending on where the Phillies stand in the series. This was another stellar outing for the Cy Young candidate as he posted a dominant 1.83 ERA and 0.79 WHIP across his final six starts of the regular season. Wheeler remains a top pick in DFS formats when he makes his next start this postseason, given his ability to go deep into games and generate a high number of strikeouts.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 weeks agoLos Angeles Dodgers shortstop
Miguel Rojas (groin) will start in Game 1 of the NLDS, according to Eric Stephen of SB Nation. Rojas was sidelined during the final series of the regular season with a minor groin injury and will return to the starting nine on Saturday evening. Across 103 games this summer, the 35-year-old has held a .283/.337/.410 line with six home runs and eight swiped bags. Since the start of September, he posted a modest .250 AVG. Rojas is best to fade in DFS this evening as he will face San Diego right-hander
Dylan Cease, who has carried a stellar 1.40 ERA across his previous three outings.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Eric Stephen
4 weeks agoLos Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher
Clayton Kershaw (toe) will not pitch again this season, according to David Vassegh of SportsNet LA. Kershaw was originally targeting a return late into October but faced a setback last week and will remain sidelined regardless of how far the Dodgers go in the playoffs. The southpaw had a delayed start to the 2024 season due to offseason surgery and logged just 30 innings with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP before suffering a bone spur in his toe. The Dodgers rotation during the playoffs will now consist of
Jack Flaherty,
Yoshinobu Yamamoto,
Walker Buehler, and
Landon Knack. Yamamoto will get the nod in Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday evening and is best to fade in DFS as he will face a San Diego lineup that holds a stellar 16.9% K rate against right-handed pitching.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: David Vassegh
4 weeks agoLos Angeles Dodgers first baseman
Freddie Freeman (ankle) remains questionable for the opening game of the NLDS. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported that manager Dave Roberts said, "I'm hopeful. Maybe not as hopeful as I was yesterday," regarding the first baseman's status. This is not a good sign for the 35-year-old as he hopes to return from an ankle sprain he suffered during the final week of the regular season. If Freeman were to sit out for the opener,
Kike Hernandez would likely get the starting nod at first base. Freeman held a strong .282/.378/.476 line this season with 22 home runs and nine stolen bases. Hernandez would be best to fade in DFS competitions as he will face San Diego right-hander
Dylan Cease, who has held a 1.40 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP across his past three starts.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Fabian Ardaya
4 weeks agoNew York Yankees second baseman
Gleyber Torres will start at the keystone and bat in the leadoff spot in Game 1 of the ALDS. Torres had a rough start to the summer, hitting for a disappointing .231/.307/.347 slash line. However, after the All-Star Game, Torres was able to find his footing and held a strong .292/.361/.419 line with seven home runs and 11 doubles. Through September, Torres was swinging a hot bat with a .333/.387/.472 line. Torres will be a popular play in DFS this evening as he will have numerous scoring opportunities batting in front of
Aaron Judge and
Juan Soto. He will face Kansas City right-hander
Michael Wacha who enters Saturday with a solid 3.35 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 weeks agoNew York Yankees catcher
Austin Wells will start at catcher and bat in the cleanup spot in Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday evening. Wells opened the campaign, typically batting in the back half of the lineup, but began to move up to the four-spot deeper into the campaign. In the first half of the summer, Wells held a mere .216/.309/.377 line but posted a much-improved .241/.33/.412 line after the All-Star Break. However, since the start of September, the 25-year-old has been in a bit of a slump, holding a .111 AVG. DFS players should consider leaving Wells out of their lineup as he will face Kansas City right-hander
Michael Wacha, who has posted a 2.60 ERA and 1.12 WHIP through September.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 weeks agoLos Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher
Michael Grove was named to the NLDS roster, while right-handed pitcher
Joe Kelly (shoulder) was left off as he suffered a shoulder injury during a simulated game earlier this week. Grove has typically been deployed out of the bullpen this summer and has logged just two starts. Across 51 frames, Grove held a 5.12 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP, with a 16:54 BB:K ratio. Grove could be deployed in long relief or even in a spot start during the series. Joe Kelly operated exclusively out of the bullpen this season and posted a 4.78 ERA and 1.47 WHIP. Kelly was typically given set-up duties during the 2024 campaign but battled a shoulder injury late into the season. As a result, DFS players should expect
Evan Phillips,
Michael Kopech, and
Alex Vesia to be called upon in high-leverage situations during their tilt against the San Diego Padres.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Los Angeles Dodgers
4 weeks agoNew York Yankees outfielder/third baseman
Oswaldo Cabrera will start at first base and bat in the eight-hole in Game 1 of the ALDS. Cabrera replaced
Anthony Rizzo (finger) after he suffered a fracture during the final week of the regular season and will continue in that current role. Cabrera logged most of his starts at the hot corner this season, but
Jazz Chisholm Jr. has claimed that spot since coming over from Miami at the trade deadline. Through September, Cabrera held a solid .280 AVG with two extra-base hits and an overall .247 AVG across 109 games this summer. DFS players should leave the 25-year-old out of their lineup this afternoon as he will face Kansas City right-hander
Michael Wacha, who held a strong 2.60 ERA across his final five starts of the season.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
4 weeks agoSan Diego Padres starting pitcher
Martin Perez is on the NLDS roster after being left off the Wild Card roster last week. Perez is rejoining the roster because
Joe Musgrove (elbow) is set to undergo Tommy John surgery. As a result, the Padres will enter the NLDS with four potential starters, including
Dylan Cease,
Yu Darvish,
Michael King, and Perez. Since joining San Diego at the trade deadline, the southpaw has held a modest 3.46 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP, with a 17:44 BB:K ratio across 52 frames. However, he struggled with Pittsburgh in the first half, holding a hefty 5.20 ERA and 1.65 WHIP. Perez could start Game 4, but it is best to leave him off your DFS lineup as he sits with an underwhelming 18.1% K rate and a poor 41.5% hard-hit rate.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: San Diego Padres
4 weeks agoNew York Mets second baseman
Jeff McNeil (wrist) is set to join the Mets in Philadelphia and begin to ramp up activities in hopes of returning to the diamond in the NLCS or World Series, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. McNeil was placed on the injured list with a fractured wrist earlier in September and was ruled out of the season. However, the 32-year-old has begun to make progress and could return to the starting lineup if the Mets continue their playoff run. McNeil had a disappointing season, posting a mere .238/.308/.384 line, which is a stark drop compared to the .270 AVG and .326 AVG he held over the previous two campaigns. If McNeil can return, he could see occasional starts in the outfield and at the keystone but will likely serve as a bench bat.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Anthony DiComo
4 weeks agoLos Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher
Clayton Kershaw (toe) is not on the NLDS roster, according to David Vassegh of SportsNet LA. Kershaw hit the injured list at the end of August with a bone spur in his toe. The southpaw began to make progress in September but faced a minor setback last week and will need at least another week to recover before taking the mound. As a result, the Dodgers will enter the NLDS with
Yoshinobu Yamamoto,
Jack Flaherty,
Walker Buehler, and
Landon Knack as their starters. Kershaw had a delayed start to the 2024 campaign due to offseason surgery and was only able to log 30 innings to the tune of a 4.50 ERA and 1.50 WHIP.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: David Vassegh
4
weeks
agoNew
York
Yankees
starting
pitcher
Marcus
Stroman
was
left
off
the
ALDS
roster,
according
to
Bryan
Hoch
of
MLB.com.
Instead,
the
Yankees
opted
to
add
pinch-runner
Duke
Ellis
to
their
roster
in
favor
of
the
starting
pitcher.
As
read more...
4 weeks agoCleveland Guardians rookie outfielder
Jhonkensy Noel is making the start in right field and is batting seventh for the Guardians in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday against the division-rival Detroit Tigers and left-handed opener
Tyler Holton at Progressive Field. In his first year in the big leagues in 2024, Noel played in a total of 67 games and slashed .218/.288/.486 with a .774 OPS, 13 home runs, 28 RBI, 25 runs scored and 63 strikeouts in his 198 plate appearances. With Cleveland also facing a left-hander (
Tarik Skubal) in Game 2 on Monday, it's possible Noel will make two straight starts to begin the series. Noel hit .246 (14-for-57) with seven of his 13 long balls against left-handers this year, compared to .205 (25-for-122) against righties. Noel packs a punch from the right side of the plate, but he should be considered more of a DFS sleeper long shot on Saturday.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Cleveland Guardians
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