On Thursday, October 17th, we have a solid two-game MLB DFS main slate kicking off at 5:08 PM ET. 

We're shifting the American League Champion Series between the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees to Cleveland as the Yankees won the first two games and the New York Mets will look to tie the National League Championship Series at one after they lost 8-0 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3. Let's dive into today's MLB DFS picks.

 

 

 

MLB DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, October 17th

MLB DFS Optimizer & Lineup Generator Today

This Playbook is your go-to guide for making awesome MLB DFS picks. Check out our expert tips and suggestions, and look at today’s MLB DFS projections, MLB DFS ownership projections, and our dedicated MLB lineups page! 

You can seamlessly combine all this info with the MLB DFS Lineup Generator to secure your Core Plays and win winning lineups quickly! Here’s a sample lineup for today’s games:

 

 

 

MLB DFS Lineup Picks: Starting Pitchers

Top Options For Strikeouts

Odds For A Win

Bullpen ERAs (Playoffs)

 

 

 

MLB DFS Lineups: Core MLB DFS Pitchers

I’m going to rank the four starting pitchers on tonight’s slate;

1) Clarke Schmidt, New York Yankees

The Guardians' offense is the worst amongst all four teams left as they've posted a .621 OPS this postseason while striking out 24.3% of the time while also walking the least. Schmidt was solid in his first playoff start and is in another good spot here. Schmidt misses bats at a great clip notching 97 punchouts in 90 innings.

2) Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers

Yamamoto looked REALLY good in his last start against the Padres and although the strikeouts weren't there, that just happens against the Padres. He's been great on the road this season pitching to a 2.06 ERA and has only allowed opponents to bat .205. He faces the Mets here who have struck out 25% of the time this postseason and he's been well over a strikeout per inning this year.

3) Jose Quintana, New York Mets

Over his last eight starts, Jose Quintana has allowed THREE earned runs total. THREE. Eight starts. Over that span, he's faced the Phillies twice, the Brewers twice, and the Padres once. Quintana isn't the biggest strikeout arm, he's had 19+ DKP in seven straight games and the Mets trust him to get deep enough into games to get a win. I'm perfectly fine if you want to use Quintana over Yamamoto today. He has better odds for a win and is similar on the strikeout front.

4) Matthew Boyd, Cleveland Guardians

It's hard to imagine a world where I'm using or suggesting anyone use Boyd other than simply being uber-contrarian. The problem with using any Cleveland starter. Boyd threw 4.2 innings in his first playoff outing and two in his second game. We saw the Guardians pull their BEST starter in the SECOND inning in Game 2. You'll get him at low ownership, that's all.

 

 

 

MLB DFS Lineup Picks: Hitters

Highest Expected Run Totals 

MLB DFS Lineups: Core MLB DFS Hitters

Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

We've seen Aaron Judge waking up slowly but surely and his at-bats have looked better. Judge homered in Game 2 and has 16+ DKP in two of his last three. Against lefties this year, Judge has a .735 SLG%, 1.240 OPS, .424 ISO, and .500 wOBA. I'm spending up on Aaron Judge and I don't care who knows!

Pete Alonso & Mark Vientos, New York Mets

Over the last 90 days, Yoshinobu Yamamoto has struggled specifically with right-handed power. Righties have posted a .250 ISO (.274 xISO) and .397 wOBA against Yamamoto. The Mets' two best power hitters from the right side of the plate are Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso. Vientos has a .251 ISO and Alonso's is .215. 

Giancarlo Stanton & Gleyber Torres, New York Yankees

All eyes are on Juan Soto and Aaron Judge at all times but two of the better Yankees this postseason have been Giancarlo Stanton and Gleyber Torres. Stanton has a 1.027 OPS and .348 ISO and Torres has a .433 OBP and .933 OPS as the team's leadoff hitters. Torres had a .800+ OPS against lefties this year and Stanton, as we know, has been one of the best postseason power-hitters of all time.  

Tommy Edman & Kike Hernandez, Los Angeles Dodgers

These two Dodger value plays stand out like sore thumbs. Hernandez is just 3K with MPE (multi-position eligibility) and is an elite postseason performer. He's hit two home runs over his last four games and has three multi-hit games over his last five overall. Edman is hitting .321 this postseason and is an elite hitter against lefties. He has a 1.299 OPS against lefties this year and a .800+ OPS for his career.

Brayan Rocchio, Cleveland Guardians

Brayan Rocchio has enjoyed the playoffs quite a bit. He's hit in seven straight games and has three straight multi-hit games. He's a switch-hitter so he's never removed for a pinch-hitter and is only 2.6K. He saves you a LOT of salary to spend up on the likes of Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, and Juan Soto.

 

 

 

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