MLB DFS Playbook October 22: Top Plays for DraftKings and FanDuel
Hello and welcome to the MLB DFS Showdown Playbook for October 22! We Game 6 of the ALCS between the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros (Astros lead 3-2) on our hands today as playoff action continues. We have an 8:03 pm ET start time, so plenty of time to make lineups. Make sure to check out all of our amazing MLB DFS tools as they are always worth going through before building your lineups as are the Vegas Odds. However, as I am sure you have figured out by now, the new playbook will be a one-stop shop that includes everything from easy-to-read player write-ups and suggestions to MLB Weather Reports to lineup construction tips to our best value plays for DraftKings and FanDuel. You will be given core plays around which to build your lineups, DFS stacks to consider for GPP tournaments and key statistics to help you in your DFS research. Let’s dive in!
MLB DFS Playbook October 22
Recommended DFS Starting Pitchers
I don’t love either of these pitchers, but I lean Eovaldi of the two. Valdez has been getting shelled lately, struggling in four straight starts. Meanwhile, Eovaldi has scored 29.4, 28.8, and 25.9 dk points over his last three starts. He has at least 5 Ks in his last five starts and at least 7 Ks in his last three. Theonly concern here is that this is a MUST-WIN game for the Rangers, which could lead to a shorter leash than normal.
Recommended DFS Hitters
Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros
Alvarez has two hits in four straight games and is averaging 16 dk ppg over that span with two home runs and 7 RBI. I have said it at least 5+ times this postseason, but it doesn’t hurt to say again, Alvarez is a monster in the playoffs and love the bright lights of a postseason atmosphere. It’s hard to cover an Astros game right now and not lock in Alvarez.
Tucker has been pretty terrible in the playoffs, but he seems to be coming out of it a bit as he has scored double-digit points in two of the past three games. He had multiple hits in Game 5 with a double and a RBI. I will bank on it being a sign of a big breakout game coming for Tucker in what will likely be a low-rostered play.
Garcia is a streaky hitter and he is in a groove right now. He has homered in back-to-back games and has an RBI or more in four straight games. He has also scored a run in three of his past four games. The Rangers did damage to Valdez earlier in this series and I can see it happening again in this game, as e has really been struggling lately.
Jung has been great in his first taste of postseason action, hitting .316 with three home runs, eight runs, and eight RBI through the Rangers first 10 games of this playoffs. He smashed lefties in the regular season, slashing .327/.368/.627 against them with 9 home runs in 110 at-bats against southpaws. With how badly Valdez has been struggling, Jung feels like an elite play today.
Honorable mention: Marcus Semien, Jose Altuve, Leody Taveras
Player News
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters that Zach Eflin (lat) is likely to return and start Sunday against the Angels
It was assumed that Eflin would be back this weekend, but now we have a concrete date. The 31-year-old may not be at full strength after throwing fewer than 60 pitches in his rehab start, but the Orioles feel confident enough to have the right-hander back on the bump for the series finale against the Angels.
Riley Greene is not in the lineup for the first game of a doubleheader against the Rockies on Thursday.
Greene will get a break and likely return to the lineup for the second game of the twin-billing. Zach McKinstry will get the start in left field while Greene rests.
Yu Darvish (elbow) is facing live hitters on Thursday.
Darvish has been throwing bullpen sessions and traveled to the team’s complex in Arizona to face live hitters on Thursday. It will be his first time facing live batters since a spring training appearance on March 13th. He will likely need a few sessions like this before the Padres can map out a rehab appearance timeline for him.
Adael Amador is starting at second base and batting ninth for the Rockies on Thursday.
Amador has now started three of the last four games at second base for the Rockies. He’s gone just 7-for-43 this season with 15 strikeouts in 16 games. He’s just 22 years old, so there is plenty of time for him to adjust to the MLB level, but he doesn’t need to be on redraft radars right now.
Jackson Holliday is playing second base and batting second for the Orioles on Thursday against the Twins.
With Cedric Mullins sitting out on Thursday, Gunnar Henderson will bat lead off, and Holliday will jump up from sixth in the order to second. Holliday is riding a hot streak right now, and the Orioles are taking advantage. This is likely just a one-game sample with no Mullins or Adley Rutschman in the lineup, but Rutschman has been struggling, so perhaps it could become a more permanent spot in the lineup for Holliday moving forward.
Endy Rodriguez (finger) had his splint removed this week.
Rodriguez suffered a lacerated right index finger on April 14th. Now that he is out of his splint, he “is playing catch and doing a slightly modified swing.” Once he can progress to taking full swings, we’ll have a better sense of the timeline for his return.