Hello and welcome to the first MLB DFS Playbook of the playoffs! We have a 4-game slate on DK and FD on our hands today to kickoff the postseason. We have a 3:08 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 3

MLB Weather Updates

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Minnesota Twins (possible rain)

Recommended DFS Starting Pitchers

Kevin Gausman, Toronto Blue Jays

Gausman had a fantastic season, pitching to a 3.16 ERA and striking out 237 across 185 innings of work. He offers elite upside and probably the second most of anyone on the slate (behind Glasnow). The Twins lineup isn’t anything special, so this is a good spot for Gausman. He also gets the benefit of likely having one of the longer leashes today, which is crucial for playoff DFS. 

Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies

Wheeler had another great year, posting a 3.61 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP with 212 Ks. I love this matchup against Miami as they have arguably the worst offense of any team that made the playoffs. I also love the fact that Wheeler probably has the largest leash of any pitcher today. We some pitchers get pulled in the playoffs as soon as any danger arises, but I would be surprised if Wheeler doesn’t go 5-6 innings at least. 

Sneaky cheap pick: Jordan Montgomery

Recommended DFS Hitters

Favorite Infielders

Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies

Trea Turner had a strong end to the year from August on and ended up with a really nice season stat line with 26 home runs and 30 steals, despite an abysmal start to the year. He has a falre for the dramatics (as we saw in the WBC this year and in last season’s playoffs when he hit .333 with two home runs in four games). He also has six career steals in playoff action. 

Carlos Santana, Milwaukee Brewers

Santana is locked-in right now, hitting .325 with a .997 OPS over his last 10 games. He finished the year with 23 home runs and 86 RBI in what ended up being a big bounce back season for the veteran. Brandon Pfaadt is easily the worst pitcher on today’s slate as he finished his rookie campaign with a 5.72 ERA and 1.41 WHIP while giving up 22 home runs in just 96 innings! The Brewers are the chalk offense of the slate, so just keep that in mind when picking other players. 

Honorable mention: Brandon Belt, William Contreras, Curtis Mead

Favorite Outfielders

Christian Yelich, Milwaukee Brewers

As mentioned in Santana’s section, the Brewers are the chalk on offense today. Yelich is hot right now, hitting .333 with a 1.078 OPS over his last 10 games. He has two home runs and a steal in that span and finished the year with 19 home runs and 28 steals. We got more of a vintage Yelich this season and I wouldn’t be surprised to see that continue in the playoffs. 

Sal Frelick, Milwaukee Brewers

One last Brewer bat. He is very cheap and we are going to need to find some plays like that. He offers some home run and stolen base upside, so there are some things to like here at this price and in this matchup against Pfaadt. All three of Frelick's home runs came at home this year and his OPS was over 100 points higher. He was also much better against righties than lefties this year. 

Honorable mention: Jake Cave, Manuel Margot, Evan Carter, Jose Siri

Player Pool

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Stacks

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