MLB DFS Playbook October 8: Top Plays for DraftKings and FanDuel
Published: Oct 08, 2023
Welcome to day two of the American League Division Series! We had all four division series kick-off yesterday but have just the American league games happening today, with the Baltimore Orioles looking to bounce back after losing game one at home against the Texas Rangers and try to get the home-field advantage back. The Minnesota Twins will try to claim one against the Houston Astros after falling just short yesterday in game one. This gives us a two-game main slate on both DraftKings and FanDuel that will be starting at 4:07 PM EST. We have some great pitchers taking the mound with Jordan Montgomery, Grayson Rodriguez, Pablo Lopez, and Framber Valdez. 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, but let’s dive into today’s MLB DFS playbook to help build some winning lineups today!
MLB DFS Playbook October 8
MLB Weather Updates
Doesn’t look like we should have any weather concerns today.
Recommended DFS Starting Pitchers
Jordan Montgomery, Texas Rangers
Jordan Montgomery threw a gem in his first playoff game, throwing 7 shutout innings against the Tampa Bay Rays with 5 strikeouts. I think he delivers once again today against the Baltimore Orioles, and while I do think the Baltimore Orioles have a great chance of taking this game today, I have a feeling it will have to come against the Texas bullpen and not against Jordan Montgomery.
Honorable Mention: Pablo Lopez
Recommended DFS Hitters
Favorite Infielders
Jorge Polanco, Minnesota Twins
Jorge Polanco put up two hits along with a homer in game one against the Houston Astros. While Framber Valdez is a great pitcher he has still had his struggles, and I think the Twins come out strong today and take game two from the Astros, with Polanco continuing to deliver solid offense for them.
Josh Jung has looked fantastic in the last couple of games. In his last two games, he has two doubles, a triple, and a homer. With Grayson Rodriguez getting his first career postseason start, I think he can manage to keep this game close for the Orioles, but I still see this Rangers offense putting up a few runs against him today, with Josh Jung adding to his great last few games as well.
Honorable mention: Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis, Alex Bregman
Favorite Outfielders
Evan Carter continues to have an incredible postseason especially considering he only just joined the big-league club a month ago. In his first three postseason games, he has reached base 9 times including 3 doubles and a homer. While his price has risen with his good performance, I still think it is worth it with how he is performing.
Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros
Yordan Alvarez just always seems to deliver in the postseason. He smashed two homers in the Astros first postseason game last night and I think the only way he doesn’t add some more big hits today is if the Twins get smart and just quit pitching to him. He is extremely dangerous and one of the best bets to crush another homer today.
Honorable mention: Adolis Garcia, Anthony Santander, Michael Brantley
Player Pool
| $ Tier | SP | C | 1B | 2B | 3B | SS | OF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High |  Jordan Montgomery  $9,800 |  Ryan Mountcastle $3,100 |  Jose Altuve $4,000 |  Royce Lewis $4,300 |  Corey Seager $4,500 | Yordan Alvarez $4,200 | |
| Adolis GarcÃa $3,800 | |||||||
| Evan Carter $3,800 | |||||||
| Medium | Pablo López $9,500 | José Abreu $3,000 |  Jorge Polanco $3,000 |  Alex Bregman $3,600 | Gunnar Henderson $3,700 |  Anthony Santander $3,500 | |
| Chas McCormick $3,300 | |||||||
| Low | Ryan Jeffers $2,700 | Donovan Solano $2,800 |  Adam Frazier $2,500 | Josh Jung $3,300 | Carlos Correa $3,300 |  Michael Brantley $2,900 | |
 Austin Hays $2,900 | |||||||
| Leody Taveras $2,900 |
Stacks
| Twins | Ryan Jeffers | Royce Lewis | Jorge Polanco | Carlos Correa | Donovan Solano |
 DraftKings | 3400 | 5900 | 4400 | 3600 | 2900 |
| Fanduel | 2700 | 4300 | 3000 | 3300 | 2800 |
| Astros | Chas McCormick | Jose Altuve | Alex Bregman | Kyle Tucker | Yordan Alvarez |
| DraftKings | 3900 | 6000 | 4900 | 5500 | 5800 |
| Fanduel | 3300 | 4000 | 3600 | 4100 | 4200 |
Player News
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.