MLB World Series DFS Showdown Playbook: Houston Astros vs Philadelphia Phillies Game 1
Houston Astros vs Philadelphia Phillies
Total: 6.5
Moneyline: Astros -168
It’s time! The MLB World Series kicks off tonight with Game 1 action! The Phillies will send Aaron Nola to the mound while the Astros will counter with Justin Verlander. This has the look of a pitcher’s duel and, as you can see above, the Astros are pretty big favorites.
Don't forget to check out the MLB lineups page before locking in MLB daily fantasy lineups. Plus, use the MLB daily projections, our MLB DFS Optimizer, and the rest of our MLB DFS lineup tools before setting your lineups. Now let's look at our MLB DFS top picks for Friday, October 28.
Captain/MVP
Justin Verlander, Houston Astros
JV had a monster year, going 19-4 with a 2.00 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and 199 strikeouts across 185 innings of work. He faced the Phillies once this season and carved right through them, tossing five no-hit, shutout innings with 10 strikeouts in a win (scoring 34.7 dk points).
Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies
JV is the chalk play at MVP, but Nola has a good case himself too. He had a 3.24 ERA on the year with a 0.97 WHIP and 253 strikeouts across 222.1 innings. He was slightly better on the road with a 3.17 ERA, compared to 3.32 at home. He faced the Astros once this year and was dominant, firing 6.2 shutout innings with nine strikeouts in a win, finishing with 35.8 dk points.
Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros
Alvarez is slashing .325/.413/.600 over his last 10 games with two dingers, five doubles, and 16 total R+RBI. He had a 1.031 OPS at home this season, compared to .955 on the road (both are incredible though, obviously).
Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
The NLCS MVP is locked in right now, slashing .450/.463/.975 over his last 10 games with FIVE home runs, six doubles, and 20 total R+RBI; averaging 14.3 dk ppg in that span. He slashed .329/.391/.566 on the road this year, compared to .265/.347/.541 at home.
Utility
Jeremy Peña, Houston Astros
The ALCS MVP is also on fire right now, slashing .349/.364/.767 over his last 10 games with FIVE dingers and 19 total R+RBI. He was much better at home this season, slashing .272/.301/.473, compared to .232/.273/.397 on the road.
Chas McCormick, Houston Astros
McCormick has been ballin’ lately, slashing .321/.424/.571 over his last 10 games with two home runs and seven runs scored. He had an .806 OPS at home this season, compared to .705 on the road.
Yuli Gurriel, Houston Astros
Gurriel has been performing very well, slashing .333/.350/.487 over his last 10 games with two home runs and a stolen base. He was slightly better at home this season and his price tag is extremely cheap.
Martín Maldonado, Houston Astros
Maldonado is starting behind the dish for Game 1 and he is a nice punt play at a super cheap price (cheapest starter in the game tonight). He had 15 home runs this season, so there is a bit of upside with him (albeit not much).
Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies
Schwarber is who he is, a bad hitter who hits bombs. He had 47 dingers this season and he has three over his last 10 games (despite hitting just .226 in that span). I would NOT have him in my lineup tonight if entering just one lineup, but he is worth having exposure to in multi-entry.
Nick Castellanos, Philadelphia Phillies
Castellanos is one of the only Phillies who was better on the road this season than at home as he slashed .269/.309/.383 away from Philly, compared to .251/.295/.382 at home. I don’t see him having super high ownership tonight and his price tag isn’t too shabby,
Jean Segura, Philadelphia Phillies
Segura is the only player with a solid amount of BvP data today and he is a solid 4-14 (.286) with a home run against Verlander in his career. He provides a little pop and a little speed upside at a cheap price.
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.