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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 10/5/20. Nicklaus Gaut's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Two! Two-game slate! Ahh...Ahh...Ahhh! I love to count and play DFS! I also have two small children and obviously watch way too much Sesame Street. Let's talk about gambling instead.
With limited options today, I'll do things a little differently and make my picks more general, as opposed to building one lineup. I think all of the pitchers are playable and consequentially don't love a ton of hitters. This means I'm more likely to make different lineups for most of the possible pitcher combinations and then make my stacks from their teams. Let's get to it.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 10/5/2020. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like FanDuel, and other sports too.
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DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Lance McCullers Jr. - SP, HOU at Oakland Athletics ($7,600)
There's always the heavy chalk of Gerrit Cole but I'm much more inclined to favor McCullers in a matchup with an Oakland offense that's been consistently average versus right-handed pitching all season. After posting a 104 wRC+ and .318 wOBA vs. RHP in 2020, the A's kept it up to end the season, with a 101 wRC+ and .313 wOBA over the final two weeks of the regular season, with a 24.1% K%. McCullers is making his first start of the postseason after finishing the regular season locked in, scoring 81 total points in his final three starts.
DraftKings DFS Infielders
Gary Sanchez - C, NYY vs LHP Blake Snell ($4,400)
Full disclosure, Sanchez isn't guaranteed to start and is unlikely to be behind the plate with Gerrit Cole pitching. But if he does, I'm firing him up. Because while I don't put a lot of stock into BvP data, sometimes the numbers are too silly to ignore. Like Sanchez being the definition of "three true outcomes" in his 26 PA facing Snell: 5 HR, 7 BB, 11 K. There's certainly the chance he could choose just one outcome and go o-for-4, with 4 K but I'll take a low-owned risk on the big fly outcome.
Matt Olson - 1B OAK vs RHP Lance McCullers Jr. ($4,400)
While I like McCullers, I won't be avoiding all of Oakland's lineup. And Olson is a great play today, given that the other options at first base aren't very appealing. Olson only has a .317 wOBA vs RHP this season but had a .400 wOBA against them in 2019 and at least has a 15.3% BB% in 2020, making a goose egg less likely. His 42.1% FB% against righties is still above-average and his 44.4% Hard% and 92.1 average EV are even more so. And while I expect more of their damage to come against Houston's bullpen, Oakland sneakily has the highest total (4.3) of the four teams.
Tommy La Stella - 2B/3B OAK vs. RHP Lance McCullers Jr. ($4800)
LaStella is the other Oakland player I love, both in terms of expected production and likely ownership. With a cheaper Jose Altuve available, I don't think LaStella will be the second basemen of choice and while I do like McCullers, LaStella has dominated RHP all season, with his 90.2% contact-rate giving him a pretty high floor, in my eyes. It's not just slap-hitting, either, as he has a .374 wOBA and 40% hard-hit rate vs RHP, with a 46.3% FB%.
Alex Bregman - 3B, HOU at RHP Chris Bassitt ($4,500)
Bregman's bound to be good again, right? After hitting 41 HR in 690 PA in 2019, Bregman hit just 6 HR in 180 PA this season, with two of the home runs coming in the final week of the season. That's...not great. But I'd rather roll with him over the more expensive (and likely more popular) D.J. LeMahieu. As bad as he's been, Bregman still has an elite walk-rate vs RHP (13.3%), with a 46.3% FB%, and 41.3% hard-hit rate.
Gleyber Torres - SS, NYY vs LHP Blake Snell ($4,600)
Torres had a disappointing 2020 but has started the playoffs hot, going 5-for-10 in New York's two wins over Cleveland, with a three-run home run. He only has a .335 wOBA vs LHP this season but also has a below-average strikeout-rate (14.6%) and above-average walk- and contact-rates (14.6% BB%, 84.5% Cont%). And facing righties, Snell mostly relies on a fastball/changeup combo, along with around 15% curveballs. In his career versus LHP, Torres has a .463 wOBA (52.7% Hard%) vs fastballs and a .382 wOBA (45.3% Hard%) vs changeups.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Michael Brantley - OF, HOU at RHP Chris Bassitt ($3,900)
Year after year, Brantley just keeps putting up steady numbers, finishing 2020 slashing .300/.364/.476 with a .362 wOBA and 134 wRC+. Or, virtually the same numbers he's put up for the three years prior. He's kept in up in his two playoff games, scoring eight and 12-points, respectively, putting up points with a little bit of everything. Brantley is set to bat third and has a .393 wOBA vs RHP this season, with an 86.3% contact-rate, all for under $4K.
George Springer - OF, HOU at RHP Chris Bassitt ($5,400)
From a cheap Houston outfielder to the most expensive, I'm willing to pay up for Springer. He didn't do much in the series versus Minnesota, going 1-for-9 with one run and one RBI, but consistently hit RHP for power in 2020, posting a .260 ISO over 175 PA. Bassist mostly attacks RHB with a variety of fastballs (4-seam, sinker, cutter) and Springer crushes heaters, posting a .410 xwOBA and .314 xBA against them in 2020.
Kyle Tucker - OF, HOU at RHP Chris Bassitt ($4,100)
We complete the Astros outfielder trifecta with Kyle Tucker, who has arguably been Houston's fantasy MVP in 2020. Like his aforementioned teammates, Tucker crushes fastballs (that Bassitt uses a total of 62% against LHB), with a .390 wOBA and .574 SLG against them in 2020. Early ownership is showing Tucker being the lightest-owned of the Astros trio but his price and ceiling make him one of my favorite plays.
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