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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on October 18th, 2022 for the Divisional Series. Mark Kieffer's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
It is Tuesday, October 18th, 2022 and we have an incredible two-game slate today! The Guardians and Yankees game was postponed last night due to the weather and they are making up their pivotal Game 5 tonight, while the Phillies and Padres open up their seven-game National League Championship Series tonight.
This article has daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 10/18/2022, Main Slate at 4:07 pm Eastern Time. The lineup will range from some elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. The main slate is four games on DraftKings and FanDuel.
You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports. It's also essential to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, find me on Twitter @Mark_Kieffer and ask away!
DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Zack Wheeler- P, PHI @ SD ($8,200 DK, $10,700 FD)
On DraftKings, he is the least expensive pitcher on the slate and to me is a lock to be in my lineups. His 3.06 xFIP is second best on the slate, his 3.19 SIERA is the best on the slate, and his 26.9% strikeout rate is also the best on the slate. I also think because this is Game 1 of a series, Wheeler is going to have a longer leash to stay in the game than any of the Cleveland or New York pitchers.
Nestor Cortes- P, NYY vs. CLE ($8,600 DK, $9,700 FD)
On DraftKings, we have to play another pitcher. He might be the safest pitcher on the slate. Yes, his xFIP is the highest on the slate a 3.64 but he has the best matchup. Against LHP, Cleveland's wRC+ is just 84, which is 27th in the league. They are right in the mix with Oakland, Los Angeles Angels, Arizona, Pittsburgh, and Miami. Not great company to be kept with. Cortes also has a 26.5% strikeout rate, which is second best on the slate.
The Yankees are strong favorites (-175), and Cleveland has the lowest implied team total (3.1 runs). So while Cortes looks like the worst pitcher on the slate in a vacuum, he has the best matchup.
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Alec Bohm 3B, PHI vs. Yu Darvish ($3,500 DK, $2,600 FD)
Alec Bohm is virtually the same price as Josh Donaldson on both sites. Bohm is more of a cash play for me as he is striking out just 8.3% of the time in the postseason and 17.4% in the regular season. Donaldson is more of a GPP play for me as he is batting in the offense with the highest implied total but has a 25% strikeout rate in the postseason and 27.1% strikeout rate in the regular season. Donaldson has a .153 ISO while Bohm's is just .111 this year. In general, if I am not paying up for Jose Ramirez, I want to punt here.
Gleyber Torres- 2B, NYY vs. TBD ($4,300 DK, $2,800 FD)
Gleyber Torres is likely to lead off in the lineup with the highest implied total on the slate. On FanDuel, it's a no-brainer at that cost. On DraftKings, if I needed salary savings, I would punt down to Oswaldo Cabrera at $3,300 as he is the cheapest second basemen. If I did that, I'd consider playing Donaldson as well at third for some correlation.
Amed Rosario- SS, CLE vs. Nestor Cortes ($3,900 DK, $3,200 FD)
On DraftKings, there are only three options: Amed Rosario, Bryson Stott, and Ha-Seong Kim. Rosario has a .344 wOBA against LHP so he gets the edge here. You could make an argument for any of the three though.
Josh Bell- 1B, SD vs. Zack Wheeler ($3,300 DK, $2,800 FD)
Anthony Rizzo has the most upside and is the most expensive. Bell is the least expensive that is available on both sites (Wil Myers is the cheapest 1B on DK and your punt option for savings). I also like Jose Trivino on FanDuel at $2,200 if playing some of those bottom-of-the-order players for the Yankees.
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Harrison Bader OF, NYY vs. TBD ($2,800 DK, $2,800 FD)
Small sample size, but Bader is playing well in the postseason with a .643 ISO. There is a lot of upside for the price. If there's too many Yankees in your lineup, Trent Grisham at $2,700 on DK and $2,300 on FD is also a decent punt option.
Oscar Gonzalez- OF, CLE vs. Nestor Cortes ($3,700 DK, $2,500 FD)
Oscar Gonzalez has been the hero for Cleveland before and they will need him tonight. His wOBA and ISO are better against RHP than LHP, but because so many of the top OF options are in the $4k-$6K range, Gonzalez comes off as a pretty good value on both sites, especially on FanDuel.
Aaron Judge- OF, NYY vs. TBD ($6,400 DK, $5,000 FD)
He's very expensive and hasn't had a good postseason. At the same time, on a slate where the Yankees should be the highest-scoring team, how can I not recommend him?
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
- New York Yankees - Don't overthink it here if playing small stakes. The Yankees have the highest total and to me are the most likely to be the best stack. I can get a Yankees 1-5 stack in my lineup with Wheeler and Cortes without an issue. If playing in a large field tournament, I would consider changing up my Yankees stack. Perhaps include more batters from the bottom of the order, or something like that.
- Everybody Else - Darvish/Wheeler/Cortes will be the most popular pitchers and because their pricing is close, I am not sure if one runs away with ownership. If one of those three pitchers blows up, whoever has that stack is going to win the GPP. Philadelphia has a lot of upside in their lineup, especially home run upside, so that would be my lean. Because they have the second-lowest implied total, and they are expensive, I am not sure whether people will roster them as much as they should.
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