RADIO
The playoffs are here! We're going to start with two wild-card games, and they won't be the easiest to breakdown from a DFS perspective. I'll first breakdown the showdown slate, and then touch on the two-game slate that spans both days.
Let's get to it!
Be sure to also check out all the Vegas Odds for today's slate. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for sites like FanDuel, and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @DFSVarney
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Milwaukee Brewers @ Washington Nationals Showdown Slate
There are no pitchers on the showdown slate, so we'll be picking between the two offenses here. With Max Scherzer and Brandon Woodruff on the mound, we'll obviously do our best to get as many Washington Nationals as we can. With that being said, you have to play at least one Brewer to qualify. Let's look at some of the higher-priced plays first. Brandon Woodruff has been a lot worse against lefties, but his xFIP tells us there's not all that much of a difference. In cash games, I still think Anthony Rendon and Trea Turner are your best bets. They both hit righties well and Woodruff doesn't dominate either side of the plate. You then have Juan Soto, who's hit 28 homers against righties and holds a ridiuclous .414 wOBA. I'll be rolling with one of those three as captain in each of my lineups. Adam Eaton should be hitting second and he's pretty cheap over on FD. In cash games, Eaton is a great way to make your lineup work. Victor Robles is a great pivot off of Eaton that will be lower-owned and has just as much upside. Howie Kendrick is only $4k on FanDuel, for whatever reason. If you're looking to pay up for a few guys, Howie Kendrick will be in the middle of the order and is hard to ignore.
If you want to get a little crazy and play some Brewers, you will get relatively low ownership for a showdown slate. I, along with everyone else, expect Max Scherzer to lay the wood on this Yelich-less Brewers lineup. However, Scherzer has always had issues with power and a single home run from one of these guys can break the slate. Trent Grisham stands out if he's hitting leadoff at just $4.5k. If you're able to pay up for your one Brewer, Mike Moustakas and Yasmani Grandal both hit righties well and have home run upside. Keston Hiura is expensive and will be low-owned in turn. In a tournament, I don't hate it. To wrap things up, get as much exposure to these Nationals as you can in cash games. Use Kendrick and Grisham to pay up for at least two of Turner, Soto, and Rendon.
Two-game slate
Max Scherzer - WAS vs. MIL - $11,000
I can't get off of Max Scherzer on this slate against a Brewers team that's missing Christian Yelich. Scherzer has been phenomenal in the playoffs and we know he's one of the more intense players in sports. He'll be up for this game and you can look for him to go 130 pitches if that's what it takes. The Brewers without Yelich are far from a bad lineup, but they move down to 14th against righties in baseball without him. We don't need to harp on how good Scherzer is, but a 10+ K/ and sub .209 wOBA against both sides of the plate tells you enough. All four of these guys are talented arms, but Scherzer stands alone at the top.
Howie Kendrick - WAS vs. MIL (Woodruff) - $2,500
If we’re going to pay up for Max Scherzer, we’ll have to save in a few spots. Howie Kendrick is way to cheap at $2,500 on FanDuel and will be in the heart of the Nats lineup. He’s sported a .385 wOBA against righties on the season and should have at least one or two opportunities with RISP. Brandon Woodruff is by no means a bad pitcher, but the playoffs are a completely different ballgame. Kendrick is a solid salary-saver in both cash games and tournaments.
Yandy Diaz - TAM @ OAK (Manaea) - $3,400
Yandy Diaz just returned from the 60-day IL in perfect time for the Wild Card playoff game. We don’t know exactly how healthy he is, but the word is that he’s 100%. Prior to his injury, Yandy Diaz was a .406 wOBA hitter against lefties and held this lineup afloat against southpaws. We’re expecting Sean Manaea to get the ball here, and he’s always been worse against righties. Diaz is a pivot at third I don’t expect to be very popular.
Marcus Semien - OAK vs. TAM (Morton) - $3,700
Charlie Morton isn’t a pitcher I want to target much, but I don’t mind with a one-off Matt Olson or Marcus Semien. If you look at the peripherals of Morton, he’s actually slightly worse against righties (3.78 xFIP). Marcus Semien is a top-five MVP candidate in baseball and hits righties at a .367 wOBA clip with 26 homers on the season.
Tommy Pham - TAM @ OAK (Manaea) - $3,600
Tommy Pham, Austin Meadows, and Juan Soto all have a case to be made as the top outfielder on this slate. We’ll go with Tommy Pham, who I expect to be low-owned and is a great southpaw hitter (.365 wOBA). Sean Manaea is a solid youngster, but he’s the weakest pitcher on this slate and he’ll likely go just five or six innings in a best-case scenario. The Rays and Nats are the top two stacks.
Adam Eaton - WAS vs. MIL (Woodruff) - $3,000
I’m only mentioning Howie Kendrick and Adam Eaton here for the Nationals, but this is a lineup you can get exposure to anywhere. Trea Turner, Anthony Rendon, and Juan Soto are all great plays in all formats if you can fit them. Eaton is another salary-saver that will be cemented in the middle of this lineup and have plenty of opportunities for peripheral FP’s. If you need an outfielder that’s fairly priced and has plenty of upside, Eaton is your guy.
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