Welcome to the Fantasy Alarm MLB DFS Playbook for Thursday, October 9th! It's time for some playoff baseball! Nothing better than MLB DFS playoff contests!

Let’s start the week on the right foot with some winning lineups today. We have a 2-game main slate in store for us this afternoon on DraftKings and FanDuel starting at 6:08 PM ET. Today, we have plenty of talent on the diamond and many different ways to build your lineup. Our expert analysis is here to guide you through the top pitchers, value plays, and stackable offenses to target.

Whether chasing big GPP prizes or grinding cash games, we’ve got you covered with insights tailored to today’s matchups. Let’s jump right into the key plays and strategies to dominate the slate!

 

This season's MLB DFS picks and playbook will consist of a pitcher and hitter core players section with written analysis, player pool grid and core stacks section.

The core player section should be used as a starting point for all lineups, you may not be able to use all players in the same lineup, but those players should be the building blocks for you on a given night.

The player pool grid will feature both players from the core player section along with additional plays to help you build a complete lineup. The grid will be broken into top priced players, mid-priced players and value tier players.

The stacks section will bring you are favorite lineups stacks for the day and which players we would look to include in those stacks based on matchups and pricing.

Make sure you subscribe to the Fantasy Alarm YouTube channel so you never miss a show! Also, join the Fantasy Alarm Discord to get your DFS lineup questions answered by our MLB DFS team! Plus, as always, be sure to check in with our MLB DFS Tools, with the Daily MLB Projections, MLB DFS Rostership Projections, and our MLB DFS Lineup Generator when building those lineups today to help you decide which players you should be targeting.

 

MLB DFS Picks & MLB Playbook

MLB Weather: Thursday, 10/9

 

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers

Let's get into today's core pitching plays for our DFS lineups

Core MLB DFS Pitchers

Cristopher Sanchez, Philadelphia Phillies

Only one time since August 30th has Cristopher Sanchez failed to reach 20 FP and he was still over 15 DKP in that start. He's an ace. He's pitched like it all year and with the Phillies on the brink of elimination, they have the right guy on the mound.

Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers

The ceiling is there for Freddy Peralta, especially in this matchup with the strikeout upside he has. He had nine punch outs in Game 1 and has beaten the Cubs a bunch this season. The Cubs have been a top-10 offense against righties over the past month, but they have a 23.1% K-rate over that span.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles Dodgers

Can Tyler Glasnow pitch deep enough into this game and can he control the ball, those are the two primary questions when it comes to Tyler Glasnow. He can be as dominant as anyone, but if he can't command the ball he also might not get out of the second inning. It's 50/50.

 

 

Recommended MLB DFS Hitters

Let's check out today's core plays to build our lineups around.

Core MLB DFS Hitters

Ranking My Top Stacks below;

1. Milwaukee Brewers

In their first meeting, the Brewers got to Matthew Boyd early and often and Boyd has struggled mightily since the All-Star break. He had a 2.34 ERA before the break and a 4.63 ERA after it. The righties here are what we want.

Prioritization here should be Jackson Chourio, Andrew Vaughn, William Contreras, and Caleb Durbin. I'm definitely good tying a stack together with Christian Yelich and Brice Turang.

2. Philadelphia Phillies

The Dodgers are sending Tyler Glasnow to the mound for his first playoff start of the year and in his one relief appearance, he didn't throw many strikes. The Dodgers bullpen is also quite poor, so if/when the Phillies get to the bullpen, that's not a bad thing either.

We saw life from the Phillies big three of Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper in Game 3. J.T. Realmuto is an elite fastball hitter and righties have crushed Tyler Glasnow's fastball this year. Max Kepler has had a good series and Bryson Stott is a solid final piece to a stack, too.

3. Chicago Cubs

Despite Freddy Peralta's fastball rating as his best pitch, there are some expected numbers suggesting he's been a bit lucky and the Cubs are a REALLY good fastball hitting team.

Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, Kyle Tucker, and Pete Crow-Armstrong all have a .200 ISO or better against righties. Peralta has been worse against righties this year, so Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson are in play too.

4. Los Angeles Dodgers

This is a tough spot to like. They're facing a pitcher in Cristopher Sanchez who is dominant and is dominant against both splits. The hope is getting to the Phillies bullpen that isn't Jhoan Duran. 

It's hard to think about a Dodgers stack that doesn't include Shohei Ohtani, but it's a tough lefty-lefty spot. The players in better spots are Teoscar Hernandez, Enrique Hernandez, Mookie Betts, Tommy Edman, and Will Smith if he cracks the lineup for a second consecutive day.

Player Pool

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Stacks

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