MLB DFS Playbook October 18: Top Plays for DraftKings and FanDuel
Hello and welcome to the MLB DFS Showdown Playbook for October 18! We Game 3 of the ALCS between the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros (Rangers lead 2-0) on our hands today as playoff action continues. We have an 8:03 pm ET start time, so plenty of time to make lineups. Make sure to check out all of our amazing MLB DFS tools as they are always worth going through before building your lineups as are the Vegas Odds. However, as I am sure you have figured out by now, the new playbook will be a one-stop shop that includes everything from easy-to-read player write-ups and suggestions to MLB Weather Reports to lineup construction tips to our best value plays for DraftKings and FanDuel. You will be given core plays around which to build your lineups, DFS stacks to consider for GPP tournaments and key statistics to help you in your DFS research. Let’s dive in!
MLB DFS Playbook October 18
Recommended DFS Starting Pitchers
In Game 1 of this ALCS, I liked both Jordan Montgomery and Justin Verlander. Monty was incredible and JV was very good too. Today, is the opposite, as I don’t love Max Scherzer or Cristian Javier in this one. If I have to pick one, my choice would be Javier.
Cristian Javier, Houston Astros
While Scherzer makes his playoff debut and what will likely be a pitch count restricted start, Javier doesn’t have to worry about limits as much. However, he hasn’t gone over 91 pitches in any of his last six starts, so his pitch count might not be much higher than Max’s in this one. Javier has been pitching well though with at least 12.9 dk points in five straight and at least 22.5 points in three of those. He is also cheaper than Scherzer.
Recommended DFS Hitters
Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros
I can’t stop highlighting Alvarez because he is just that good and fading him is a huge risk. Last game he smacked a pair of home runs and also walked and scored as the cover feature of my last playbook. He is a historic playoff performer and he will most likely have another great game in this one.
Michael Brantley, Houston Astros
Another player that I am going back to the well with after highlighting him in Monday’s playbook. Brantley had a nice game in that one, going 2-3 with a double, walk, and RBI to finish with 12 dk points. It was his third game in his last four with at least 10 dk points. He isn’t a monster upside type guy, but he is cheap and can help fill out a lineup with points.
Carter looked great in the regular season as a rookie, hitting .316 with 6 home runs and 4 steals in 28 games of action and he has looked good in the playoffs. He was amazing at home this year, hitting .321 and averaging 10.3 dk ppg across 10 games, compared to .296 and 8.2 on the road, respectively.
Taveras will likely be a chalky play, but I am fine with eating the chalk here. He is super cheap and he has been incredible in the playoffs. He has scored 11, 10, 5, 19, 0, 19, and 17 dk points in the Rangers 7 playoff games. He has a home run and three steals in the playoffs and he offers upside in both areas and he showed that in the regular season too by posting 15 home runs and 17 swipes.
Honorable mention: Corey Seager, Kyle Tucker, Nathaniel Lowe