After four sweeps in the Wild Card round of the 2023 MLB Playoffs, we move to the Divisional Series, where we have four great series to not only watch, but place some wagers on! However, as we look at today's MLB playoff action specifically through the lens of MLB player props on Underdog Fantasy, I find myself backing Evan Carter of the Texas Rangers, and going against Merrill Kelly of the Diamondbacks taking on the Dodgers, their divisional foe. These two make up my best bets of the day, and my favorite MLB player props for Game 2 of the Wild Card round. Our MLB daily projections and MLB Batter vs Pitcher page will help uncover the best matchups for MLB player props, best bets, and MLB DFS lineups for today’s playoff action. Without further ado, let's dive into my top MLB player picks on Underdog Fantasy for Saturday, October 7th.

 

Evan Carter, Texas Rangers - HIGHER than 7.5 Fantasy Points

If you didn’t know about Evan Carter before the Wild Card series against the Rays, you most certainly do now! Carter posted a .339 ISO and 1.058 OPS in the last month of the regular season, and he has impeccable plate discipline for a 21-year-old player. In the series against the Rays, Carter was a fantasy points machine, as he went 3-for-4 with one home run, two doubles, two RBI, two runs scored, one stolen base and three walks! He is willing to take the base on balls, and hey, that gives us fantasy points! Baltimore’s Kyle Bradish was excellent in 2023, and even more so in his home park (2.23 ERA), but I’m buying into Carter continuing to ride the momentum from his impressive Wild Card round. In the regular season, Carter posted a .365/.469/.769 slash line with a .404 ISO and 225 wRC+ against right-handed pitching, not to mention a .913 OPS and .211 ISO away from his home park. Can we get a base hit or two, with a run scored or RBI, and maybe mix in a walk or stolen base? I think so, and that, my friends, pushes us above the 7.5 fantasy points line. Walks being three points on Underdog Fantasy is a sizable boost for a guy like Carter.

Merrill Kelly, Arizona Diamondbacks - LOWER than 27.5 Fantasy Points

I think Kelly is walking into a very rough spot this evening. Since the calendar flipped to September, the Dodgers have the fourth-lowest strikeout rate against right-handed pitching, while posting an impressive .288 average, .802 OPS, and 121 wRC+. Kelly’s 4.07 ERA on the road pales in comparison to his 2.59 ERA in his home park, and he has to face a Dodgers team that is very familiar with him. He’s faced the Dodgers four times this year, where he has completed five or fewer innings in all but one of those starts, and across 20.1 IP, he has an 11.8 percent strikeout rate (4.9 K/9), 14 percent walk rate, and 1.97 WHIP. To reach this fantasy points line, he’ll need a bump from either a quality start, racking up the strikeouts, getting the win, or keeping the Los Angeles offense for 5+ innings, and I’m not sure any of those scenarios happen tonight. I like the Dodgers offense to put up some runs today, especially with the top part of that offense, as there are some impressive BvP numbers against Kelly in this Dodgers offense, including…

 

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