Fantasy Baseball Picks Today: Top DraftKings MLB DFS Targets, Values for October 23

Monday night will be the final night of the MLB season that features multiple games on the same night. Game 6 of the NLCS gets underway at 5:07 p.m. ET in Philadelphia followed by Game 7 of the ALCS at 8:03 p.m. ET from Houston. The two-game featured slate on DraftKings is sure to be loaded with plenty of drama as teams look to move on to the World Series, which gets underway on Friday night. Let’s take a look at who you should be considering for your DFS lineups.

Set your DraftKingsfantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $80K Relay Throw [$20K to 1st]

PITCHER

Stud

Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks ($8,700) – Nola will face Merrill Kelly ($8,300) in a rematch of Game 2, which the Phillies won, 10-0. Nola went six shutout innings and allowed just three hits to get the win in that contest, producing 29.7 DKFP. He had similar run support in each of his first two starts in the playoffs as well, beating the Braves, 10-2, and the Marlins, 7-1. Each of those wins also earned him over 20 DKFP, and he has reached that level in each of his five most recent outings dating back to the regular season.

During the regular season, Nola went 12-9 with a 4.46 ERA and 4.03 FIP. He had several stretches of success but also hit a few rough patches. One consistent thing, though, was that he was always a much stronger play at home. He posted a 3.29 ERA and 3.40 FIP at Citizens Bank Park, where he also had a much better strikeout rate and averaged 21.5 DKFP per start. At home, Nola has been strong enough to stand out as the best SP option on this slate. Over the last two seasons, he has proven he can step up in big games like this one, so he brings strong current form and a proven postseason track record to this matchup as well.

Value

Cristian Javier, Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers ($7,300) – The cheapest of the four starting pitchers taking the mound on Monday still brings plenty of upside. Javier started Game 3 of the ALCS against the Rangers in Texas and went 5 ⁄₃ innings allowing three hits and two runs with three strikeouts and 16.4 DKFP. He has the potential to be even better as he showed in his two earlier starts in October, allowing just four hits in 11 shutout innings and earning 22.5 and 29.1 DKFP.

Javier has gone 6-1 in his 16 postseason games with a 2.08 ERA, 3.94 FIP and an impressive 12.46 K/9 rate. While some of those outings were out of the bullpen, he’s no stranger to the big stage and has usually come up large for the Astros in key moments. In his four career postseason starts, he is 4-0 with 26 strikeouts in 22 innings. Javier is $1,000 cheaper than Kelly, but I actually would prefer Javier over both Kelly and Max Scherzer ($8,500), even if his salary wasn’t a consideration. The fact that he also brings more cap space to spend on big bats makes him an even stronger play as he looks to help the Astros get back to the World Series for the third straight season.

INFIELD

Stud

Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks ($5,900) – Harper went 2-for-4 with a home run in Game 5 to earn 26 DKFP and help the Phillies secure their 3-2 lead coming home with two chances to win and get back to the World Series. Harper has been on fire in the postseason for the second straight year. He has five home runs in his 11 playoff games while going 12-for-35 (.343) with 12 walks and three stolen bases. He is averaging 14.0 DKFP per game so far in the postseason. This looks like a matchup to lean into Philly’s left-handed power hitters since 11 of the 20 homers allowed by Merrill were hit by lefties, who posted a .301 wOBA against him. Harper is also on the strong side of his own splits at home against a righty. During the regular season, 15 of Harper’s 21 homers came at The Bank, where he posted a .352 batting average and a .450 wOBA.

Stud

Jose Altuve, Houston Astros at Texas Rangers ($5,600) – Altuve has posted double-digit DKFP in four straight games in this series after going 2-for-5 on Sunday with his first stolen base of this postseason. He is 12-for-44 (.273) in the playoffs this year with two doubles, three homers and an average of 9.8 DKFP per contest. With his potential for both power and stolen base production, he always brings a high ceiling, and he definitely has shown a tendency to step up in the biggest spots like this Game 7.

Other Options – Trea Turner ($6,000), Alex Bregman ($4,600), Ketel Marte ($4,500)

Value

Mitch Garver, Texas Rangers at Houston Astros ($3,500) – Garver was the Rangers’ hero in Game 6 on Sunday night, going 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and 26 DKFP. He has been stepping up throughout the playoffs as the team’s primary DH and has gone 9-for-31 (.290) with two doubles, two homers and 10 RBI in his eight games in the playoffs. He has averaged 10.4 DKFP per contest in the postseason and is a nice way to fill your catcher spot affordably while still getting offensive potential.

Value

Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona Diamondbacks at Philadelphia Phillies ($3,000) – At some positions, the four expected starters are clustered together, but at SS Perdomo comes $3,000 cheaper than two other options. He offers huge savings if you need them to pay up in other spots, and he still brings plenty of upside himself. The 24-year-old averaged 6.0 DKFP per game in the regular season, collecting exactly 100 hits with six homers, 16 stolen bases and a solid .319 wOBA. In the playoffs, he has two homers, including one that helped Arizona eliminate the Dodgers. Overall, he has gone 6-for-29 (.207) in the postseason with four extra-base hits, a stolen base and an average of 5.8 DKFP per game. His spot at the very bottom of the order actually leads to run-scoring chances since when he’s on base it’s the big bats that come up just after him. While playing Trea Turner ($6,000) is a great option at SS, pivoting to Perdomo saves significant salary space that you can then invest in other key spots.

Other Options – Josh Jung ($4,000), Bryson Stott ($3,900), Gabriel Moreno ($3,300)

OUTFIELD

Stud

Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers ($6,300) – Alvarez has continued to prove throughout this postseason that he’s one of the best clutch hitters in baseball. He has multiple hits in each of the last five games of this series, averaging 15.2 DKFP per game. Overall this postseason, he has averaged 15.7 DKFP per game by going 17-for-39 (.436) with six home runs, 14 RBI and a .571 wOBA. Alvarez hit 25 of his 31 homers in the regular season against righties with a .436 wOBA in the split. Any time he’s not in a lefty-lefty matchup, he deserves strong consideration, and he has gone 4-for-8 (.500) with a home run in his previous matchups with righty Max Scherzer.

Stud

Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks ($5,000) – Schwarber continues to add to his impressive playoff resume this postseason. He has 20 career playoff home runs and has smashed five home runs in the five games of this series while going 7-for-17 (.412) with five walks, five RBI and a double. He has averaged 18.8 DKFP per game in this series and homered twice against Kelly in Game 2. Like Harper, he had strong splits against righties and at home this season, so he’s another key left-handed bat to build around in Game 6 against Kelly.

Other Options – Adolis Garcia ($5,200), Evan Carter ($4,300)

Value

Michael Brantley, Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers ($3,200) – Brantley missed most of this season due to injury but the 36-year-old veteran has made meaningful contributions in the playoffs. He has gone 5-for-23 (.217) with a double, a home run, four walks and even a stolen base. Brantley has gone 20-for-56 (.357) with three home runs in his career against Scherzer, and if he hits second as he did in Game 6, he will bring outstanding value from a key run-producing spot in the Astros’ lineup.

Value

Leody Taveras, Texas Rangers at Houston Astros ($3,100) – Taveras has been an excellent value all postseason, and he is still just over $3K for this matchup in Game 7. In his 11 games in the playoffs, he has gone 10-for-36 (.278) with a double, triple, home run and four stolen bases to average 8.7 DKFP. He has slowed down in the last couple of games, but the switch-hitter still brings a high ceiling for a cheap play in this contest.

Other Options – Brandon Marsh ($3,100), Alek Thomas ($2,800)

Set your DraftKingsfantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $80K Relay Throw [$20K to 1st]

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.