This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
Three series may have ended Saturday, but Sunday offers DFS action with the Guardians hosting the Yankees in Game 4 and New York needing a win to stay alive. Over at DraftKings, you've got $50,000 in salary to divvy out to six players. Your captain earns you 1.5 times the points, but carries an elevated salary. What does an encouraging lineup for Sunday look like? Perhaps the following will help. First pitch is at 7:07 p.m. EDT.
CAPTAIN
Andres Gimenez, CLE vs. NYY ($12,900): I had to go down the list a bit to grab my captain due to the higher salary in order to fit in the next player on my roster. However, Gimenez isn't exactly a consolation prize having slashed .297/.371/.466 with 17 homers and 20 stolen bases. Also, he's not a lefty you have to sweat facing a southpaw out of the pen sincr he posted an .887 OPS in those matchups.
UTILITY
Gerrit Cole, NYY at CLE ($11,400): Pitchers are pricier on DraftKings, but Cole is worth it to me. The Yankees are facing elimination, so they're going to lean on their ace. He had a 3.46 FIP this season, but his career number is 3.12. Cole did strike out 11.53 batters per nine innings this year. The Guardians were a middling offense this year in terms of runs scored, so I'm willing to put it on the line that Cole has a big outing.
Josh Naylor, CLE vs. NYY ($7,000): I'm going with Cole, but still have two Guardians in my stack. The Yankees starter does allow a decent number of long balls – 1.48 per nine innings – though obviously that doesn't keep him from succeeding. Naylor slugged .522 and hit 19 homers against righties, so I still like his potential even against a pitcher like Cole.
Oswaldo Cabrera, NYY at CLE ($6,600): Cal Quantrill is taking the mound for the Guardians. He produced a 3.38 ERA, but with a 4.12 FIP. He also allowed righties to hit .274 against. Cabrera is a switch hitter, so he can attack from the right side of the plate. The rookie also registered a .796 road OPS.
Harrison Bader, NYY at CLE ($6,200): Bader has been surprisingly good this series hitting .273 with two home runs. You also have to consider his base running, as he swiped 17 bags in only 86 games this year.
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, NYY at CLE ($5,800): Kiner-Falefa has the same profile as Bader, but with a higher average and even more base-running prowess. The shortstop has gone .264 during his career, and as noted Quantrill has allowed righties to hit .274 against. Kiner-Falefa has also stolen 20 bases in each of his last two seasons, and stealing second is easier with a righty on the mound.
