This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Thursday's Yankees-Guardians rainout gives us a larger than usual six-team slate Friday. As of Thursday evening's submission, only Atlanta hadn't made their pitching plans known, and that's a big omission. If Charlie Morton goes, he gives a cheap option with postseason success, but he's struggled against the Phillies this year. If Spencer Strider gets the nod, he'll likely be more expensive, and there will be questions about his workload after an oblique injury kept him out for a month. He's also dominated the Phillies, however, and we were able to target him early in the year even without an innings upside.
Pitching
Aaron Nola ($10,800) headlines against Atlanta, and the divisional matchup means plenty of familiarity. He's faced them five times this season; two of those starts resulted in one combined run between them, while the other three yielded a total of 13. That volatility tells me he's not worth the top price.
I like Shane Bieber ($10,400) for GPPs, as I don't think he'll be highly-used as we never target the Yankees. His adversary Nestor Cortes ($9,700) is the preferred arm of this slate, however. The Guardians don't strike out much at just 20.7 percent, but they have no thump against lefties, boasting a .104 ISO to go with a .285 wOBA and 84 wRC+. Cleveland has scored four runs in three postseason games, while Cortes has recorded 111 FanDuel points across his last two starts. It's a pretty obvious spot, but with minimal at best below him due to bad matchups and/or questionable innings potential, he's a necessary evil.
Top Targets
Manny Machado ($4,200) has been dialed in all season and has reached base seven times in the Padres first five playoff games, homering twice. The rest of this lineup hasn't been superb, so he makes for a great anchor.
Bryce Harper ($4,200) looks to be emerging from his post-injury funk. He's 6-for-11 with a homer across his last three games and is showing a willingness to do whatever it takes to help win, including bunting against shifts. If you're a BvP guy, he gets a boost if Morton throws for Atlanta, as he's 10-for-24 (.417) with a homer, seven RBI, six walks and a 1.183 OPS.
Bargain Bats
We can thank Dodger manager Dave Roberts for announcing his intentions, allowing us to pick a few cheaper bats to highlight. Chris Taylor ($2,600) and Trayce Thompson ($2,400) are going to start. They aren't in top-of-the-order spots, and could easily be lifted for left-handed bats when Blake Snell is taken out, but we know they have initial opportunities.
We know regular season DFS doesn't lean on BvP numbers, but with both National League series featuring divisional matchups, there's some familiarity. I say that knowing some of these options don't have tremendous history. Trent Grisham ($2,300) is 4-for-10 off of Tony Gonsolin with a homer and homered twice against the Mets prior to a 1-for-6 start this round. J.T. Realmuto ($3,300) carried his team with Harper out during the second half, and while he hasn't homered off of Morton, he's 10-for-31 (.323), creating a nice floor.
Stack to Consider
Braves vs. Phillies (Aaron Nola): Ronald Acuna ($4,000), Matt Olson ($3,900), Austin Riley ($3,500)
It probably doesn't get much more contrarian than not only fading the slate's top arm but stacking against him. We noted the feast or famine potential of the Atlanta lineup above, however, and this stack offers a combo of solid form, BvP success and upside while being priced down due to poor recent form. Acuna comes with a little risk after being plunked in the elbow Wednesday, but he's 4-for-7 in the series and is hitting balls hard. He's also 13-for-36 (.361) with four hours, four doubles, seven walks and a 1.271 OPS off of Nola. Riley isn't seeing it well, having homered just once since September 19, but he's also enjoyed facing Nola to the tune of an 18-for-42 (.429) mark with three homers and a 1.229 OPS. Olson is just 3-for-15 off Nola with a homer, but he's 3-for-6 in the series with three walks, three runs and four RBI. We know this trio will hit atop the order, giving them the most chances at run production.
