This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
This World Series is shaping up to be a classic, with the wild finish to Game 4 standing as one of the craziest final plays in any baseball game I can remember. We've been blessed with at least two more games between these clubs and at least two more daily fantasy contests.
As a reminder, FanDuel's single-game contests are different from their setup for a typical multi-game slate. Your lineup will contain six players, all of whom must be hitters. The positions of those hitters do not matter. One of those hitters will be designated as your "MVP" and will earn double points. Another is designated your "Star" and will earn 1.5 times his point total. You must select at least one player from each team, but you're under no obligation to select more than one. This column will highlight a few high-priced players worth considering for the MVP spot as well as a few bargains to round out your lineup.
MVP Candidates
Corey Seager ($8,500): Both starting pitchers Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow are among the most intimidating matchups in the league and there's not much to separate them, so you could certainly lean either way with your lineups. I'm leaning towards the Dodgers despite Kershaw's long history of mediocre playoff performances, in part because his 2.88 ERA this postseason crushes Glasnow's 6.08 mark and in part because the Rays' bullpen has been tasked with throwing 10.1 innings over the last two days. Seager has been out of his mind during the playoffs and will get the platoon advantage against Glasnow, making him a strong MVP choice. He's hitting .344/.431/.803 with eight homers and 18 RBI in 16 games after posting a .307/.358/.585 with 15 homers in the regular season. This is another level of performance than the shortstop had produced in the past, but it's not as if we should be completely caught off guard when a former top prospect goes from very good to great in his age-26 season.
Justin Turner ($8,000): Turner won't enjoy the platoon advantage here, but he's been on a tear recently and earns a spot over the more expensive - but obviously still rosterable - Mookie Betts. Turner has gone 8-for-18 with six extra-base hits at the plate during the World Series and has hit a first-inning homer in each of the last two games. He's hitting .279/.366/.525 in 16 postseason games after compiling a .307/.400/.460 line over 42 regular-season contests, both of which are good for a 140 wRC+. Durability questions are the main thing holding back Turner's season-long fantasy valu, as there's really no concern about his ability to hit when healthy, so there's no reason to believe he'll cool off any time soon.
Randy Arozarena ($8,000): Arozarena will be a very popular MVP choice for those building a Rays-based lineup, but it's quite hard to argue for anyone else. The only Tampa Bay regular who finished within two points of his 11.58 FanDuel points per game this season is the left-handed Brandon Lowe, who makes for an unappealing choice with the platoon disadvantage against Kershaw. Arozarena has arguably been the top story of the postseason, hitting a ridiculous .377/.449/.841 with nine homers in 18 games. That's one more than his career total of eight homers in 42 regular-season contests. He was considered a decent prospect though nowhere near this good, but with little sign of the run slowing down anytime soon. And with a lack of alternatives on the Rays with Arozarena's kind of power potential, it's hard to look any other way.
Bargain Bats
Max Muncy ($7,000): Muncy managed a mediocre .192/.331/.389 slash line during the regular season, only good for a 100 wRC+. The Dodgers clearly believe he's better than that, as they've continued to bat him cleanup during the postseason. To his credit, Muncy has managed a far better 152 wRC+ in the playoffs. And while that's been more due to a very high on-base percentage than an outburst of power, his .245/.444/.434 slash line is hard to complain about. Muncy will get the platoon advantage against Glasnow and could certainly hit his third homer of the postseason against the righty, who's allowed a 2.7 HR/9 during the playoffs after giving up 1.7 HR/9 during the regular season.
Yandy Diaz ($5,500): Diaz has looked subpar in limited action this postseason by hitting .156/.372/.156 in 43 plate appearances. But getting the guy who leads off against lefties for such a reasonable salary is hard to pass up in this kind of contest. Diaz looked quite good in the regular season by hitting .307/.428/.386 (good for a 138 wRC+) in 34 games with considerably more walks (23) than strikeouts (17). He's been excellent against lefties over his career by hitting .290/.396/.445 and his ability to get on base at a high clip should be key for whatever rallies the Rays manage against Kershaw.
Mike Brosseau ($4,500): While adding a likely leadoff man for $5,500 is hard to pass up, putting in a presumed number three hitter for just $4,500 looks even better. Brosseau has been used as a lefty-masher by the Rays over the last two seasons, and it's not hard to see why as he's crushed southpaws to the tune of a .313/.350/.589 career slash line in 120 plate appearances. He already dispatched one homer against a dominant lefty this postseason, beating Aroldis Chapman in Game 5 of the ALDS to send the Rays through to the next round. Tonight, he'll be looking to add a bomb off the greatest lefty of the generation to his resume.
