This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Thursday features another four-game playoff slate, with the Braves, Astros, Rays and Dodgers all having the potential to clinch their respective series. There are also some arms with spotty track records on the hill and a couple of relievers serving as openers, which puts several bats in good position even as it makes identifying trustworthy pitchers more of a challenge.
Pitchers
Sixto Sanchez, MIA vs. ATL ($9,500): Sanchez displayed impressive poise in his first postseason start in a clinching Game 2 NL Wild Card Series start against the Cubs, posting 33 FD points over five frames. That follows a solid rookie campaign in which he posted a 3.46 ERA, 13.1 percent swinging strike rate and 0.7 HR/9 across 39 innings. Sanchez produced two considerably different results in his pair of meetings with Atlanta this season, allowing four earned runs over three innings in his final regular-season start Sept. 23 after previously working six scoreless innings against them Sept. 8. With the Marlins' season on the line, I like Sanchez to turn in another solid effort.
Julio Urias, LAD vs. SDP ($8,600): Urias gets the call for the Dodgers in a potential series-clinching Game 3 and faces a Padres squad he already posted a quality start against in his one prior encounter with them this season. Urias held San Diego to two runs on a pair of solo homers over 6.1 innings back on Aug. 13, while the Padres finished the regular season with a 25.6 percent strikeout rate and .292 wOBA against left-handed pitching in September (308 plate appearances).
Top Targets
Giancarlo Stanton, NYY vs. TAM ($4,400): Stanton's postseason tear continued Wednesday, when he went deep yet again in a Yankees loss on his way to 25.2 FD points. It marked the fifth straight game in which he's gone deep, and he's compiled 12 RBI during that stretch. Stanton now has six consecutive double-digit FD-point tallies dating back to his last regular-season game, and in a do-or-die spot for the Yankees, he faces an opener in first-time postseason starter Ryan Thompson, who allowed a 1.4 HR/9 in 26.1 innings this season and a .447 wOBA to the 33 righty bats he faced outside Tropicana Field.
Randy Arozarena, TAM vs. NYY ($3,400): Along with Stanton, Arozarena is the talk of the postseason, having homered in three straight games on his way to a 12-for-20 effort in five postseason contests overall. He checks into Thursday's contest with four consecutive multi-hit efforts and tallies of 20-plus FD points, and for what it's worth, his one prior encounter with Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery resulted in a home run. Arozarena also mustered an absurd .591 wOBA versus lefties in a modest sample of 23 plate appearances this season, and his price remains nowhere near reflective of his considerable upside.
Michael Brantley, HOU vs. OAK ($3,200): Brantley sets up well against the Athletics' Frankie Montas on a number of fronts. Brantley posted a .331/.402/.525 slash line against right-handed pitching during the regular season, along with a .398 wOBA. Montas struggled mightily versus left-handed hitters as well, allowing a .350 average, .444 wOBA and 2.4 HR/9 to that handedness over a sample of 116 PAs. Brantley has enjoyed success against Montas, posting a .316 average, .632 slugging percentage, three doubles and a home run over 19 career plate appearances.
Bargain Bats
Willy Adames, TAM vs. NYY ($2,500): Adames enjoyed success against left-handers all season, posting a .319/.396/.596 line with a .417 wOBA, including a .552 wOBA against them outside of Tropicana Field. Montgomery finished the season with a 5.11 ERA and 1.4 HR/9, and he posted a 7.27 ERA in his 17.1 innings outside Yankee Stadium. He also struggled in opposite-handed matchups, surrendering all seven of the homers he allowed and a .338 wOBA to right-handed hitters.
Matt Joyce, MIA vs. ATL ($2,300): Joyce is likely best suited for large-field tournaments, but he makes for a low-risk option in a good matchup against Atlanta starter Kyle Wright, who surrendered a .288/.402/.521 line, 6.79 FIP and .393 wOBA in 87 PAs against left-handed hitters this season. Joyce posted a .292 average, .395 OBP and .360 wOBA against right-handed pitching outside of Marlins Park this season in a sample of 76 plate appearances, and his salary offers you considerable flexibility elsewhere in your lineup.
Stack to Consider
Yankees vs. Thompson + multiple relievers: DJ LeMahieu ($3,900); Aaron Judge ($4,300); Aaron Hicks ($3,100); Stanton
Thompson is a rookie making his first playoff start, and although he doesn't figure to be in the game long, the Yankees are undoubtedly a team that can inflict plenty of damage in just an inning or two, even as a couple of the pieces in this stack have struggled in this series.
LeMahieu is actually a respectable 4-for-14 with a couple of walks over the first three games against the Rays, but all his hits have been singles. However, he belted all 10 of his homers during the regular season off righties and produced a .355/.413/.600 line against that handedness, and he also hit .318 with a pair of homers in 10 games against Rays pitching this season. Judge continued to struggle in Wednesday's Game 3, and the fact he's in a deep funk could potentially cause him to be a bit less popular on DFS rosters than usual. However, his upside remains sky high, and he finished the regular season with a .372 wOBA and .276 ISO against right-handed pitching -- along with even better .383 and .360 figures in those respective categories against southpaws -- making him a dangerous matchup for whatever pitcher he faces. Finally, the switch-hitting Hicks has a couple of hits and a walk in five career plate appearances against Thompson and posted a .351 wOBA against right-handed pitching this season.
ALSO CONSIDER: Dodgers vs. Luis Patino + multiple relievers: Mookie Betts ($4,200); Corey Seager ($4,000); Justin Turner ($3,200); Cody Bellinger ($3,900)
