This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
How quickly things can change. On Tuesday night, the Phillies couldn't stop hitting home runs. On Wednesday, they were no-hit by a collection of Astros. Now it's time for Game 5 on Thursday, which will see one of these teams take a 3-2 lead in the series.
For FanDuel contests, you get $35,000 in salary to spend on five players. Your MVP gets you double the points, while your Superstar gets you 1.5 times the points. Here's my lineup for a pivotal Game 5.
MVP
Kyle Tucker, HOU at PHI ($8,000): The Astros are starting Justin Verlander, who may have struggled in Game 1 but is probably going to win the Cy Young. Meanwhile, the Phillies are going with a bullpen game led by Noah Syndergaard. Thus, I am leaning on Astros. Tucker is one of the best Houston hitters on the road, posting an .866 OPS in those games. While he is a lefty, a southpaw reliever doesn't spell doom for Tucker. Since 2020, he has an .802 OPS versus lefties.
SUPERSTAR
Kyle Schwarber, PHI vs. HOU ($8,500): Schwarber is an elite power hitter. He smashed 46 home runs this season to lead the National League. On top of that, he had a .900 OPS versus righties. Verlander was great this year, and has been great for a while, but like a lot of modern ace pitchers he allows a decent number of homers. Prior to this season, he allowed over one home run per nine innings every year from 2016 through 2020.
UTILITY
Alex Bregman, HOU at PHI ($7,000): Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez have both scuffled in this postseason, but I am comfortable going with Bregman. I prefer to have Astros since the Phillies are going with a bullpen game, and it's better to have a righty in those matchups. Bregman is a right-handed batter who prefers to face righties, as he had an .881 OPS in those matchups.
Jeremy Pena, HOU at PHI ($6,500): Pena was the MVP of the NLCS, and while he's slowed down, he still has the benefit of hitting second for the Astros. That positioning in the lineup benefits him and gives him DFS upside. He did also have 22 home runs and 11 stolen bases in his rookie campaign.
Chas McCormick, HOU at PHI ($5,000): McCormick fits into the salary-cap space I had left. Also, if a lefty comes into the game, it'll really boost the center fielder's potential. This season, McCormick had a .972 OPS against southpaw pitchers.
