What could be our last classic, full roster contest of the season comes Friday at FanDuel, where both Championship series are in action. First pitch comes at 6:08 p.m. EDT. The Brewers are reeling offensively and on the brink of being swept. They're without a highlighted starter and even if they weren't, that option would likely not be preferred for any lineup build. Jose Quintana ($7,500) is expected to be the innings eater.
The Dodgers (-196) are the biggest favorite of the two, while the totals sit at 7.0 and 7.5 runs. Weather is not a factor.
Pitching
Shohei Ohtani, LAD vs. MIL ($8,900): I'm not sure I've seen a more obvious option even on reduced full-roster slates, so I have to believe Ohtani will be massively rostered. Eat the chalk or be different here is your choice. The Brewers have scored three runs in three games on nine hits. Ohtani has worked six innings in each of his last two starts, allowing three runs while fanning 17. A 4x return should be the baseline.
Top Targets
The wrinkle is we can't use Ohtani offensively. Vladimir Guerrero ($3,800) may very well be as chalky as Ohtani on the mound, having homered in consecutive games, bringing his postseason total to five in eight games. Teammate George Springer ($4,000) could make for a lower-rostered pivot. He's hit safely in seven of nine including three homers. He's 2-for-9 against Bryce Miller, but both knocks are homers.
Staying in Seattle, Cal Raleigh ($4,500) is 8-for-17 (.471) with four homers off Kevin Gausman.
Bargain Bats
With the Blue Jays scoring pretty freely throughout the playoffs, they offer top end and bargain options. Nathan Lukes ($2,900) has seven hits in his last five, scoring three and driving in four. His potential spot in the 2-hole makes a stack with the top names above very possible. Ernie Clement ($2,700) has four-position eligibility, a huge bonus on this limited slate. That he's 14-for-31 (.452) only increases interest.
The Dodgers' lineup is so deep, we're not forced to target their stars, who conveniently aren't tearing the cover off the ball. Enrique Hernandez ($2,600) and Tommy Edman ($2,900) stand out. They both come with four-position eligibility. Edman has hits in five straight and seven of eight, and Hernandez has hits in seven of nine, four times collecting multiple hits. Hernandez has better BvP success against Quintana, assuming he's the bulk pitcher.
Stack to Consider
Brewers vs. Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers): Christian Yelich ($3,400), William Contreras ($3,100), Brice Turang ($3,000)
Chris - you can't stack the Brewers and use Ohtani too. You're absolutely correct. Use one of the other two pitchers. Chris - the Brewers have been awful, you've already told us that. Also correct. I'm a single-entry tournament guy and I'm absolutely trying my best to ignore the Brewers lineup all together. But for multi-entry tournaments, you almost have to build one that is heavily focused here for the simple truth that no one else will. There's no form to speak of, and minimal at best BvP numbers, as I can't find where Ohtani has faced this lineup with any frequency. It's simply a play against the grain, that's it. If we're being honest, stacking on a two-game slate isn't necessary and if we ignore or use a one-off Brewer, you're going to have ample mini-stacks from the other three lineups. My preference, but also what's going to be very common in all tournaments. I'd be shocked if Jackson Chourio ($3,500) is able to play after watching him exit last night, so this gives us three top of the order options with the most opportunity to produce.
