Daily Fantasy MLB Baseball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and Starsdraft 10/15/15

Well the Rangers-Jays game was something huh? That seventh inning alone is one for the ages (not necessarily in a great way) and MLB saved itself a great deal of hassle when the Jays pulled out the win. Now we head to game five of Mets-Dodgers while also getting ready for Toronto to head to Kansas City. Should be fun.

If you're new to the playoff picks, I'll be giving you one play per position to whet your appetite. You can also grab a free trial of the projection system that makes these picks possible. Your free trial also includes access to our NFL and NHL tools - so get started today!

Pitchers

Jacob deGrom - FD 10600 DK 11900
Opponent- LAD (Greinke) R Park- @Lad
I think for cash games on this super short slate you are really only considering two pitchers: Greinke or deGrom. On FanDuel, the play seems obvious, getting deGrom at a significant discount from Greinke even though he is the money line dog. I'm willing to take the risk there considering the other two probable pitchers for the KC/Tor game (Estrada and Volquez) are so, so much worse than these two other guys. For me, deGrom is a clear price play. He has clear K upside and controlled LA in the first game. On DraftKings it's a little closer where I'd be willing to hedge with Greinke considering the two are closer in price. This should be an awesome Game Five.

Catchers

Salvador Perez - FD 2400 DK 3400
Opponent- Tor (Estrada) R Park- @KC
As you are going to catch on pretty quickly, I'm avoiding the Dodgers/Mets game at all costs from the offensive side of the ball. This of course assumes Estrada and Volquez are the pitchers. It changes some if say, Price, is named the starter. Perez went 4-14 in the last series with two home runs. And while I don't use those small sample sizes as a way to project future performance, it's at least nice to see some of the power there. He, like some of his Royals' teammates, is coming very cheap and in a fine enough situation. A nice way to save for the bigger arms.

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First base

Justin Smoak - FD 2800 DK 2700
Opponent- KC (Volquez) R Park- @KC
I think he will see the start against the righty Volquez in this one and offers a great chance to save a few dollars as these kinds of cheaper price options don't always come around this time of year. Smoak didn't play games 2-5 against the Rangers because Texas rolled lefties in four straight games. If the righty is on the mound, I think Smoak gets the nod. He's a better hitter against righties for his career and seems to be the platoon the Jays run out there. I love getting this kind of savings in an offensively prolific lineup with two expensive pitchers going.

Second base

Ben Zobrist - FD 3200 DK 4000
Opponent- Tor (Estrada) R Park- @KC
You knew these picks were going to be heavy on the Royals. Zobrist is a guy I would play almost independent of the Blue Jays' starting pitching situation. He's hitting second in the lineup, won't completely break the bank on you and is super safe based on his batter profile. Zobrist's walked more than he's struck out on the season which is remarkable. Few batters pull this off over the long term. He adds just enough power for some upside and I don't see another way to go at second if you are looking for a higher floor.

Shortstop

Alcides Escobar - FD 2300 DK 3400
Opponent- Tor (Estrada) R Park- @KC
This is what I wrote about Escobar the other day and I think most of it sticks the rest of the way through the playoffs.
...I'll happily take Escobar's price tag from the leadoff slot. I've said a 1,000 times over the course of the year that Alcides has no business hitting leadoff for this, or any, team. But the Royals don't care about stuff like stats and whatnot, so there's Alcides and his .293 OBP "setting the table" for KC. He's free and the plate appearance expectation is enough to play him at a generally weaker offensive position.

Third base

Justin Turner - FD 3200 DK 3500
Opponent- NYM (DeGrom) R Park- @Lad
While I hate the game from a hitter perspective, Turner is one guy I could see playing if you need to A: fill out a DK lineup in which you need players from three different teams, or have lower salaries on FD in general. This mostly has to do with the position being a weaker one unless you are paying all the way up for Donaldson, which is awfully tough. Turner crushed righties this season to the tune of a .904 OPS and 153 wRC+. He was dominant in this split. I hate the matchup of course, but you will probably need to get a little bit of money into this game because of the constraints and Turner, from the middle of the order, is fine enough.

Outfield

Ben Revere - FD 2800 DK 4000
Opponent- KC (Volquez) R Park- @KC
From the leadoff slot, Revere has a super high floor if he can just find his way on base. When you have Donaldson, Bautista, Encarnacion rolling behind you, just getting to first base could be all you need to do in order to hit value at these prices. And he did just that in the series against Texas, getting on base at a .333 clip (solid for this point in the year). I think his price is basically must start on FD though it gets a little closer on DraftKings.

Jose Bautista - FD 4400 DK 5100
Opponent- KC (Volquez) R Park- @KC
On FanDuel he's coming the cheapest of Toronto's big three and isn't priced completely out of contention if you save in a couple of other slots throughout your order. Look, I don't need to make some grand case for why you'd play Joey Bats on any slate. He's a bat-flipping beast and if there is room and enough flexibility to get him in the lineup, then you need to do it. He beasted for a .900 OPS this season, walked more than he struck out (maybe it isn't so hard?) and hit righties better than lefties. If I am paying up for anyone, he's the guy.

Consider Alex Gordon on the cheaper side of things.

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