DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Monday 10/5/20

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Pitchers

Gerrit Cole FD - P 10900 DK - SP 8600
Opponent - TB (Blake Snell) Park - TB
FD - 44.23 DK - 25.04

While Cole wasn't as dominant as he was in his final season with the Astros, he has been terrific in a shortened 2020 season helping the Yankees to the ALDS. He ended up holding opponents to two or fewer earned runs in eight of his 12 starts adn while he only did it once in three starts against the Rays he did strike out 36% of batters in that sample size. That K upside is what I am concentrating on in this matchup as the Rays struck out 27% of the time on the season and over 30% of the time over the past two weeks. The Yankees are -120 favorites to win the series and -140 favorites to take game now and Gerrit Cole is my fav pitcher to build around today in all formats.

Chris Bassitt FD - P 8700 DK - SP 8100
Opponent - HOU (Lance McCullers Jr.) Park - OAK
FD - 31.42 DK - 16.23

There is most definitely a case to be made for jamming both pitchers in the Yankees/Rays game as Snell is massively underpriced as an underdog. The other path and direction I am going is with a pitcher from both games to maximize on the win points. While not nearly as much K upside(21%) Bassitt has a solid season going 5-2 with a 2.29 ERA and was terrific in an elimination game against the White Sox holding them to one earned run over seven innings. I like the A's to win this series and it starts with game one on Monday.

Catcher/First Base

Yuli Gurriel FD - 1B 2700 DK - 1B 3600
Opponent - OAK (Chris Bassitt) Park - OAK
FD - 8.71 DK - 6.67

This is a very tough slate to dissect but, for the most part, I will be focusing on the Astros/A's for bats. This pick is not for those with a weak stomach as Yuli was pretty terrible this season but does present a nice discount and on a two-gamer which we are going to need, especially if loading up on Cole.

Also Consider: Matt Olson(OAK) as a boom or bust play with big power upside or Luke Voit(NYY) if paying up and going against Snell 

Second Base

Tommy La Stella FD - 3B 3100 DK - 2B/3B 4800
Opponent - HOU (Lance McCullers Jr.) Park - OAK
FD - 10.25 DK - 7.87

Almost by default, the A's are my top offense to target as the ALDS kicks off on Monday. The trade for La Stella provided huge when Matt Chapman went down and since coming over hit .289 in the regular season and was solid in the wildcard round picking up a hit in each game. He also occupies the leadoff spot leading to plenty of opportunities and is one of my top overall plays on the slate.

Also Consider: DJ LeMahieu(NYY) who walked away with the batting title hitting .364 and also has six hits in 14 at-bats against Snell

Shortstop

Marcus Semien FD - SS 3500 DK - SS 4200
Opponent - HOU (Lance McCullers Jr.) Park - OAK
FD - 10.91 DK - 8.3

I mentioned the A's as my favorite offense above and if you are going with La Stella in the leadoff spot it makes sense to pair him with Semien in the two-hole. He went hitless in game one vs. the White Sox but was a key contributor in the comeback in games two and three as he went 3 for 8 with a double and home run. The matchup vs. McCullers isn't great but one thing we can take away here is that he was about 640 points worse on the average(.253) and 40 points worse on the wOBA(.338) against righties.

Also Consider: Carlos Correa(HOU) who is cheaper on both sites and picked up three hits in two wildcard games 

Third Base

Gio Urshela FD - 3B 3500 DK - 3B 4200
Opponent - TB (Blake Snell) Park - TB
FD - 8.32 DK - 6.4

It is very tough to target this game with two aces on the mound so going cheap is the route I will be taking. Not that Urshela has a rock bottom price but he is the 9th most expensive Yankees bat on Draftkings and 5th most expensive on FanDuel. He went 3 for 9 in the wildcard round which included a huge grand slam in game two when the Yanks were down three runs. With all the injuries in 2020, he got some added playing time and was instrumental in the team's success as he finished the season with a .365 wOBA and 133 wRC+ across 174 at-bats. He is in play in all formats today.

Also Consider: JoeyWendle(TB) who came into the postseason red-hot with hits in eight straight and 12 of his last 13. Tough matchup but some salary relief which is tough to find today

Outfield

Michael Brantley FD - OF 3200 DK - OF 3900
Opponent - OAK (Chris Bassitt) Park - OAK
FD - 9.46 DK - 7.24

While there are some big sluggers in the outfield today, I love the mid-range price tag on Brantley who hits third in the Astros lineup. Despite all the cheating talk, Brantley was one of the most solid Astros bats this season as he put together another .300 season and also finished with a 134 wRC+. That success carried over into the wildcard round as he had two hits and two RBI in game one and then two walks and two runs scored in game two. At these prices, he is one of my top PTS/$ plays at any position on Monday.

Also Consider: George Springer(HOU) at the top of the Astros order and Ramon Laureano(OAK) as long as he doesn't charge the Astros bench

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