The National League Championship Series features the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers for the second straight season, but this year, things will be different. Both teams have changed significantly over the last year, but can the Brewers derail the Dodgers train this year, or are the Dodgers destined to complete the three-peat? What should be an awesome series gets underway on Sunday, so let’s take a look at the contest from a fantasy baseball perspective and make some Dodgers Brewers Showdown picks.
It should be a great start to the series with a dream pitching matchup of Jacob Misiorowski against Tarik Skubal. Both teams are set up well for success with their bullpens ready to roll behind their Ace. The Brewers took the season series 4-3, including taking three of four games in a series in August at Dodger Stadium. Misiorowski faced the Dodgers once this season in that series, while Skubal faced the Brewers twice, allowing six runs (five earned) in 12 innings.
The Dodgers are very slight favorites on the road at -112 on the moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Brewers are -107 on the moneyline as slight home underdogs, with the game total at O/U six runs.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB Showdown $60K Bat Flip [$20K to 1st] (LAD @ MIL)
Dodgers at Brewers DFS Showdown Strategy
Captain Picks
Tarik Skubal ($17,100 CP) – Skubal posted an impressive 27.1 FPTS in a dominant start against the Braves in the NLDS. He finished the season with a strong September, posting 35.4 FPTS and 38.0 FPTS in two of his last three regular-season starts. He went 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 62 innings after joining the Dodgers in a huge trade at the deadline. Skubal did take a loss to the Brewers during that run but still earned 20.1 FPTS.
Skubal is a little bit cheaper than his counterpart Jacob Misiorowski ($19,500 CP), and he has been working much deeper into game than The Miz. The Brewers have been watching Misiorowski’s workload very closely and typically have a quick hook in the playoffs. Since Skubal will likely work longer in the game and both options bring elite strikeout upside, I’m leaning towards Skubal as the better Captain’s Pick if you want to build around one of the starting pitchers in Game 1.
Jackson Chourio ($12,900 CP) – If you prefer to go with a hitter as your Captain’s Pick in DraftKings Showdown on Sunday night, Chourio is a great option to consider. He had a total of 34 FPTS in the four games against the Padres in the NLDS and started that series with a home run against a lefty.
He’ll start this series against a tough lefty in Skubal, but Chourio is 3-for-9 against Skubal in their past meetings, and against lefties on the season, Chourio hit .333 with a .413 wOBA. He was also especially strong at home at American Family Field, where he hit .313 with a .402 wOBA on the season. Chourio is a solid bat to build around if you don’t think the pitchers can deliver enough value at their elevated salaries.
UTIL Plays
Kyle Tucker ($7,400) – Tucker homered in Game 1 against the Braves and posted 24 FPTS, and he hit safely in each of the four games in the series, going 5-for-15 with a pair of stolen bases as well. While his season was a disappointment overall, he caught fire in the last few weeks of the season, going 20-for-60 (.333) with five homers, two stolen bases, a .449 wOBA and a 13% barrel rate over the last 17 games of the regular season. He’s stayed hot in the playoffs and brings dual-threat potential, making him a strong UTIL option in DraftKings Showdown lineups.
William Contreras ($7,000) – Contreras racked up 46 FPTS in the four games against the Padres in the NLDS with a pair of home runs. He had multiple hits in each of the games in San Diego to close out that series, and throughout the season, he hit lefties well and was much better at home, like Chourio. Stacking Chourio and Contreras against the Dodgers is a strong strategy to consider, wherever you slot them into your lineup.
Andy Pages ($6,800) – Pages had multiple hits in each of the last two games against the Braves to help the Dodgers get back to the NLCS. Despite working his way back from a fractured left hand, he hit .274 during the regular season with 23 homers, 85 RBI, 13 stolen bases and 75 runs scored over 511 at-bats in the regular season. He averaged 8.4 FPTS per game and is one of the top affordable options on the board after a breakthrough campaign.
Fades
Shohei Ohtani ($9,000) – Ohtani is less than 100% as he plays through injuries, and he hasn’t been worth paying up for since returning from the IL. Ohtani’s last home run was all the way back on August 18th, and he has dropped down the Dodgers lineup as well, batting fifth in the NLDS. While he always has raw power potential and the possibility to go yard, he isn’t stealing bases or making contact often enough to be worth paying more for than any other hitter on the slate.
