The four MLB Wild Card series continue on Wednesday, with the quartet of Game 2’s getting underway at 2:00 p.m. ET in Atlanta, where the Braves are looking to become the first team to advance. The White Sox, Yankees and Padres will also look to win and move on in their games later in the day, while the other four teams will look to force a Game 3 for Thursday. With eight teams in the player pool, there are plenty of options to consider as you make your MLB DFS Picks today. The season could come to an end for some teams, while others will look to continue their playoff surge into the Division Series. It should be another great day of baseball with plenty of playoff drama!
The weather looks cooperative across the four venues, with the highest run total on DraftKings Sportbook at only 7.5 since pitching is so strong in the playoffs. The White Sox-Astros and Cubs-Padres games each have totals of 7.5, making those the more favorable places to look for offense. As always, even in the playoffs, it’s always important to double-check lineups leading up to the first pitch before locking in your final roster.
Make your DraftKings MLB DFS picks here: MLB $150K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Hunter Brown, Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox, $8,700 — Brown and the Astros will look to avoid elimination, and the 28-year-old righty has looked the part of a true ace coming down the stretch as the Astros battled for the AL West division crown. Brown allowed two runs or fewer in seven of his last eight starts, compiling a 2.47 ERA and 2.76 FIP. He totaled 57 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings over that span, averaging 20.5 FPTS per outing.
Brown faced the White Sox during that stretch and allowed two runs on six hits over six innings in a win that earned him 22.7 FPTS. He had back-to-back 10-strikeout games against the Braves and Royals coming down the stretch, showing his ceiling with 30.2 and 28.2 FPTS in those two outings. He wasn’t as dominant in his most recent start, which was against the A’s, but he has a strong opportunity to deliver a gem on Wednesday and keep the Astros’ season alive.
Value
Nick Pivetta, San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs, $7,500 — Pivetta and the Padres came into the postseason red-hot, and they dominated with an 8-0 win on Tuesday night in the series opener. Pivetta gets the ball on Wednesday in the late game, and he will look to continue his momentum from the end of the season after missing almost five months of action due to a flexor strain in his forearm. He returned and made four starts in September, going 2-0 with a 1.45 ERA and 3.05 FIP. He threw 87 pitches in his last start of the regular season, spinning 4 2/3 shutout innings against the Dodgers and earning 20.9 FPTS in the no-decision.
Pivetta may not get extremely deep into the game, but he has playoff experience, going 1-1 with a 2.89 ERA and 23 strikeouts over 18 2/3 innings in his four playoff outings. Last year with San Diego, he had nine strikeouts in five innings against the Cubs in Game 3 of the Wild Card series. This year, he’ll pitch Game 2 of the series and hope to get his team to the next round to face the Brew Crew.
INFIELD
Stud
1B/OF Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves, $5,200 — Schwarber has 23 homers in his 74 career postseason games, and he always brings a high ceiling due to his power potential. He hit 45 homers during the regular season to tie for the MLB lead, and he hit five of those homers in his last 21 games of the season.
In Game 1, Schwarber had 7 FPTS by going 1-for-3 with a walk. He’ll be in a better matchup in Game 2 against righty Tyler Mahle ($6,500). Mahle has been very good since joining the Braves, but Schwarber is 6-for-25 with a pair of homers against him in their past meetings, and the veteran lefty hit 30 of his 45 regular-season homers against righties like Mahle this season.
Value
2B Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies, $3,500 — On the other side of the early game, Albies is a great value to consider since he is in a favorable spot against lefty Cristopher Sanchez ($9,700). Albies is 9-for-18 (.500) with three doubles and a walk against Sanchez in their previous meetings, and the 29-year-old switch-hitter typically hits lefties better than righties. This season, he hit .272 against southpaws with a .311 wOBA.
His average slipped to only .237 on the season, but he did hit 22 homers, his best power output since 2023. He struggled in September of the regular season, but he got the playoffs off to a good start with 18 FPTS in Game 1, going 1-for-2 with a triple, a walk, an RBI and two runs scored. Albies is an affordable option for MLB DFS Picks today at only $3,500, but he has nice upside based on matchup and his playoff experience.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs, $5,900 — Tatis started off the Wild Card Series against the Cubs in emphatic fashion.
The Padres superstar added a single, a stolen base and two more runs scored to rack up 28 FPTS in the series opener. He has come up huge over and over again for the Padres as they surged into the postseason, and he has produced 13+ FPTS in five of his last eight games, averaging 16.1 FPTS per game.
In his 23 regular-season games in September, Tatis hit .337 with eight homers, seven stolen bases and a .451 wOBA. He had a 15.1% barrel rate and 54.8% hard-hit rate during that stretch, and he’s clearly locked in and seeing the ball extremely well. He has a very high ceiling as a dual-threat producer, and he makes sense as a pay-up play in the outfield for Game 2.
Value
Spencer Jones, New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox, $3,300— Jones didn’t start in Game 1 of the Wild Card series against lefty Payton Tolle, but he’ll probably be back in the lineup against righty Sonny Gray ($8,500) in Game 2. The big rookie lefty produced plenty of power in his rise through the minors, hitting 35 homers last year in 116 games in Double-A and Triple-A. He hit 11 homers in his 86 games in the MLB this year, with a solid .323 wOBA.
Over his last 15 games, Jones averaged 9.0 FPTS per game by going 15-for-59 (.254) with two homers, nine RBIs and one stolen base. He had a 54.1% hard-hit rate and 16.2% barrel rate over that stretch, and he puts up great contact numbers when he puts the ball in play. He did have 22 strikeouts in those 15 games as well, though, so he remains a boom-or-bust option at the plate. For DFS, though, his upside is very intriguing at only $3,300, since he can help round out your lineup and give you a high ceiling in addition to extra salary to spend in other spots in your MLB DFS picks.
