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After a short but exciting set of Wild Card series earlier this week, the MLB postseason continues on Saturday with four games ready to roll. The four Game 1’s of the Division Series are lined up one after the other in a massive quadruple header of fantasy baseball goodness. The four games are together on the main slate on DraftKings, which gets underway at 1:03 p.m. ET when the first game of the day gets started in Baltimore.
Make sure to keep up with the latest news from multiple sports in the DK Live app and follow DraftKings Network on X (@DKNetwork) for all the latest updates. I’m also on X (@ZT_Sports), where you can keep up with all my picks throughout what should be an outstanding postseason.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]
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PITCHER
Stud
Justin Verlander, Houston Astros vs. Minnesota Twins ($8,900) – The Astros have the luxury of stacking Verlander and Framber Valdez ($9,500) in the first two games of their series against the Twins. Verlander gets the ball in Game 1 and comes at a very good price for a proven playoff contributor. Verlander went 3-1 with a 2.73 ERA, 3.10 FIP and an 8.45 K/9 over his last five starts. He had at least five strikeouts in each of those five outings and totaled 31 strikeouts in 33 innings over that span.
Verlander doesn’t have the massive strikeout upside of Spencer Strider ($11,200), but he finished the season in better form and gets a much better matchup at home against the Twins. Typically, experience matters in the postseason, and Verlander brings that to the slate on Saturday. He has made 34 career postseason starts, including 18 with the Astros after starting Game 1 of the ALDS, ALCS and World Series in their run to the title last year. He is already the all-time leader in postseason strikeouts and will tie Tom Glavine for the second-most postseason starts with this trip to the mound. With the experience and his current form, getting Verlander under $9K is a great way to have the salary you need to get big bats in other spots.
Other Option – Spencer Strider ($11,200)
Value
Kyle Bradish, Baltimore Orioles vs. Texas Rangers ($7,500) – On the other end of the experience spectrum, Bradish demands attention as he makes his first postseason start for the Orioles. The 27-year-old had a breakthrough season, going 12-7 with a 2.83 ERA, 3.27 FIP and 8.96 K/9. He didn’t give up an earned run in any of his three most recent outings, and posted 18 strikeouts in 16 innings while allowing only five hits. He was especially effective at home with a 2.23 ERA. Since the All-Star break, he had a 2.34 ERA, 2.96 FIP and 9.46 K/9, while holding opponents to just a 0.90 WHIP and .187 batting average.
Bradish did face the Rangers twice this year, but both were early in the season. He went a combined 8 1⁄3 innings, allowing one run on five hits with six strikeouts. The Rangers got a great sweep of the Rays, but going to Baltimore and facing Bradish is a tougher task than toppling Texas. Bradish is a great option at this price and makes a great tandem with Verlander as the starters in your Saturday lineup.
Other Option – Merrill Kelly ($7,800)
INFIELD
Stud
Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves ($5,400) – Turner posted double-digit DKFP in both of the Phillies’ two wins over the Marlins, after finishing the regular season hitting .350 with a .443 wOBA and 14 home runs over his final 35 games. Turner stole 30 bases during his 155 games in the regular season and hit 26 home runs. He added two more stolen bases in the Wild Card series and had multiple hits in each of those two victories. He has struggled in the past against Strider, but Turner has been on another level down the stretch and brings a great ceiling due to his potential in both speed and power in Game 1 in Atlanta.
Stud
Ozzie Albies, Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies ($5,200) – Albies returned from injury in late August and got ramped up to full speed by the end of the season. He collected multiple hits in 11 of his final 17 games of the season and hit an even .400 (30-for-75) over that span with eight doubles, a triple, four home runs and a stolen base. Albies averaged 12.9 DKFP per contest over that span and will look to carry that success into this matchup against lefty Ranger Suarez ($6,100). Albies posted a .391 batting average and .433 wOBA this season against southpaws. With sizzling form and strong splits, Albies is a great option at 2B.
Other Options – Austin Riley ($4,900), Max Muncy ($4,600), Christian Walker ($4,600)
Value
Chris Taylor, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks ($3,400) – Taylor has dual eligibility at 3B and OF on this slate, but he regularly moves all over the place for the Dodgers. He was hit on the knee by a pitch in the season finale but is expected to be well enough to play Saturday. While his season-long numbers are pretty uninspiring, he finished the season strong, going 18-for-63 (.286) in his 19 games before the injury, with three doubles, two homers and a .334 wOBA. The Dodgers don’t run a ton but Taylor does bring a little speed to go with his extra-base potential. If he gets the start against Merrill Kelly ($7,800), he’ll be one of the cheaper ways to get a piece of one of the highest-scoring offenses of the day.
Value
Jose Abreu, Houston Astros vs. Minnesota Twins ($3,300) – Abreu struggled awfully early in the season, but the Astros stuck with the veteran, and he turned things around. His .237 batting average for the season is still a huge dropoff, but he did manage to hit 18 homers, which is impressive since he didn’t have a single home run until May 28. Seven of those home runs came in his 26 games since September 1. In those contests, he hit .237 with six doubles, a triple, an impressive 28 RBI and 9.3 DKFP per contest. If you’re going to spend big in the middle infield spots, Abreu is a nice, affordable corner infielder who still brings nice upside.
Other Options – Jeremy Pena ($3,400), Donovan Solano ($3,000), Jordan Westburg ($2,900)
OUTFIELD
Stud
Ronald Acuña Jr. Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies ($6,600) – I’ve been riding with Acuña all season long, and I’m definitely not stopping now that we’ve hit the postseason. Acuña was the ultimate fantasy baseball stud this season, averaging an unreal 13.1 DKFP for the entire year. He finished the year with 41 home runs, 73 stolen bases, 149 runs scored, a .337 batting average and .428 wOBA. Any one of those stats would be impressive, but pulling them all off together made his season truly historic. He’ll look to place a capstone on his great regular season by continuing to find success in the postseason. He has gone 4-for-14 (.286) in his past matchups with Suarez with two doubles and two walks. Like Turner, Acuña brings a high ceiling due to his dual-threat abilities.
Stud
Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros vs. Minnesota Twins ($5,600) – Whether you believe in “clutch” or not, it’s hard not to believe in Alvarez after last season’s impressive October. He went only 10-for-52 (.192), but had three doubles, three homers and 14 RBI. He came up with all the big hits the Astros needed, including two homers to push them past Seattle in last year’s ALDS. Alvarez finished this season with 31 homers, a .293 batting average and a .415 wOBA. He heated up after the All-Star break, posting a .308 batting average and .422 wOBA in the second half. He and the Astros should be able to pile up offense against Bailey Ober ($8,000) and the Twins, and you can build a pretty solid Astros stack with Abreu, Alvarez and a few additional options.
Other Options – Mookie Betts ($6,200), Corbin Carroll ($5,500), Evan Carter ($4,200)
Value
Marcell Ozuna, Atlanta Braves vs. Philadelphia Phillies ($4,100) – Ozuna is a great way to get a higher ceiling while barely paying over $4K. Ozuna finished the regular season with 40 homers and exactly 100 RBI with a .381 wOBA. Seven of those 40 homers came in his final 17 games of the regular season, and he averaged 12.6 DKFP over that stretch while hitting .328 (22-for-67). He hit .301 with a .417 wOBA at home this season, while hitting just .244 with a .343 wOBA on the road. Since he’ll be at home to start the NLDS, he should be in a good spot to keep rolling and get the Braves off to a fast start to their postseason.
Value
James Outman, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks ($3,600) – Outman had a strong first full season in the majors, hitting .248 with 23 home runs and 16 stolen bases. He finished the season with a nice surge, going 11-for-35 (.314) over his final 10 games of the regular season with two homers and a .396 wOBA. He is 4-for-9 (.444) in his past appearances against Kelly and is another affordable way to get some Dodgers exposure in the late game.
Other Options – Chas McCormick ($3,600), Lourdes Gurriel Jr. ($3,500)
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.