Schedule
Rangers at Astros, ALCS Game 2, 4:37 p.m. ET
Diamondbacks at Phillies, NLCS Game 1, 8:07 p.m. ET
Weather Report
It will be a smidgen on the cold side in Philadelphia with a very slight chance of rain, but both games should be played without issue.
Injury Report
Brandon Woodruff -- shoulder: It’s not relevant to the LCS, but it is big news. Woodruff underwent surgery to repair the anterior capsule in his right shoulder, and he’s expected to miss most -- if not all -- of the 2024 season. When healthy, the right-hander has been one of the best pitchers in baseball, but now the question is if Woodruff has thrown his last pitch as a Brewer since he’s not signed past the upcoming season. Either way, he won’t provide very much fantasy relevance in 2024, if any.
Top Priced Starting Pitchers for Main Slate (DraftKings)
Wheeler and Gallen are the headliners and are big reasons why both teams are just four wins away from the World Series. In his two postseason starts thus far, Wheeler has allowed three runs with a sensational 18/1 K/BB over 13 frames, while Gallen has pitched well in both of his postseason starts while picking up wins.
Wheeler makes more sense as a DFS play because he’s much more likely to miss bats, and the Phillies do have home-field advantage.
It’s a little surprising that Eovaldi is cheapest, but part of that is the Rangers won Game 1 and Houston is the favorite to even the series. That said, he’ll be in my DFS lineup. No pitcher in this postseason has impressed me more. The right-hander has yet to walk a batter while striking out 15 in his starts against the Orioles and Rays, and his 1.32 ERA doesn’t really tell the story of just how dominant he’s been. Considering his postseason track record and how well he pitched earlier this year, there’s evidence this isn’t just smoke and mirrors.
Rangers vs. Astros (Valdez)
- C Mitch Garver: $3,600
- 2B Marcus Semien: $5,300
- 3B Josh Jung: $4,100
- OF Leody Taveras: $3,100
One thing that gives me a little bit of hesitancy for using the Rangers -- outside of the fact that Valdez is really good -- is this will be the first time this postseason they face a left-handed starter. They were fine against southpaws in the regular season (.788 OPS compared to .790 against right-handers), and I think there are some things to exploit here. Potentially, anyway.
Valdez walked three batters in his shaky start against Minnesota in the ALDS, and the Rangers have patient hitters who can take advantage of self-inflicted damage.
The lineup
- P Eovaldi: $7,800
- P Wheeler: $8,700
- 1B Christian Walker: $4,600
- 2B Semien: $5,300
- 3B Jung : $4,100
- SS Pena: $3,300
- OF Taveras $3,100
- OF Nick Castellanos $4,100
- OF Kyle Schwarber $4,500
I’m relying heavily on the Phillies and Rangers, as I think those are your two winners. I do get a piece of both the Astros and D-Backs with Walker and Pena, but I don’t want to see too much damage done against my starters.
I like Castellanos and Schwarber to put together strong games against Gallen, and while I hope it’s kept to a minimum -- strictly for financial purposes -- both Walker and Pena have a good chance for solid games.
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