This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
We made it to the beginning of October and to the end of the MLB regular season. Of course, the DFS action continues in the playoffs, so be sure to keep looking for lineup suggestions. Even if your team isn't going to be playing beyond Sunday – and as a Tigers fan, I can commiserate – you can keep playing DFS. Every game Sunday effectively starts at the same time, so we have 15 games with the first at 3 p.m. EDT. Here are my recommendations.
Pitching
Eduardo Rodriguez, DET vs. CLE ($9,400): Pitching options are unsurprisingly a bit odd and in a few places unclear with the regular season concluding. The Tigers, though, I can envision throwing Rodriguez out there as they would with any other start. After seven innings of shutout ball in his last outing, he has a chance to end the season on a high note at home against the Guardians. Cleveland will finish in the bottom-five in runs scored and comfortably last in home runs.
Michael King, NYY at KC ($8,000): King pitched well out of the bullpen last year and that earned him a shot at starting. And he's done well over his last five appearances with a 1.30 ERA. The Royals managed to climb out of the bottom-five in offense, though 23rd is their absolute ceiling while finishing 29th in winning percentage.
Reid Detmers, LAA vs. OAK ($7,300): The Rotowire starting pitching grid has Detmers slotted for the Angels' final start, and it would be his day to do so. He's also the best healthy pitcher they still have. Detmers' overall 4.48 ERA isn't great, but he's posted a 2.41 across seven starts. The Athletics, of course, will finish the year as the worst team in MLB. So if there were ever a chance to finish the season with a win, this is it.
Top Targets
When all is said and done, the Padres will have the peripherals of a team that can feel like they were unlucky to miss out on a Wild Card. Juan Soto ($5,500) certainly can't be blamed for the lackluster end results with a .409 OBP alongside 35 homers, 12 stolen bases and a 1.023 road OPS. For the fifth straight season, Jose Urena will finish with an ERA over 5.00 while lefties have hit .326 against since 2021.
With a team like Atlanta - i.e. onw with nothing to play for with the playoffs looming - we are left to wonder just who plays Sunday. As such, setting out to stack Atlanta hitters might prove perilous, though an individual recommendation offers less risk. Michael Harris ($4,300) has racked up 18 home runs and 20 steals, so he could potentially claim his first 20/20 season if things go well. Facing Jackson Rutledge will help make that happen with a 6.00 ERA through three starts and lefties going .414 against.
Bargain Bats
A lefty is starting for the opposition and a World Series ring is the reasonable endgame for his team, so I expect Chris Taylor ($3,900) in the lineup as the Dodgers get primed for the postseason. He hasn't played a lot of late, yet he still has 15 homers, 16 stolen bases, and a .792 OPS against lefties. Kyle Harrison has really struggled since the Giants called him up with a 5.67 FIP across six appearances having allowed 2.43 homers per nine innings.
Debuting the same year he was drafted, Nolan Schanuel ($3,900) has been a fascinating performer so far holding a .402 OBP with absolutely no power as his .330 slugging percentage shows. However, he's at least slugged .426 at home. JP Sears also has an interesting profile, and it isn't his 5.05 FIP. No, it's the fact he's a lefty who's let lefties bat .310 against during his career.
Stacks to Consider
Cardinals vs. Reds (Hunter Greene): Paul Goldschmidt ($5,100), Jordan Walker ($3,700), Andrew Knizner ($3,000)
Greene has perhaps the most-electric fastball of any MLB starter. He's a strikeout machine. When the righty gets hit, he really gets hit. Greene has produced a 4.71 ERA and has allowed 1.60 homers per nine innings. Within his last seven outings, he's had an outing where three went deep and another with five. The Cardinals have a real "Waving the white flag" lineup going these days, yet I still wanted to go with a stack. Righties have also hit .275 against Greene, so I went that route.
Goldschmidt, like his team, fell well short of expectations in 2023, but he still has a .363 OBP to go with 25 home runs and an .841 home OPS. As a rookie, Walker has struggled with lefties, though he's posted an .803 OPS against his fellow right-handers and carries an .813 at home. Knizner is getting time at catcher, and he's responded with 10 homers in 69 games. He's recorded a .728 OPS against righties and plays a position with a low floor for offensive production.
Twins at Rockies (Chase Anderson): Max Kepler ($5,100), Edouard Julien ($4,800), Michael Taylor ($3,200)
Anderson is going to finish with an ERA over 5.00 for the fourth season in a row, and this is his first with the Rockies! In fact, he's posted a 7.20 on the road in 2023, though obviously it's still enticing to stack against him at Coors Field. The Twins have a chance to pad their stats before the playoffs.
On a team with limited power, Kepler's 24 homers and .484 slugging percentage stand out. And as a lefty, he's unsurprisingly produced a .491 slugging percentage versus righties. The rookie Julien has an .882 OPS against righties. While he's been better at home, Coors Field makes up for that discrepancy. Taylor has accumulated 21 homers to go with 13 steals. I wanted one righty in the mix as right-handed hitters have batted .296 against Anderson since 2021.
Reds at Cardinals (Miles Mikolas): Spencer Steer ($5,200), TJ Friedl ($4,500), Noelvi Marte ($3,700)
Mikolas provides a different sort of opportunity to Greene, but still an enticing one. The righty is the inverse of a "three true outcomes" pitcher as he allows as few walks as any starter and largely keeps the ball in the park while also striking out a mere 5.88 batters per nine innings. And yet, Mikolas lists a 4.82 ERA with a 5.67 at home. His problem is that righties have hit .284 against and lefties .282. Balls are constantly going into play and plenty of them turn into hits, which turn into runs. Now, the Reds get to see what they can do against Mikolas.
Steer has been steady with a .356 OBP, 37 doubles, 23 homers, and even 15 stolen bases. He's also managed an .897 OPS the last three weeks. Friedl is at 18 home runs, eight triples, and 27 steals. While better at home, he has an 1.260 OPS the last three weeks. One of baseball's top prospects and the last of the Reds' youth brigade to debut, Marte has already found a regular role at second base. He's struggled with lefties so far, yet has an .811 OPS against righties.
