This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
The MLB regular season is over, but that doesn't mean that there aren't fantasy contests still available. Playoff formats have grown across the industry, but of course, a classic option is DFS and DraftKings. There's one massive tournament option that stands out above the rest for the opening day of the postseason, which is aptly named "The Postseason Opener," which has a $15 entry fee, 11,700 entrants and a top prize of $50,000.
Pitchers
Unsurprisingly, most matchups won't stand out as positive at this point, given that we only have the top half of the league still playing. As a result, the focus should be primarily on skills, and strikeouts in particular. When that intersects with a positive matchup, even better. That leads us to Kevin Gausman ($9,800) and Tyler Glasnow ($9,300) atop the price range. Both have maintained a strikeout rate above 30 percent this season, and while the Twins have performed better with their bats of late, they've struck out at a 27 percent clip for the campaign. That's the highest mark in the league, and a big factor in favor of Gausman.
Miami has the second-worst wOBA against right-handed pitching of teams in the postseason, though they also have a relatively modest strikeout rate. Zack Wheeler ($8,600) is likely to be a popular choice, but he should project more for a floor performance rather than ceiling. Jesus Luzardo ($6,800) has the opposite profile -- his results have been inconsistent – but the high-end outcomes have been excellent. With the Phillies fairly heavy favorites, he could slip under the radar with a big performance. He's just as likely to pitch poorly, making him a logical choice in a tournament format as a contrarian choice with a wide range of outcomes.
The final pitcher worth recommending is Corbin Burnes ($8,000), primarily due to his matchup. Arizona is a middling offense that doesn't strike out much, so he's comparable to Wheeler at a slightly cheaper price.
Top Hitters
Yandy Diaz ($5,400) checks a lot of boxes Tuesday. He is set to leadoff for the Rays and also faces lefty Jordan Montgomery, who has the lowest strikeout rate of any starter taking the mound Tuesday. Finally, Diaz has maintained a .460 wOBA and .314 ISO against southpaws on the season.
Christian Yelich ($4,900) is likely to be among the most popular players of the day due to him being the leadoff hitter in a positive matchup against Brandon Pfaadt. He's shown no signs of the back issue that sidelined him toward the end of the regular season by averaging 11.3 DK points across his last 10 games.
Value Bats
It didn't take long for Junior Caminero ($3,200) to take over the starting shortstop job in Tampa Bay, and he even hit either first or second in the order across the final weekend of the regular season. We shouldn't expect the latter to continue, but Caminero can make an impact from anywhere in the lineup with his 11.5 percent barrel rate and 112 mph max exit velocity in a small big-league sample serving as examples of his upside.
Stacks to Consider
Tampa Bay Rays vs. Texas Rangers (Jordan Montgomery): Yandy Diaz ($5,400), Harold Ramirez ($3,700), Randy Arozarena ($5,500)
The Rays are in a great spot for many of the same reasons for Diaz listed above. Montgomery gives up a lot of contact and the Rays have the lineup to take advantage. Overall, they rank fifth in the league in wOBA against lefties. Diaz and Ramirez have .460 and .415 wOBAs, respectively with the handedness advantage while Arozarena has a .212 ISO in the same split.
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (Brandon Pfaadt): Christian Yelich ($4,900), William Contreras ($4,600), Carlos Santana ($4,100)
Pfaadt has allowed 2.1 HR/9, a full homer higher than any other pitcher taking the mound. That's paired with the second-lowest K-BB%, so there will be plenty of people looking to lock the Brewers into their lineup. They don't have the some quality of hittrs as the Rays, but the matchup will give them a chance to be productive and they check in at a cheap price.
