This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
The Dodgers held serve. It wasn't easy, but Los Angeles took both Game 1 and Game 2 of the World Series at home. Now, though, the series heads to the Bronx. The Yankees get to be the home team, and winning is vital for their championship dreams. To the benefit of New York, the Dodgers have burned through their two viable starting pitchers and are going with Walker Buehler on Monday. The Yankees, in turn, are starting Clarke Schmidt.
For DFS purposes, you have a salary cap of $35,000 to divvy out to five players. One is your MVP, who earns double the points. Another player is your Star, and he will earn 1.5 times the points. Here's the lineup I landed on.
MVP
Juan Soto, NYY vs. LAD ($8,500): In a game in which the Yankees' offense was largely held in check, Soto was able to pop a home run against the otherwise-unhittable Yoshinobu Yamamoto, his fourth of the playoffs. He has an 1.160 OPS in the postseason after managing a .988 OPS during the regular season, including a .999 OPS against righties. As for Buehler, well, he had a 6.53 ERA on the road this year and allowed 3.0 home runs per nine innings on the road for good measure.
Star
Freddie Freeman, LAD at NYY ($7,500): So…seems like Freeman's ankle is fine. At the very least, it didn't stop him from going yards in each of the first two games of this series. The way the Yankees laid out their rotation didn't work perfectly, giving that Schmidt had an 1.39 ERA on the road this year compared to a 4.50 ERA at home. While Schmidt didn't show much in the way of lefty/righty splits this season, lefties hit .303 against him last year, so I went with a southpaw Dodger for my Star.
Utility
Giancarlo Stanton, NYY vs. LAD ($7,500): Stanton has been a power source sufficient to illuminate Yankee Stadium, having hit six home runs and slugged .744 in the playoffs. Don't be worried about the righty-on-righty matchup either, as Stanton slugged .505 against righties this season, compared to a .405 slugging percentage versus southpaws. Plus, he slugged .561 at home in 2024 as well.
Tommy Edman, LAD at NYY ($6,000): Essentially every year an unexpected playoff performer emerges, and this year Edman has been that guy. His .365 batting average is the highest on either of these teams and he's hit five doubles and two homers while stealing four bases. Sure, that isn't who he is as a player on the whole, but he's been as hot as anybody in October, and at this salary I have no problem betting on that continuing.
Anthony Rizzo, NYY vs. LAD ($5,500): With a homer-prone righty on the mound in Buehler, being able to round out my lineup with a lefty from the Yankees is what I'm aiming for. Rizzo is not the hitter he used to be, and when a guy says, "The time off between the ALCS and World Series really helped the swelling in my broken fingers go down," it's not ideal. However, lefties often enjoy Yankee Stadium, and since 2022 Rizzo has an .801 OPS at home. As the low-salary man on this roster, one double, much less one home run, would suffice.
