This article is part of our DraftKings KBO series.
We're into the KBO postseason, and that means it's time for single-game Showdown slates.
Thursday features a matchup between the Doosan Bears, a team that finished in fourth place with a 71-65 mark in the regular season, and the host LG Twins, which logged a 72-58 record that was good for third place.
The Showdown lineup configuration features a Captain's spot that accrues fantasy points at a 1.5x rate, making it especially prudent to choose wisely for that slot. The remaining four lineup positions are Utility spots that accrue fantasy points at a normal rate.
What follows is a look at multiple candidates for each spot in your lineups.
Captain's Spot Candidates
Won Joon Choi ($15,300) is my preferred option over Andrew Suarez if I were to use the Captain's spot on one of the two starting arms in this matchup, with his matchup a more appealing one by far than the one Suarez draws against Choi's Bears. Despite its impressive won-loss record, LG finished the season averaging the third-fewest runs (4.5) and second-fewest hits (8.2) per contest. They also had the third-lowest team batting average (.250), including the second lowest at home (.242). Meanwhile, Choi accrued 20.5 DK points in his one start versus LG during the regular season and flashed his upside with tallies of between 19.3 and 30.2 DK points in three of his last 10 starts. He could also get plenty of run support from an offense that just racked up 16 runs against Kiwoom in Tuesday's Wild Card game.
Jose Fernandez ($13,800) will have a lefty-on-lefty matchup against Suarez to contend with to open the game, but the slugger is too good not to consider for a multiplier spot. He offered a tangible reminder of such during Tuesday's Wild Gard rout of the Heroes, as he posted 25 DK points on the strength of a 3-for-5, five-RBI showing. Fernandez was a better hitter at home this season, but he still posted a solid .281 average and .777 OPS on the road and hit .333 over 15 games against LG pitching.
Utility Spot Candidates
Chang Ki Hong ($10,000) is going to eat up a good chunk of your salary cap and rostering him against the pitcher you're utilizing may seem particularly counterintuitive. However, such is lineup construction in a Showdown slate, where there is some inherent contradiction. Hong is the type of player that can get you a solid return on investment without overly damaging your pitcher's score, as he only hit four homers on the season. However, he also posted a .328 average and .865 OPS on his way to averaging 8.9 DK points and complemented his production nicely with 23 stolen bases. Hong's best work came on the road, but he still produced a .301 average at home and hit .283 with an .800 OPS across 16 games versus Doosan.
Eun Seong Chae ($9,800) is another of the few LG bats that I would consider deploying against Choi. The veteran outfielder posted a solid body of work during the regular season that included a .281/.359/.452 slash line with 36 XBH and 82 RBI. Chae furnished a .273 average and .813 OPS in 16 games against Doosan pitching, compiling three homers and 14 RBI along the way. He also hit .317 with runners in scoring position overall, boosting his prospects as a Utility candidate.
Jae Hwan Kim ($8,200) actually flashed more power upside than Fernandez this season, slugging 27 homers during the regular campaign. He also checks in Thursday's contest wielding a red-hot bat, as he's posted four straight 20-DK-point tallies dating back to the penultimate game of the regular season. Kim also had a big day Tuesday against Kiwoom with a 2-for-4 effort that netted 21 DK points, and he was at his best on the road this season with a .291 average, .954 OPS and average of 9.8 DK points per contest across 68 games.
Suk Hwan Yang ($8,000) blasted a career-high 28 homers and drove in a career-best 96 runs during the regular season while averaging 8.1 DK points per contest. The veteran tallied 24 DK points in Tuesday's win over Kiwoom as well and posted a .316 average, .956 OPS and average of 9.8 DK points per contest on the road, where he belted 20 of his round trippers and accrued 66 of his RBI. Yang also hit a solid .290 with runners in scoring position and continued his clutch hitting with four RBI in Tuesday's Wild Card win.
ALSO CONSIDER: Kun Woo Park ($7,600)
