This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.
The next round of the MLB playoffs begins Friday, with the Brewers hosting the Dodgers. Since there is only one game, the rules for daily fantasy on DraftKings are different than usual. Friday's contests are in "showdown" mode. That means there's a $50,000 cap, and you choose any six players. However, you have to choose at least one player from each team, and you can't have more than four hitters from a team. With all that in mind, here are six players to consider…
Christian Yelich, MIL vs. LAD ($10,600): Yelich may win the MVP, given that he slashed .326/.402/.598 with 36 homers and 22 stolen bases. He had a staggering 1.061 OPS at home, and though he is a southpaw he had a .982 OPS versus lefties. Weirdly, Clayton Kershaw has actually been a little worse against lefties than righties the last two years. Plus, he had a 2.90 ERA on the road.
Max Muncy, LAD at MIL ($10,100): Muncy hit 35 homers in his breakout campaign, and he did most of his damage against right handers. The southpaw bat slashed .266/.401/.601 with righties on the mound with 27 of his home runs coming in those matchups. Jhoulys Chacin had a 4.07 FIP this year, which is actually his best FIP since 2013.
Cody Bellinger, LAD at MIL ($9,200): Bellinger couldn't replicate his rookie numbers, but he still had 25 homers and 14 stolen bases. He struggled at home, but he was much better on the road, posting a .915 OPS away from Dodgers Stadium. Jhoulys Chacin was actually worse at home as well, as he had a 3.79 ERA at Miller Park. Unfortunately for him, that's where he has to pitch Friday.
Joc Pederson, LAD at MIL ($8,200): There's a righty starting, so Pederson is safe to play. He can't hit a lefty to save his life, but he had a .556 slugging percentage against righties, and he hit 24 of his 25 homers in those matchups. He is also another Dodgers hitter who was better on the road than at home. The mediocrity of Jhoulys Chacin's numbers have been made clear at this point, so I won't delve into them again.
Jesus Aguilar, MIL vs. LAD ($7,600): I wanted to get another right-handed slugger from the Brewers in the lineup, the kind who could maybe solve Clayton Kershaw, and Aguilar is my choice. He posted a .929 OPS against southpaws, but if the bullpen gets involved he also had a .876 OPS in those matchups. The big first baseman doesn't have many weaknesses at the plate, and his 35 homers in 149 games shows his power.
Josh Hader, MIL vs. LAD ($3,400):Clayton Kershaw is staggerlingly expensive at $15,800, and Jhoulys Chacin is, well, Jhoulys Chacin. However, I would not be surprised to see the Brewers go to the bullpen early, and Hader should see two or three innings on the mound. He'd get you points for each inning he pitched. The wild-haired reliever had a 2.27 FIP and struck out a whopping 15.82 batters per nine innings. As a lefty, he would also be able to neutralize all of the Dodgers' left-handed bats.
