This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
We've got one game Wednesday, but it's a big one. The Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals are squaring off to earn the NL wild-card spot. For the Dodgers, we have Max Scherzer on the mound. For the Redbirds, Adam Wainwright. Here is how single-game contests work for FanDuel: you pick a lineup of five positional players. No pitchers are available. One player is your MVP and worth two times as many points. You also have your Star, who is worth 1.5 times the points, then three utility players. Here's a lineup you could go with.
MVP
Corey Seager, LAD vs. STL ($8,500): While Scherzer's last two starts went poorly, he had an 1.98 ERA after being traded to the Dodgers. Wainwright had a 3.06 ERA, but a 3.66 FIP. Also, his road ERA was 3.58. As such, I wanted a Dodger for my MVP, and a lefty at that to face the right-handed Wainwright. Injuries cut into Seager's season, but he still put up a .306/.394/.521 slash line with 16 home runs in 95 games.
STAR
Justin Turner, LAD vs. STL ($7,000): I'm sticking with a Dodger here as well. Of these two lineups the Dodgers have better hitters, and the pitching matchup is in their favor as well. Turner only hit .278 this year, which is down for him, but it's still impressive in modern MLB. Plus, he hit 27 home runs. On top of that, over his last 20 games Turner has hit .290, which is fittingly his career average.
UTILITY
Dylan Carlson, STL at LAD ($7,000): It's not all Dodgers players in this build. Carlson made his debut as a touted prospect in 2020, but it didn't quite pan out. In 2021 though, he slashed .266/.343/.437 with 18 homers. Additionally, Carlson is a switch hitter, which means he can take at-bats from the left side of the plate against Scherzer. The Cardinals don't have a single lefty in their usual lineup, so a switch hitter is the best you can do matchup-wise.
AJ Pollock, LAD vs. STL ($6,500): The Dodgers have such a stacked lineup it's easy to overlook a guy like Pollock, who posted a .891 OPS with 21 home runs and nine stolen bases in 117 games. He'll also be happy to be at home for this one-game elimination scenario. Pollock had a .961 OPS at home in this year.
Tommy Edman, STL at LAD ($6,000): Edman is the other switch hitter in St. Louis' lineup. He doesn't bring much power, but he can hit for a solid average (he's a career .272 hitter) and he has a lot of speed. The 26-year-old stole 30 bases this season. Twenty-six of those came against righties, so having a right-handed pitcher on the mound will help there.
