This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Any Dodgers fans in the Bronx had to keep their brooms tucked away. The Yankees staved off elimination in Game 4, giving us a Game 5 on Wednesday. Of course, if New York loses here, it still will see the Dodgers celebrate a title at Yankee Stadium, but will that be the result? The rotations have flipped back over, so Gerrit Cole and Jack Flaherty are taking the mound. First pitch is at 8:08 p.m. EDT.
For your five-player DFS lineup, your salary cap is $35,000. Your MVP? Double points. Your Star? One-and-a-half times the points. This may be the last game of the 2024 season, so here is, perhaps, my last lineup of the season.
MVP
Juan Soto, NYY vs. LAD ($9,000): Cole is a better pitcher than Flaherty, and he's had a better postseason. The Yankees hurler has a 2.82 ERA through 22.1 innings, while the Dodgers' trade-deadline addition has a 6.10 ERA over 20.2 innings, and he's given up four home runs. Yes, those samples are only four games, but Cole has been better than Flaherty over the course of their careers as well. Soto had a .999 OPS versus righties this season, and in the playoffs he's posted an overall OPS of 1.079.
Star
Anthony Volpe, NYY vs. LAD ($6,000): I'm not chasing past results here. If you had Volpe in your lineup Tuesday and enjoyed the benefits of his grand slam, congratulations on that. Power has actually been missing for the shortstop for most of the postseason, but he's hit .273 with a .407 OBP, and he's stolen five bases. That means more to me than a home run when three guys happened to be on base. Having said that, seeing Volpe hit a homer does provide encouragement about his swing, which has wavered in quality during the postseason.
Utility
Freddie Freeman, LAD at NYY ($8,500): I wanted my two players who earn extra points to be Yankees given the pitching matchup, but Freeman is certainly worthy of a lineup spot. With his ankle seemingly healed, or healed enough, the lefty has hit a home run in every game of this series. Yankee Stadium is often kind to lefties, and since 2022, Freeman has slugged .556 away from home.
Max Muncy, LAD at NYY ($6,500): I was torn between Muncy and Tommy Edman, who have the same salary. Edman has been better in the postseason, but he's also been the surprise of the postseason, and surprises are, you know, surprising for a reason. Muncy has a better track record, and he's also a left-handed hitter. Plus, he's done what he does, which is walk and hit homers when he connects. Though his batting average is below the Mendoza Line in the playoffs, he has a .403 OBP and has knocked three balls out of the park.
Enrique Hernandez, LAD at NYY ($5,000): The versatile Hernandez is a good guy to round out a lineup. I went with two Yankees atop this roster, but pairing Soto and Volpe with three Dodgers was somewhat intentional. Hernandez has hit .277 and slugged .447, which is good for him. If he can get a hit, and then add to his nine runs scored, that would certainly suffice at this salary level.
