This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
Game 1 of the World Series comes our way Friday evening from Arlington, TX with two wild card teams reaching the season's ultimate end.
Texas comes in as pretty heavy favorites for both the series and Friday night, sitting at (-168) to win the opener behind Nathan Eovaldi. The Ragers' starter has flipped a switch in October. He allowed 21 runs and 29 hits across 20.1 September innings, including seven home runs. Since the playoffs began, Eovaldi has posted a 2.42 ERA, allowing 21 hits while striking out 28 in 26.0 innings.
The same can't be said about Diamondbacks' starter Zac Gallen, who has a 5.24 postseason ERA, most recently allowing nine runs and 14 hits in 11.0 innings across two starts against Philadelphia.
The current run line sits at eight, with it juiced towards the over.
MVP
Corey Seager, TEX vs ARI ($8,500): Adolis Garcia's ALCS MVP form and Corbin Carroll's hot Game 7 pushed their prices up, and Seager's down, making him a nice target for Game 1. He's homered in two of the Rangers last four which I don't hear mentioned as often given Garcia's heroics. Perhaps the price being driven down makes him too obvious, but you have to assume most will still target the Rangers' cleanup hitter. Gallen has really struggled with homers during the postseason, allowing six in his last 16.1 innings. Seager hasn't taken him deep, but has familiarity with him from his Dodgers' days, going 7-for-21 (.333). Seager mashed righties during the regular season, and at worst can get on base and allow Garcia to plate him.
Star
Marcus Semien, TEX vs. ARI ($7,000): Semien appers priced fairly for his postseason form, but not so much so for his season-long production. I expect he'll be a popular target at this number, but perhaps not so much in a multiplier position, hopefully offering an advantage for those who go that route. For me, the play is simple as I'm stacking the top of the Rangers lineup as cost effectively as possible. Semien hasn't homered since September 27 and has only two extra-base hits in the postseason, so there's clear risk or a lack of blowout potential. But he does have six hits and four walks across the Rangers last six, creating reasonable expectations for a floor. It's a small sample, but he's also a robust 5-of-8 (.625) with a 1.542 OPS off Gallen.
Utility
Lourdes Gurriel, ARI at TEX ($6,000): Gurriel has seven hits across Arizona's last five games, including a homer and two doubles. He's also swiped two bases, driven in two and scored twice. The price is ideal if the form carries over. He's also a solid 7-for-18 (.389) with two homers and a 1.172 OPS off Eovaldi, one of only three Diamondbacks to have faced him.
Mitch Garver, TEX vs. ARI ($7,000): How you craft your lineup will determine whether Garver is for you or not. The price point is borderline ridiculous, which will lead to incredibly low usage. Further, I do find the Rangers to be a positive spot in Game 1 and believe using as many pieces there is the right move. With such a deep lineup, it's only going to push his roster percentages further down. While Garver did have six hits against the Astros, three came in one game so he's going to be too feast or famine for some. The appeal is some power potential, with Garver's .267 ISO off righties being third amongst Ranger regulars, something I'm willing to chase a little here given Gallen's long ball issues of late. He's one of two Rangers (Robbie Grossman) with a career homer off Gallen.
Nathaniel Lowe, TEX vs. ARI ($6,500): As stated in previous showdown breakdowns, the goal here is to not simply suggest a lineup, but rather offer food for thought as you build your strategy. There are a host of players at $5,500 that have appeal, with Gabriel Moreno making regular contact, Alek Thomas showing the flair for the dramatic and power this postseason, and Jonah Heim offering a third piece into the Rangers offense. You can use any of those three, and fit Ketel Marte over Garver into your lineup if you use the other three mentioned above and want a more balanced approach to both lineups. But my strategy for Game 1 is to load up on Texas, so here we are. Lowe had a .363 wOBA off righties during the regular season, second in this lineup to Seager. He's hit safely in six straight and in all but two of Texas' postseason games thus far.
