Spotlight Pitchers: MLB DFS Divisional Series Picks For DraftKings + FanDuel | Ian Anderson | 10/7

Arguably the most bipolar day of the Monday through Friday schedule, we’ve arrived to the halfway mark of the work week. Regardless of whether you’re glass half full or empty by default view, may Divisional Series playoff baseball be your buoy to get you through until the weekend. And with a four-game slate in store, MLB DFS picks for DraftKings and FanDuel are the staple to sew it all together.

In the American League, the top-seeded Tampa Bay Rays knotted up the series 1-1 with the explosive New York Yankees, while the Oakland Athletics find themselves on the brink of elimination against the sleeping giant awoken in the Houston Astros. Where in the National League, the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers each fought out a win in their respective Game 1’s against the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres.

As the playoff rivalries continue to heat up and with some intriguing pitching options available for Wednesday’s four-game itinerary, let’s take a look at the best matchups while delving into MLB DFS picks for the Divisional Series playoffs as we set our lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.

MLB DFS Picks: Wednesday’s Divisional Series Pitching Plays

Ian Anderson – Atlanta Braves vs. Miami Marlins – DraftKings $8,200, FanDuel $9,500

Following a shaky start in Game 1 for Max Fried, the Braves relied on their bullpen and an offensive onslaught to secure the first game in a best-of-five Divisional Series with the Marlins. Heading into Game 2, the Braves place the ball in hand of their 22-year-old sensation Anderson.

Anderson has had an outstanding season on the mound for Atlanta, as the young righty has tossed for a 29.7% strikeout rate with a remarkable 11.41 K/9 over his six starts. Anderson is also providing standout run-prevention, accounting for an 0.28 HR/9, 1.08 WHIP, .250 BABIP and 1.95 ERA. Also within that defensive cut of the cloth, Anderson is stranding batters who get on base an impressive 73% of the time. However, one glaring phase of Anderson’s defensive pitching prowess resides in his profound ability to manufacture ground balls from opposing hitters at a staggering 52.5% ground ball rate. And it’s with this specific that the writing on the wall for the Miami offense appears dreary for Wednesday’s outing.

The Miami Marlins have struggled with generating home runs (60 HR, 25th in MLB), playing directly into Anderson’s array of focal talent at creating even more of a problem in that facet. Yet the questions posed to Miami’s offense against Anderson come most notably from the Marlins’ direct propensity to hit into ground balls, particularly against right-handed pitchers. Miami far exceeds the league average of a 42.7% ground ball rate, as they lead the league with a 48.3% ground ball rate against righties. They’re also striking out against right-handers at the 10th-highest rate in the majors at 25.1%.

Assuredly he’ll be a chalky play on both major DFS sites, more specifically on DraftKings where he comes at a slightly more palatable asking price, but Anderson is without question deemed “good chalk” given his strengths against the Marlins’ deficiencies.

Awesemo’s FanDuel Grades: Points B, Value C

Awesemo’s DraftKings Grades:  Points B, Value A


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Clayton Kershaw – Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres – DraftKings $9,600, FanDuel $10,300

There’s still much of the playoffs remaining for the scrutinizers to come out of the woodwork, but so far so great for Dodgers’ veteran lefty Kershaw. In his first start of the 2020 MLB Postseason, Kershaw dazzled in an eight-inning masterpiece victory over the Brewers, slinging an exceptional 13 strikeouts with just three hits and one walk allowed in arguably his best playoff performance to date. However, these Padres are far from the challenge presented by the Brewers, and Kershaw will have a steep hill to climb if he’s to go 2-0 in these playoffs.

Kershaw has had himself a phenomenal season, posting his best strikeout work since 2017 with a 28.1% strikeout rate and 9.57 K/9. Kershaw is minimizing damage and keeping opponent runs at bay, accounting for a 2.16 ERA, 3.31 FIP, and the fifth-best WHIP among MLB starters at 0.84. The Dodgers’ flagship vet is also walking just 3.6% of opposing hitters while stranding 82.5% of those who are able to get on base.

The Padres are hitting home runs like nobody’s business, though they are striking out against lefty pitchers just about at league average at 23.2% (23.4% MLB average). San Diego’s parallel to league average against lefties is also conveyed by their 106 wRC+, which is by no means a desired matchup when pitching to an opposing offense, yet not exactly terrifying either. With no particular weakness or strength in order for the Padres on paper, the middle-of-the-pack matchup presented to Kershaw is certainly a place he could find success.

The real sell here is the spend-up consideration in rostering Kershaw, as your stack salary expenditures will take a hit where you may find yourself constructing the tail end of lineups with bargain-bin one-offs. Much more the GPP play than in cash games today, rostering Kershaw will come with moderate risk, the potential of incomparable reward, and at a price premium that will likely shed field ownership as silver lining (considering cold feet by DFS players scared off by San Diego).

But as I recently declared prior to his last dominant performance, Kershaw wants this title quite possibly more than any other he’s contended for, most notably to prove the ocean of his career’s naysayers wrong. The Padres are just another opportunity in Kershaw’s eyes.

Awesemo’s FanDuel Grades: Points B, Value D

Awesemo’s DraftKings Grades:  Points B, Value C

Masahiro Tanaka – New York Yankees vs. Tampa Bay Rays – DraftKings $6,800, FanDuel $7,500

Rostering pitchers against the top-seeded offense is naturally never a comfortable spot to be in. Yet when it comes to a four-game playoff slate, as the options are thinned-out and the opposition is among the league’s best remaining, comfortable pitching options are hard to come by. With that said, Tanaka is more than a fair value on today’s slate, functioning as a frugal pivot, helping to attain the most expensive stacks on offense while providing some points of confidence given certain deficiencies in his opponent.

The 2020 season for Tanaka has gone quietly by the wayside with so many other spotlight names consuming public attention, although he’s had some success with several pitching capabilities. Tanaka has struck out batters slightly below league average at a 22.3% rate and 8.25 K/9. While surrendering a concerning 1.69 HR/9, Tanaka has still managed a 1.17 WHIP, a .291 BABIP and 3.56 ERA, demonstrating his ability to prevent further damage from ensuing.

The Rays have proven to be a threat on offense, although their win/loss record is actually scarier than the damage done by their offense itself. Much like the Padres discussed, Tampa Bay has engineered offense against right-handed pitchers just about at league average, with a 105 wRC+ against righty pitchers. On the other hand, the Rays are striking out against righties at the third-highest rate in the majors at 26.3% as well as hitting infield fly balls 11.5% (fifth-highest in MLB), which is a strength of Tanaka’s. In fact, Tanaka is causing opposing batters to pop up to the infield at an impressive 18.2% infield fly rate (ninth-best among starters).

In his last meeting with the opposing Rays, Tanaka dealt seven strikeouts while surrendering just three hits and two earned runs in six innings pitched, providing 24.5 DraftKings points (43 FanDuel points) to roster owners. With a slate full of desirable pricey stacks on offense, Tanaka provides savings an value worth rostering Wednesday.

Awesemo’s FanDuel Grades: Points C, Value C

Awesemo’s DraftKings Grades:  Points B, Value C


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Once a man of 12-team teaser parlays and an abundance of season-long fantasy leagues, Chris "TopherSquints" Giordani gradually honed his fascination for sports and plus-money wagers toward Daily Fantasy Sports. A homegrown Awesemo student from the early stages of the site's inception, he became infatuated with the contrarian DFS mindset and eventually combined his passion for writing with Daily Fantasy at the Sports Gambling Podcast's website blog. Currently, Chris Giordani resides in Orange County, California, enjoys binging on stand-up comedy, and long strolls through the DraftKings lobby.

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