jason mezrahi 
With the Astros up 3-1, the Yankees are on the brink of elimination in the ALCS. We’ve got your 10/18 DFS picks for the featured Showdown contests.
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10/18 DFS MLB: DK Showdown(7:08 p.m. EST)
10/18 DFS SP Strategy and Picks
Astros ace JustinVerlander has the edge in upside and in most scenarios will go deeper into thisgame than Yankees LHP James Paxton – though the Yankees have a slight edge in theimplied totals. You don’t need both pitchers in this one, and I’ll likely have someexposure to both starters, even with Paxton considerably cheaper.
Justin Verlander (DK $18,000 CPT, $12,000UTIL)
There’s always the possibility that Verlander throws one of his trademark gems against the Bronx Bombers on their home turf, but the righthander’s vulnerability to the long ball makes him a risky option at such a high price. The veteran hurler – a future Hall of Famer who’s posted the highest K/9 rates of his entire 15-year career in 2018 (12.20 K/9) and 2019 (12.11 K/9) – has struggled a bit this postseason but struck out 12 batters in six innings as recently as Sept. 28. If you’re building Verlander lineups with him at Captain, the implication is that you’ll be fading Yankee bats, so you’ll probably need to employ some creativity if you also want the big Houston bats.
James Paxton (DK $12,900 CPT, $8,900 UTIL)
The price is right, and the upside is there, but Paxton hasn’tgiven us his best so far this postseason. He has, however, struck out 11batters in 7 IP, and although the Astros don’t whiff all that often, they’lllikely come out aggressive at the plate with a 3-1 lead in the series. IfPaxton’s stuff is on point, he could easily post double-digit Ks over 5-6innings of work.
10/18 DFS Hitters
Who’s going to be the hero of Game 5, if not one of the startingpitchers? Here are my top hitter picks for the 10/18 DFS Showdown.
10/18 DFS New York Yankees bats
Gleyber Torres (DK $12,300/$8,200))
If he’d come up big with the bases loaded against Ryan Pressly in the fifth inning last night, he’d probably be the odds-on favorite for World Series MVP heading into Game 5, but the 22-year-old is still looking to bolster his batting resume with a standout performance in Yankee Stadium. He’s still slashing .345/.406/.793 this postseason, with the only knock being his relatively futility against Verlander thus far (1-for-12 with 5 Ks).
DJ LeMahieu (DK $13,500/$9,000)
Torres hasn’t had much success against Verlander, but LeMahieuis 5-for-15 career with a homer and just two Ks. He’s got Aaron Judge hitting rightbehind him and should get some pitches to hit as the Yankees leadoff hitter onFriday night.
Gary Sanchez (DK $7,800/$5,200)
He parked one into the left field stands last night and is massively underpriced – even in this difficult matchup against Verlander, who has owned him (2-for-19, 5 Ks). Gary is still pretty scary, though, and he’ll be a chalky value play in this Showdown. It’ll be interesting to see if Aaron Boone moves him up a little further in the lineup tonight.
Other options: Didi Gregorius (DK $8,100/$5400), Aaron Judge ($11,400/$7,600), Aaron Hicks ($8,400/$5,600)
10/18 DFS Houston Astros bats
George Springer (DK $14,100/$9,400)
Last night’s homer – Springer’s 13th career postseason HR in 166 at-bats – was a powerful statementby the leadoff man that he’s ready for another big night in Game 5, and hismatchup against Paxton and subsequent relievers should give him plenty of chancesto make his mark. The price is high, but he’ll be the main Astros hitter I havein my builds.
Carlos Correa ($12,600/$8,400)
Like Springer, Correa hit his second homer of the postseasonand the 10th of his postseason career. Springer and Correa form quitethe power tandem, as that was sixth time those two have homered in the samegame in the postseason – an all-time MLB record, according to a tweet by STATS.Correa has good numbers vs. LHP (138 career wRC+, .371 wOBA) and Paxton in particular(9-for-22 career).
Jose Altuve (DK $15,000/$10,000)
It’ll be tough to fit in Altuve at the Captain spot, but he’scertainly viable in Astros-heavy lineups that fade Verlander. He’s slashing.351/.385/.730 this postseason with four homers and seven runs scored in just39 plate appearances.
Other 10/18 DFS options: Michael Brantley (DK $10,200/$6,800), Alex Bregman (DK $14,700/$9,800), Yordan Alvarez ($13,800/$9,200), Martin Maldonado ($6,000/$4,000)
Note: Robinson Chirinos may sit after he got banged up last night behind the plate, so stay tuned to who’s donning the “tools of ignorance” for Houston tonight.
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Sample DK Showdown Lineup (Yankees heavy):
Captain (1.5x) – G. Torres ($12,300)
UTIL – J. Paxton ($8,600)
UTIL – LeMahieu ($9,000)
UTIL – Gregorius ($5,400)
UTIL – Sanchez ($5,200)
UTIL – Springer ($9,400)
Sample DK Showdown Lineup (Astros heavy w/Verlander):
Captain (1.5x) – Verlander ($18,000)
UTIL – Correa ($8,400)
UTIL – Reddick ($4,800)
UTIL – Springer ($9,400)
UTIL – Sanchez ($5,200)
UTIL – Maldonado ($4,000)
Sample DK Showdown Lineup (Astros heavy w/justbats for both teams):
Captain (1.5x) – Springer ($14,100)
UTIL – Correa ($8,400)
UTIL – Brantley ($6,800)
UTIL – Gregorius ($5,400)
UTIL – Sanchez ($5,200)
UTIL – Altuve ($10,000)
10/18 DFS Hitters for FDSingle-game
Without pitchers in the player pool, there’s a need for evenmore variance in your lineup building. Try to leave a few bucks on the table inthe larger contests and don’t worry about having the most expensive player inthe MVP slot.
Sample FD lineup (Yankees heavy – $500 left):
MVP (2x) – LeMahieu ($7,500)
All-Star (1.5x) – Springer ($9,000)
UTIL – Alvarez ($6,500)
UTIL – Torres ($7,000)
UTIL – Hicks ($4,500)
Sample FD lineup (Astros heavy — $0 left):
MVP (2x) – Springer ($9,000)
All-Star (1.5x) – Altuve ($9,500)
UTIL – Maldonado ($4,000)
UTIL – Sanchez ($5,500)
UTIL – Brantley ($7,000)
Sample FD lineup (Balanced – $1,000 left):
MVP (2x) – Correa ($7,500)
All-Star (1.5x) – LeMahieu ($7,500)
UTIL – Sanchez ($5,500)
UTIL – Torres ($7,000)
UTIL – Alvarez ($6,500)
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Justin Verlander Under 7.5 Strikeouts & James Paxton Over 4.5 Strikeouts (3x WIN)
Verlander would normally be a pretty safe bet to reach eight Ks, but the more the Yankees see of the veteran, the more they’ll provide excellent ABs. I expect Verlander to challenge hitters in Game 5 and as a result, there will be more balls put in play early in counts.
We’re also counting on Paxton giving us his best stuff. As I mentioned before, he’s whiffed 11 batters in 7 IP this postseason, and I expect him to go a little deeper into this game than he did in Game 2.
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