Author: @Ryan_Humphries on Twitter & LineStar Chat

Happy Halloween! The World Series heads to Philly for game three where both teams will look to break the 1-1 series tie! Before we get into today’s strategy and plays, let’s get a quick look at the perfect lineups from the first two games of the series:

So, thus far, we’ve seen a hitter as the optimal captain (a double HR night tends to make that happen) and a starting pitcher as the optimal captain. Also, game two resulted in a 5-1 Astros stack being the optimal strategy, and a relief pitcher has popped up in the optimal for both games. Rolling out a 5-1 “smash” stack remains a viable GPP strategy in this single-game MLB format, and rolling the dice on a relief pitcher is also a risky yet optimal strategy.

For some quick tips on single-game MLB DFS strategy, feel free to refer back to the info provided in the World Series Game #1 newsletter.

Note: These WS newsletters will be geared towards DraftKings MLB single-game DFS contests – GPPs, specifically. Plenty of information below should help build FanDuel lineups as well, but the overall format and pricing differences between FD and DK simply don’t allow for an all-inclusive article to cover the single-game slate for both sites sufficiently.

Two major differences exist between DK and FD single-game MLB contests:

1. FanDuel doesn’t include pitchers within the player pool; DraftKings does (both starting pitchers and relievers)

2. FanDuel doesn’t adjust salaries for its “MVP (2x Points)” and “Star (1.5x Points)” roster positions. DraftKings adjust salaries by 1.5x for its “Captain (1.5x Points)” roster position.

Weather Note

Game #3 features some less-than-ideal weather in Philly tonight. Some scattered rain threatens to fall in the early innings tonight with heavier rain expected in the mid-to-late innings. This will place some added risk on starting pitchers (in case of a lengthy mid-game delay) and, if the rain is heavy and persistent enough, an outright postponement is going to be a possibility as well. Fortunately, if something like that happens, both DK and FD should refund all entry fees so there is not really any risk in rolling out some DFS lineups tonight.

Let’s cross our fingers that the weather cooperates!

Captains & Core FLEX Plays:

Yordan Alvarez, HOU | $9,800 (CPT: $14,700)

Due to the risk of an in-game weather delay, I believe I’ll be off of both starting pitchers tonight, outside of some light FLEX exposure to McCullers. Noah Syndergaard has just 5.1 IP this postseason (two bullpen appearances) and isn’t likely to pitch more than about three innings. And he may very well be pulled after one turn through the Astros order. So we’re primarily targeting hitters in the captain position today and Yordan draws the first mention. He may only have a .222 AVG this postseason, but he’s rocking a solid .364 OBP and 132 wRC+. In his nine 2022 postseason games, he has blasted a couple of home runs with nine RBI and seven runs scored. He had a huge 27.3% HR/FB Rate against RHPs this season and he hit .545 against this Phillies pitching staff in three regular season games.

Bryce Harper, PHI | $10,000 (CPT: $15,000)

Harper posted a goose egg for the first time this postseason in Saturday’s game two of the World Series. Considering how hot he’s been this October (.392 AVG, .514 wOBA, .412 ISO, 5 HR, 11 RBI, 11 R, 238 wRC+), it is unlikely that Harper completely fails two games in a row. Harper posted a .416 wOBA and 170 wRC+ against RHPs at home this season, and it seems he has fed off of the home crowd energy in the postseason. Harper has racked up at least 16 DKFP in 4-of-5 games in Philly this postseason!

Jeremy Pena, HOU | $8,000 (CPT: $12,000)

Pena continues to prove that the stage has not been too big for him in his first postseason stretch as a rookie. He has hit doubles in each game this World Series and now has an XBH in 6-of-9 postseason games, including three HRs, which has led to an incredibly impressive .286 AVG, .389 wOBA, .333 ISO, and 158 wRC+. He’ll continue to hit second in the order and sets up as a strong captain option if you’re not spending up on one of the big boys.

Other Captains & Core FLEX Plays to Consider:

Kyle Schwarber, PHI | $9,600 (CPT: $14,400)

JT Realmuto, PHI | $8,400 (CPT: $12,600)

FLEX Plays & Leverage Captain Options:

Jose Altuve, HOU | $9,000 (CPT: $13,500)

After an abysmal start to the 2022 postseason, Altuve has finally been looking like the reliable hitter that he has been for much of his career. He has combined for six hits in the last three games and he’s being aggressive on the base paths (one steal, one CS in this World Series). The rest of the Astros lineup has been able to pick up Altuve’s slack when he was struggling this October but, typically, their offense responds when Altuve is getting hits. We’ll look for his bat to stay hot in game three.

Kyle Tucker, HOU | $8,800 (CPT: $13,200)

Before the Phillies' comeback, Kyle Tucker was poised to be the hero of game one after blasting a pair of home runs and bringing in four runs. He had a quiet game two (0-for-3, BB) but he is a strong bounce-back candidate tonight. Tucker has been dominant on the road against RHPs this season: .306 AVG, .424 wOBA, .306 ISO, 183 wRC+, 22.8% HR/FB Rate. As mentioned, Noah Syndergaard isn’t expected to pitch deep into this game and Tucker may only get one shot at him before the Phillies turn to their bullpen. But we know Tucker can start fast and Citizens Bank Park has been a strong home run park for left-handed hitters this year.

Alec Bohm, PHI | $7,000 (CPT: $13,500)

Bohm has been the only player to land in the optimal lineup for both World Series games thanks to a pair of doubles, a walk, two RBI, and a run scored. He hasn’t been great this postseason but the good thing is, thanks to his lower DFS salary, he doesn’t need to do too much in order to make another appearance in an optimal lineup. He has scored at least 7 DKFP in four of his last six games which, if this is a lower-scoring game, that sort of performance could be enough to make him an optimal play.

Other FLEX/Contrarian Captain Plays to Consider:

Alex Bregman, HOU | $9,200 (CPT: $13,800)

Yuli Gurriel, HOU | $6,800 (CPT: $10,200)

Relief Pitcher Wildcards (GPP FLEX Plays Only):

As mentioned above, it’s not uncommon for a relief pitcher to show up as an optimal FLEX play in the perfect lineup, especially in the postseason where bullpens are often used judiciously and with more consistency than the regular season. You may only hope to get a handful of fantasy points out of a relief pitcher, but given their lower DFS price points and the potential for lower-scoring games, that may be all you need in order for them to come away as an optimal play.

This is obviously very risky and probably not an approach that should be utilized if you’re only rolling out less than a handful of lineups.

Quick Note: It looks like DraftKings has gone back to pricing all relief pitchers back down to $4,000 so this becomes a more viable strategy.

Seranthony Dominguez, PHI | $4,000

Bryan Abreu, HOU | $4,000

Ryan Pressly, HOU | $4,000

Jose Alvarado, PHI | $4,000

Good luck tonight guys and enjoy the World Series!