FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Helper: Monday 10/16/23

Monday gives us one of the last multi-game MLB slates of 2023, and the postseason festivities resume at 4:37 pm ET.

Our daily fantasy helper is available every day to analyze FanDuel's main slate and help give you a starting point when you're building lineups.

Be sure to also incorporate numberFire's great tools into your research process, including daily projections, the latest starting lineups and weather, and batting and pitching heat maps to find the best matchups.

Let's check out the top options on today's main slate.

Pitching Breakdown

We have quality pitching across the board today, and any one of these arms could emerge with the slate's top score.

That being said, if you're picking just one, Zack Wheeler ($10,500) has to be the first choice.

He's taking on the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are perhaps the biggest surprise of the postseason after sweeping both the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers. But if we take a step back, this is still a middle-of-the-pack Arizona offense, and their 3.17 implied team total is the day's lowest.

Wheeler is coming off an excellent regular season, and you could argue he has the best overall numbers among tonight's starters. However, what really puts him over the top is how dominant he's been in his two playoff starts, as he's allowed just 3 earned runs over 13 innings while racking up 18 punchouts (37.5% rate). He's also issued just one walk.

According to the MLB odds on FanDuel Sportsbook, Wheeler's strikeout prop is 6.5, which is the day's highest mark.

Zac Gallen ($10,100), Framber Valdez ($9,400), and Nathan Eovaldi ($8,900) are the other three taking the mound, and while it's tough to pick favorites, Eovaldi might be the other one I'm most intrigued by.

Not only does Eovaldi have a friendly salary, but he's seemingly flipped a switch in these playoffs, giving up 2 earned runs over 13 2/3 innings with 15 Ks (29.4%) and no walks. In contrast, Gallen has a 5.10 SIERA in his two playoff outings, while Valdez failed to go five innings in his start.

While Eovaldi will have his hands full against the Houston Astros, his recent form makes him worth taking a chance on as a value play.

Hitting Breakdown

It's a two-game slate, so nothing is off the table -- particularly given how unpredictable this postseason has been.

Technically, the Houston Astros have the highest implied team total (4.43), and Eovaldi managed just a 19.7% strikeout rate versus lefties this season. Yordan Alvarez ($4,400) is a standout one-off regardless, and perhaps Kyle Tucker ($4,000) will finally be able to get going. Tucker has just two hits in 18 at-bats this postseason.

If you're looking to ride the hot hand, Jose Abreu ($3,000) has been Houston's second-best hitter behind Alvarez, slugging three home runs in the ALDS.

Framber Valdez has struggled with walks dating back to the end of the regular season, which could open the door for the Texas Rangers. In the last round, the southpaw was knocked around for 5 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings.

Adolis Garcia ($3,800) and Marcus Semien ($3,900) are the obvious Texas righties, though Semien's bat has been somewhat quiet thus far. Mitch Garver ($3,100) appears to be locked into the three-hole after crushing it against the Baltimore Orioles, and Josh Jung ($3,500) has been doing plenty of damage despite batting eighth. Of course, even against a lefty, Corey Seager ($4,600) is always in play.

Zac Gallen's two playoff starts have been a mixed bag, which includes putting up a lackluster 17.0% strikeout rate and 10.6% walk rate. The right-hander was a bit shakier toward the end of the season, so if you buy into this continuing, the Philadelphia Phillies are worth a shot.

Bryce Harper ($4,200), Trea Turner ($4,000), Nick Castellanos ($3,500), and J.T. Realmuto ($3,400) all have multiple home runs in these playoffs, and it's probably only a matter of time until Kyle Schwarber ($3,700) joins them. Alec Bohm ($2,900) and Bryson Stott ($3,100) have less pop but are solid value plays in the middle of the order.

Finally, the Arizona Diamondbacks are the team I'm least enthusiastic about overall, but we probably shouldn't doubt them at this point. Zack Wheeler is much less imposing to lefties (4.29 xFIP; 21.8% strikeout rate), so Corbin Carroll ($4,500) and Ketel Marte ($3,700) are enticing options.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.