FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Helper: Tuesday 10/10/23

The ALDS resumes on Tuesday at 4:07 pm ET, giving us a two-game slate. Can the 101-win Baltimore Orioles avoid a sweep at the hands of a surging Texas Rangers team?

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.

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

Pitching Breakdown

Honestly, this isn't the most exciting pitching selection, and it wouldn't be the least bit surprising if the top score is lower than we would typically expect.

Nathan Eovaldi ($9,200) is probably the most intriguing option after mowing down the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card round for 8 strikeouts on his way to 51 FanDuel points. While his velocity still isn't at the level it was at the start of this season, he's been a lot closer in his last two starts, suggesting that he might be coming around at just the right time for the Rangers.

If we're getting something more like the first-half version of Eovaldi, that's a guy who put up a 3.66 xFIP, 24.0% strikeout rate, 6.8% walk rate, and 52.6% ground-ball rate. That'll definitely play today.

Still, there's no denying that Eovaldi was coming off a rough, rough September before that outing versus Tampa Bay, and the Orioles did pile up eight runs in Game 2 despite the loss. Last month, the right-hander managed a discouraging 21.4% strikeout rate and 13.3% walk rate.

Additionally, even if Eovaldi is in good form, he was less effective versus lefties this season (19.7% strikeout rate), so he could have a tough time generating Ks against a lefty-heavy lineup.

If those concerns scare you off Eovaldi, either Sonny Gray ($9,700) or Cristian Javier ($8,800) are the best alternatives.

Gray is probably the closest thing we have to a "safe" play despite a tough spot against the Houston Astros; Houston's 3.78 implied team total is the day's lowest mark. The veteran righty posted a solid 3.49 xFIP, 24.5% strikeout rate, and 4.8% walk rate after the All-Star break, and he logged five scoreless innings in the Wild Card round against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Seeing Gray with the highest salary might be a little off-putting, but he's still below $10,000, leaving plenty of room for our bats.

Javier might be the biggest wild card. He produced disappointing numbers this season, yet he looked more like the 2022 version down the stretch, putting up a 4.04 xFIP, 32.3% strikeout rate, and 8.9% walk rate over his final six starts. The Minnesota Twins continue to be a good matchup for punchouts, too.

The Twins also pack some punch, though, and Javier coughed up 1.39 home runs per 9 innings off a 55.6% fly-ball rate this year. His strikeout rate plummets to 18.5% versus lefties, so Minnesota's platoon-centric lineup could give him fits.

Of these three, none of them is guaranteed to have a huge workload, but Eovaldi is the most likely candidate to pitch deep into the game after getting up to 98 pitches in the last round.

Hitting Breakdown

Dean Kremer ($8,600) is the only pitcher I've yet to mention, and with Kremer the weakest arm on the board, that doesn't bode well for the Orioles extending this series.

Kremer was by no means a bad starter this season, but a low strikeout rate (21.4%) and ground-ball rate (39.3%) contributed to allowing 1.41 dingers per 9 innings. He notably struggled versus lefties, showing a 4.85 xFIP, 20.8% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate, and 40.3% fly-ball rate.

The right-hander did improve his ground-ball rate in the second half, resulting in fewer home runs, but that's hardly enough to deter us when the opposing team is the Texas Rangers. The Rangers boast the slate's best implied team total (4.76).

This is the type of lineup where we can stack just about anyone, but lefty Corey Seager ($4,500) is the clear top play, and his salary reflects that. Evan Carter ($3,800), Jonah Heim ($2,800), and Nathaniel Lowe ($2,900) are the other notable names who will have the platoon advantage. Carter's salary is getting up there, but he's opened these playoffs scorching hot (1.806 OPS).

Nothing is off the table on a two-game slate, but if we're trying to pick out a second stack, the Minnesota Twins stand out. As previously noted, Javier struggled with home runs this season, and that was the case against both sides of the plate.

A 5.58 xFIP versus lefties should have us even more interested in guys like Jorge Polanco ($3,000), Max Kepler ($3,100), Edouard Julien ($3,200), Alex Kirilloff ($2,800), and Matt Wallner ($2,700). Keep in mind that the latter three tend to be pinch-hit risks, though.

While the righties don't have quite as good a matchup, Carlos Correa ($3,500) has three straight multi-hit games, and his salary is still pretty reasonable. Plus, there's the whole "revenge" narrative against his old team.

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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.