FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball World Series Helper: Rangers at Diamondbacks, Game 5

While the Arizona Diamondbacks were able to make some noise over the final two innings in Game 4, it was too little, too late in a game that the Texas Rangers dominated pretty much from start to finish. The Rangers are now one win away from their first World Series championship. But these Diamondbacks can't be counted out just yet -- just ask the Philadelphia Phillies -- setting the stage for a fun Game 5.

For those unfamiliar with the single-game daily fantasy baseball format, scoring is identical to its full roster cousin, except you roster only hitters, and lineups consist of five flex spots. The one twist? One of the five roster spots is your designated "MVP," who receives twice his total fantasy points, along with a "STAR" slot that gets 1.5 times the points. Naturally, it's crucial that you choose your MVP and STAR carefully if you want to be at the top of the leaderboards when it's all said and done.

On that note, let's highlight some of the top options for today's FanDuel single-game slate.

Pitching Breakdown

Following what was ultimately a disastrous bullpen game, the D-backs are probably relieved to hand the ball to their ace in tonight's must-win game.

However, Zac Gallen hasn't really looked the part in these playoffs, producing an underwhelming 5.25 SIERA, 15.3% strikeout rate, and 11.0% walk rate over five starts. He's also uncharacteristically allowed six home runs over 27 1/3 innings. Arizona badly needs Gallen to find the form that at one point had him as the odds favorite to win this year's NL Cy Young on FanDuel Sportsbook.

On the other hand, Texas' Nathan Eovaldi has been a rock this postseason, putting up a 2.72 SIERA, 28.6% strikeout rate, 4.0% walk rate, and 47.6% ground-ball rate over his five starts. That being said, the Diamondbacks were able to get to Eovaldi in Game 1, scoring five earned runs in 4 2/3 innings, so nothing is guaranteed here.

Both bullpens should have their top arms available, though Arizona's late-game rally did force Texas to deploy closer Jose Leclerc to finish Game 4, so the Rangers may be reluctant to use him after back-to-back appearances.

Slate Strategy

Considering Gallen's shaky postseason performances, if I'm picking a side to lean on, it has to be the Rangers. I'm guessing Arizona-heavy lineups could be less popular from a game theory perspective, though, so keep that in mind.

Corey Seager ($9,500) hit yet another home run in this series, and there's little doubt that he'll be the World Series MVP if the Rangers close this out. Of course, that means he's a shoo-in MVP/STAR for our purposes, as well, but at the cost of being immensely chalky, particularly with Adolis Garcia no longer available.

Marcus Semien ($7,500) finally came through with the massive performance we've been waiting for (44.9 points), which ought to push his MVP/STAR roster percentage higher than we've seen throughout this series.

However, it's Mitch Garver ($7,000) and Josh Jung ($5,500) who have the second- and third-shortest home run odds behind Seager (Semien is seventh), per FanDuel Sportsbook. Jung has logged the team's third-best postseason hard-hit rate (51.1%) and becomes even more appealing if he's hitting fifth again.

Evan Carter ($7,500) should be batting cleanup again, boosting his fantasy prospects. Nathaniel Lowe ($6,500) has hit the team's third-most barrels (17.1%).

For the D-backs, Corbin Carroll ($9,000) and Ketel Marte ($8,500) have been the popular MVP/STAR plays, and that's unlikely to change. As noted in prior helpers, Eovaldi was less imposing versus lefties in the regular season (4.10 xFIP; 19.7% strikeout rate), so if anyone is likely to do damage, it's these two.

Christian Walker ($7,000) has the fourth-shortest home run odds and is fresh off a three-hit Game 4. He's running out of time to have that slate-altering outing but should be in the mix as a contrarian MVP/STAR. He leads the team in postseason barrel rate (17.5%) and is second in hard-hit rate (52.5%).

Gabriel Moreno ($5,500) remains entrenched in the three-hole, and with no change in salary, we should just keep plugging him in as a value play. Tommy Pham ($7,500) and Lourdes Gurriel ($6,500) are making their share of loud contact in these playoffs, and both have homered in the World Series. Pham was one who homered off Eovaldi in Game 1.

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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.