This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Baseball series.
Although the regular season is over, there is still money to be won in DFS on Yahoo. They kick things off with a two-game slate that in encompasses both Wild Card games, so we won't have a ton of options to choose from. With that being said, here are some players to keep in mind while completing your entry.
Starting Pitchers
The clear top options are Max Scherzer ($48) against the Brewers and Charlie Morton ($43) against the A's. Scherzer was about as dominant as it gets during the regular season, recording a 2.45 FIP, 1.03 WHIP and a 35.1 percent strikeout rate. He has now recorded a strikeout rate of at least 30.7 percent in each of the last five seasons. While not quite as overpowering, Morton was no slouch with his 2.81 FIP, 1.08 WHIP and 30.4 percent strikeout rate. Rolling with these two will deal a significant blow to your budget, but could be the wise route to take in cash contests.
Brandon Woodruff ($33) will start for the Brewers, but don't expect him to pitch that deep into the contest since he didn't log more than two innings in either of his two starts since coming off the IL. The A's have yet to formally announce their starter as of Tuesday morning, but they will likely deploy either Sean Manaea ($40) or Mike Fiers ($40). Manaea would be the more appealing option in fantasy since he only allowed four runs across 29.2 innings since being activated from the IL and carries a significantly higher strikeout upside.
Correlations
Relying on the Brewers against Scherzer or the A's against Morton will be a risky proposition. The Nationals figure to be one of the more popular teams to stack considering their 112 wRC+ at home was tied for the third-highest mark in baseball. The obvious top options that stand out are Anthony Rendon ($25), Juan Soto ($25) and Trea Turner ($21). However, they will do a number on your budget. Asdrubal Cabrera ($18) is a tad cheaper and is also worth considering since he finished the season 10-for-23 (.435) with two home runs and two doubles over his last nine games.
The Rays are the other team that will probably be the most appealing to stack, although facing Manaea could present a significant obstacle. In the event that he does start, a stack of Tommy Pham ($18), Travis d'Arnaud ($11) and Willy Adames ($13) could provide some value. It was a breakout offensive campaign for d'Arnaud, which included a .362 wOBA against left-handed pitchers.
One-Offs
If you do want to test your luck against Scherzer and Morton in tournament play, taking a chance on a player or two each from the Brewers and A's could be the route to take. For the Brewers, Keston Hiura ($19) ended the season by hitting 15-for-48 (.313) with three home runs and three doubles over 14 games after being activated from the IL. Eric Thames ($15) recorded a .362 wOBA against right-handed pitchers and at least has some power upside with his .258 ISO.
Marcus Semien ($26) had a monster regular season with his .373 wOBA and .237 ISO, making him the top player on the A's to consider despite his lofty price tag. A more cost-effective option is Seth Brown ($9), who recorded a 142 wRC+ against right-handed pitchers.
