Sunday, Oct. 2, brings a slim eight-game featured slate with a 1:35 p.m. ET first pitch followed by a solid five-game afternoon adventure. Let’s get into the top MLB DFS picks today for pitchers and stacks for DraftKings and FanDuel daily fantasy baseball lineups.
DraftKings & FanDuel MLB DFS Picks Today (10/2)
Primary Stack:
Toronto Blue Jays vs. RHP Michael Wacha — 4.7 implied runs
The last two starts by Michael Wacha have been borderline disasters. In games against the Orioles and in New York against the Yankees, he has tallied just 9.1 innings, allowing nine earned runs and ceding a quartet of long balls. Even in the event Toronto gives a player or two the day off today, they have a deep enough roster that can easily reload. The Blue Jays can still improve their Wild Card assignment, so expect to see most, if not all, of the top six regulars in the lineup. George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez have been exceptional against same-handed hurlers, and they are the trio to target. The second wave includes Bo Bichette, who has been up and down this season, catcher Alejandro Kirk, who should be batting cleanup, and Matt Chapman, who has been outstanding in his first season north of the border.
Secondary Stack:
Chicago Cubs vs. RHP Chase Anderson — 4.6 implied runs
The Stokastic Top Stack Tool likes this matchup for the Cubs, who tend to see their offensive production consolidated in just a few specific players. Over his last 300 batters faced, Anderson has a 5.52 xFIP, a .220 ISO, a subpar 18.5% strikeout rate and an egregious 10.2% walk rate. Ian Happ, Patrick Wisdom and Willson Contreras are the key to any Cubs stack this afternoon. Christopher Morel and Seiya Suzuki can be feathered in for full stacks, depending on where they land in the batting order.
Other Hitting Options
- Lars Nootbaar vs. RHP Roansy Contreras (Main)
- Josh Naylor vs. RHP Max Castillo (Main)
- Corey Seager at LHP Tucker Davidson (Late)
- Jesse Winker vs. RHP James Kaprielian (Late)
- Juan Soto vs. RHP Lance Lynn (Late)
Best MLB DFS Pitchers
Primary Pitching Target:
RHP Shane Bieber vs. Kansas City Royals — 2.9 implied runs
- DFS Salary: DraftKings $7,500 | FanDuel $8,200
Motivation can always be a tricky thing over the last fortnight of the regular season. Cleveland has clinched the American League Central title, though they will have homefield advantage in the first round, they can still improve their second-round status. Shane Bieber, of course, is the ace of the Guardians staff, and this will be his last outing prior to the playoffs. Today, a reasonable expectation would be something around 90 pitches or five innings, whichever comes first. There is always a chance that we could see a shorter outing, particularly if the Royals put up some early runs or if Bieber is feeling off kilter for any reason.
This has been a stellar season for the 27-year-old hurler, and his 2.91 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 195 strikeouts all rank inside the top 15 marks among qualified starters. Saturday saw the Royals popping off for seven runs, but that is only the second time they have plated more than five runners in their last dozen games. While Bieber is not likely to have a lot of upside today, an efficiently effective outing could have him among the top three fantasy pitchers on Sunday.
Secondary Pitching Target:
RHP Marcus Stroman vs. Cincinnati Reds — 3.3 implied runs
- DFS Salary: DraftKings $7,300 | FanDuel $7,700
Recommending Marcus Stroman was not something I expected to do heading into Sunday. However, with only eight games on the main slate and two of them dealing with precipitation, we are suddenly thin when it comes to pitching selections. This is mostly about the matchup, as the projected lineup for Cincinnati has a 27.1% strikeout rate over the last two seasons against right-handed pitching with an anemic .102 ISO. Stroman has a 52.1% ground ball rate in this same timeframe, though he still contributes a reasonable strikeout rate of 21.1%. This is the perfect matchup that could see Stroman with half a dozen strikeouts while also posting a quality start and being in line for the win if the Cubs can get anything going on offense against a very sketchy Chase Anderson.
Other Main Slate Pitching Options
Pablo Lopez and the Marlins are trying to play spoiler in Milwaukee, but their 26-year-old pitcher has already logged a career high in innings that is nearly 30 more than his highest workload all the way back in 2017. He has slowed down over the last month, and while he is in the tournament mix, it is hard to tab him as a primary pitching option.
Kevin Gausman is in play, as Toronto can still improve their Wild Card status over Seattle and they currently have a half-game edge. Though, as the best pitcher for the Blue Jays, along with Alek Manoah, it does not make sense for Gausman to be overworked today. Of course, there is a chance that Toronto decides to push him and secure a win, as hosting the Wild Card round is actually important, considering their question marks after their top two pitchers.
Luis H. Garcia is likely headed to the bullpen for the postseason and the Astros are locked into their slot, with the second-best record in baseball and a 5.5-game lead over New York in the American League. Houston typically does not push Garcia beyond five innings or a mid-80s pitch count, though that is a reasonable expectation for his workload this afternoon. Tampa Bay can still catch Seattle (1.5 games) and mathematically Toronto (3.0 games), so they are likely to put out a decent lineup. However, their offensive cupboard is pretty bare these days.
Late Slate Pitching Options
- LHP Robbie Ray vs. Oakland Athletics
- LHP Tyler Anderson vs. Colorado Rockies
- LHP Blake Snell vs. Chicago White Sox
Additional Opportunities
James Kaprielian has a 4.5 strikeout prop in his matchup against the Mariners in Seattle this afternoon. The Stokastic MLB DFS projections are forecasting 4.1 strikeouts and a 61% win probability. Over his last dozen starts, Kaprielian has five or more strikeouts just four times. Though this looks like a close shave, if Seattle runs out their standard lineup, there is a good chance they can chase Kaprielian to the clubhouse early.
If this wager feels a bit risky, you can still navigate things at an advantage with a RISK FREE BET up to $1,000 on BetMGM.
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Final MLB DFS Thoughts & MLB Weather Notes
Washington has rain in the forecast all day, though Philadelphia really needs this game to play since they are headed to Houston to play the Astros on Monday. Currently, the Phillies have a one-game lead over the Brewers for the final National League Wild Card berth, and they trail the Padres by two games. New York is also looking at rain, though the coverage is lower in the afternoon, which could allow the Yankees and Orioles to sneak in their matchup.
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