This article is part of our DraftKings MLB series.

It’s hard to believe, but we’re down to the final four teams. That means the season ends in three weeks, but we want to end the year strong. We have the Yankees and Dodgers as heavy favorites in these series, but don’t count the Mets and Guardians. Those teams have been surprising all season and it should be fun to see how things play out. With that in mind, let’s take a look at our favorite starter for this short slate.

Pitching

Carlos RodonNYY vs. CLE ($8,500)

Rodon has been inconsistent throughout his career, but he found something in the second half. The southpaw has scored at least 13 DraftKings points in 12 of his last 13 appearances, posting a 3.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 11.3 K/9 in that span. That’s the consistency we’ve been waiting for. He is even more reliable at home. The left-hander has a 2.21 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 10.6 K/9 at Yankee Stadium in the same stretch. The oddsmakers agree with our assessment, as Cleveland is expected to score just 3.5 runs – the lowest total on this list. That’s great, considering Rodon has recorded at least 25 DraftKings points in three of his last four meetings with the Guardians.

Top goals

Juan SotoNYY (vs. Alex Cobb) $6,000

Everyone talks about Aaron Judge, but Soto was just as special. The superstar had a .410 on-base percentage (OBP) and .988 OPS during the regular season, which isn’t far off his career .421 OBP and .953 OPS. Has the power Real are coming this season, but that’s no surprise considering he has the short porch at Yankee Stadium. The best part is that Soto faces a righty today, as he has registered a .425 OBP and .975 OPS against them since 2022. Cobb is far from a worrisome matchup, with a recent performance of -1.5 DraftKings points to his name. If you want to stack the Yankees, Judge ($6,300) And Jazz Chisholm ($4,700) seem to be the best options.

Francisco LindorNYM (vs. Walker Buhler) $5,500

If the Mets somehow win the World Series, Lindor will become one of the most popular players in franchise history. The superstar shortstop has carried them since the opening month of the year, hitting nearly 30 home runs and 30 steals since then. He has combined that with an .886 OPS. Things are looking even better as he has averaged 12.8 DraftKings points per game over his last 10 games. Buehler has also been blasted all season. We’ll go into more detail about that in the section on stacks.

Bargain bats

Avenue ThomasCLE (vs. Carlos Rodon) $4,200

Thomas was a sneaky addition from Cleveland at the trade deadline. He was their best hitter in this postseason run. The former Washington outfielder is averaging 10.8 DraftKings points per game over his last five games while generating an OPS of .855 in the final month of the regular season. The most impactful variable is that Thomas will face a southpaw and has compiled a .379 OBP and .921 OPS against them since the start of last season. While we like Rodon, Thomas is a sneaky option against him.

Tommy EdmanLOAD (vs. Sean Manaea) $3,600

It’s funny that we have Edman and Thomas in this section because both guys had huge trade deadline acquisitions. Edman was a different player when he joined LA, posting an .829 OPS in his first 29 games with the Dodgers. He struggled this past week, but we can’t overlook what this utility player has done with the pack advantage in his favor. Edman has a .412 batting average (AVG), an .882 slugging rate (SLG) and a 1.299 OPS against lefties this season. If you want to stack Dodgers bats against a red-hot Manaea, Mookie Betts ($5,300) And Teoscar Hernández ($5,100) have also defeated lefties.

Stacks to consider

New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers (Walker Buhler): Francisco Lindor ($5,500), Brandon Nimmo ($3,900), Jesse Winker ($3,200)

How on earth does Walker Buehler get a start in the National League Championship Series (NLCS)? This guy used to be a top guy, but he’s been a gas can since he had Tommy John surgery. The righty allowed six runs en route to -5.6 DraftKings points in his first playoff start and posted a 5.38 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in a nightmarish campaign. He also only had three good starts all year and has almost no chance to do so in the second half against one of the highest scoring teams.

We need to kickstart our stack with Lindor, but Nimmo is a sneaky option as a three-hole hitter. This guy has been rocking righties his entire career, compiling a .357 OBP and .800 OPS against them since 2022. He also has 23 homers and 15 steals in the heart of this lineup, and he should be aggressive in this must-win game. 2. We’re not sure if Winker will be in the lineup, but he should are. He has been an Energizer Bunny for the Mets, maintaining a .379 OBP and .841 OPS against right-handers throughout his career.

The author(s) of this article may enter daily fantasy contests, including – but not limited to – games on which they have provided recommendations or advice in this article. If they play in these games using their personal accounts, they may use players in their lineups or use other strategies that differ from the recommendations they provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Joel Bartilotta plays in daily fantasy contests with the following accounts: DraftKings: Joelbartilotta Yahoo: Joelbartilotta.