Fantasy Baseball

What better way is there to spend a Friday than with four MLB postseason games on the tube?

Not many, if any. And if you are the betting sort or a lover of daily fantasy, we've got your odds for that slate of games and a few predictions for players poised to have a big night, and send you into the weekend in style while they're at it. 

Friday Odds

Chicago White Sox (+108) at Houston Astros (-126)

Atlanta Braves (+132) at Milwaukee Brewers (-156)

Boston Red Sox (+110) at Tampa Bay Rays (-130)

Los Angeles Dodgers (-118) at San Francisco Giants (+100)

Odds via FanDuel

DFS Advice

You've already been recommended to get players like Boston's Bobby Dalbec, San Francisco's Logan Webb and Atlanta's Austin Riley in your DFS lineups, so we won't go back through that here. Instead, we'll focus on a few other players set to have big performances.

For your other rotation spot, Lucas Giolito is the play. In 88 career at-bats, Astros' players are hitting a combined .140 against the White Sox starter, with four homers and 18 strikeouts. And in his lone start against Houston this year, he threw a three-hit, one-run complete game, walking six batters while striking out eight. 

The 27-year-old has also been solid on the road, going 7-3 with a 3.25 ERA and 103 strikeouts in 91.1 innings. And he finished strong, going 2-0 with a 2.21 ERA and 21 strikeouts in his last four starts. 

With Chicago needing a win after losing Game 1 on Thursday, Giolito is the right man for the job. He'll have a strong showing for your DFS squad. 

Whether you rock with Riley or not, consider double-dipping Atlanta's lineup with Dansby Swanson. All he's done in his career against Corbin Burnes is go 4-for-5 with two homers and five RBI. It's a small sample size, sure, and you may be worried that he has struggled down the stretch (.185 with just one homer in the past 30 days). 

But some batters just see certain pitchers well. Bank on Swanson doing work against Burnes. 

For your catcher, don't overthink it and just go with Buster Posey. Not only is he hitting .311 at AT&T Park this year, but his power numbers have also largely come against right-handed pitchers (12 homers, 38 RBI, 45 runs).

Yes, Walker Buehler has been lights out in his last two starts (2-0 with a 0.75 ERA, .150 batting average against and 16 strikeouts in 12 innings). But Posey is hitting .325 with two homers and 14 RBI in his past 30 days. He's a nice investment at catcher. 

Oh, and that Brandon Lowe fella? Well, it doesn't really matter who the Red Sox throw at him. In 71 at-bats against their pitchers, he is hitting .321 with six homers and 16 RBI. Don't be surprised if he opens the ALDS with a big night. 

For all the latest betting information and reaction, check out B/R Betting.

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Two players who had short stints with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021 are producing at high levels for two of the worst teams in Major League Baseball. 

The success of DJ Peters in Texas and Yoshi Tsutsugo in Pittsburgh is significant if you need a power boost on your fantasy baseball roster. 

Peters and Tsutsugo are not the first names that come to mind as waiver-wire additions, but they could be unlikely contributors in the power stat categories over the next week or so to put your team in the best position possible to succeed in the playoffs. 

Peters is swinging a hot bat in the heart of the Texas order, and Tsutsugo has not stopped hitting home runs since he arrived in Pittsburgh. 

On the mound, one of the many young arms on the Kansas City Royals roster is an ideal sleeper pick because of the consistency he displayed over the last few weeks. 

Top Fantasy Baseball Sleepers

DJ Peters, OF, Texas

Peters has found success in the heart of the Texas Rangers order over the last week. 

The outfielder's best performance came on Sunday against the Los Angeles Angels, as he went 4-for-5 with a pair of home runs and four RBI. 

Sunday's outing gave us a glimpse into the power hitter that Peters can be around Adolis Garcia and Nathaniel Lowe in the Texas order.

Peters followed that up with a hit and RBI in the series finale against the Angels on Monday and on Tuesday versus the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

Since August 26, Peters has four multi-hit games and five home runs. If that hot streak continues, he could be the perfect addition to the back end of your roster for the postseason push. 

Peters only has a .207 batting average from his short stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers this season and his time in Texas, but that statistic can be forgiven if his power output remains high. 

Yoshi Tsutsugo, 1B/3B/OF, Pittsburgh

Tsutsugo played in 26 games for the Tampa Bay Rays and appeared in 12 contests for the Dodgers before he landed in Pittsburgh.

The left-hander's numbers in his first two stops were nothing to write home about. He had 16 hits, seven RBI and no home runs over 103 at-bats. 

Since he arrived in Pittsburgh, Tsutsugo has not stopped hitting long balls. He has seven round-trippers in 52 at-bats over 21 games.

Tsutsugo is on a four-game hitting streak in which he has a pair of home runs and four RBI. He scored four runs during that span as well. 

The 29-year-old has a .288 batting average in his time with the Pirates, but his overall season average is hovering around .200 because of how poorly he swung the bat in Tampa and Los Angeles. 

Tsutsugo is worth the waiver-wire pickup because of his hot bat and his positional versatility in Yahoo leagues. He is eligible at first base, third base and outfield. 

If he even provides a power boost to your roster for a few days, or an entire week, it may be worth the risk of adding a slugger from a last-placed team. 

Carlos Hernandez, SP/RP, Kansas City

Carlos Hernandez has been consistent enough in the Kansas City rotation to warrant a spot start or two in fantasy baseball leagues. 

Hernandez conceded three earned runs in his last 18.2 innings of work against the Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners and Chicago White Sox. 

All of those appearances are notable when breaking down his potential addition to your roster. He pitched well in the unpredictable weather at Wrigley Field, silenced a strong Seattle lineup and contained the first-place team in the American League Central.

Hernandez struck out 14 batters in the road starts versus the Cubs and Mariners. If he displays more strikeout power, he could be a more viable waiver-wire candidate in the coming weeks. 

Hernandez has a favorable matchup with the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday, and then he could be in position to face Seattle again at the end of Kansas City's next homestand. 

The right-handed hurler is worth a pickup for the Orioles matchup alone. If you like what you see, he could stay on the fantasy roster until the end of the regular season.