MLB Postseason | September 29, 2026: DraftKings DFS Picks & Stacks

The 2026 MLB postseason opens Tuesday with four Wild Card Game 1 matchups: Phillies-Braves at 2 p.m. ET, White Sox-Astros at 5, Red Sox-Yankees at 8 and Cubs-Padres at 10. Quality pitching is everywhere, so we want concentrated stacks with real home-run paths rather than unrelated hitters.

The supplied DraftKings file contains the full eight-team postseason pool, including pitchers who are not starting Game 1. We are only treating confirmed or current Game 1 starters as pitching options. Official batting orders remain part of final lineup QA.

Pitching

Chris Sale, $10,000

Our preferred raw-ceiling SP1. Strikeout ceiling matters on a playoff slate without weak offenses.

Cam Schlittler, $9,600

The Yankees’ announced Game 1 starter is $9,600 after a 14-6 season, 1.95 ERA and 239 strikeouts. He is our favorite alternative to Sale.

Payton Tolle, $8,800

Boston’s Game 1 left-hander is $8,800. Yankee Stadium creates risk, but the strikeout ability gives him GPP ceiling.

Hunter Brown, $8,200

At $8,200, Brown is our preferred salary-balanced pitcher if confirmed for Houston. He allows more spending on bats without punting strikeout upside.

Favorite stack: Houston

Houston is our favorite combination of lineup depth and workable salary. Isaac Paredes $4,300, Christian Walker $3,700 and Yainer Diaz $3,500 can bridge the expensive bats, which matters when we still want two legitimate pitchers.

Power stack: Yankees

New York owns one of the slate’s clearest home-run paths, but Aaron Judge’s status needs to be confirmed in the official Game 1 lineup. Judge is $5,800. If he starts normally, the Yankees become a premium tournament stack against Tolle.

Tournament stack: San Diego

Fernando Tatis Jr. $5,900 supplies the slate-breaking power and speed ceiling. San Diego is our favorite late-night GPP stack, with the later start helping keep ownership manageable.

Leverage stack: Philadelphia

Kyle Schwarber $5,200 gives us one-swing ceiling against Sale. Stacking against the most expensive pitcher is uncomfortable, which is exactly why Philadelphia works as large-field leverage.

Best one-offs and values

• Fernando Tatis Jr. $5,900: favorite raw-ceiling one-off.
• Kyle Schwarber $5,200: home-run ceiling even in a difficult matchup.
• Aaron Judge $5,800: elite one-off only if confirmed without restrictions.
• Christian Walker $3,700: useful mid-range power.
• Yainer Diaz $3,500: affordable catcher inside our favorite Houston stack.
• Nico Hoerner $3,700: salary relief if he hits in a useful lineup spot.
• Colson Montgomery $3,500: shortstop value if confirmed in the order.
• Austin Hays $3,000: $3,000 outfield value if he starts.
• Lucas Spence $2,700: punt only if confirmed in the White Sox lineup.

Postseason lineup strategy

• Prioritize two correlated stacks. Four-man plus three-man is our preferred GPP structure.
• Do not blindly pay for two $9K-plus pitchers. A strong $8K SP2 can be correct if it upgrades the offense.
• Keep Cubs and Padres players in flexible roster spots when possible for late swap.
• Playoff bullpens shorten the window for weak hitters. Cheap bats need lineup position, platoon advantage or real power.
• Any value play that is not in the official starting lineup should be removed.

CTS September 29 core

Sale and Schlittler lead the pitching board, with Hunter Brown as the salary-balanced alternative if confirmed. Houston is our favorite stack, the Yankees have premium power if Judge is fully available, San Diego is our preferred late-night tournament stack, and Philadelphia is the aggressive leverage stack against Sale.