MLB Championship Series DFS Picks: Best Value Plays for Monday, October 12th

The 2026 MLB Playoffs continue with more Championship Series action, giving us more games to target for daily fantasy contests. We’re going to be using DraftKings pricing to build the best lineups to try to cash in on a large-field tournament. Don’t forget to check out our MLB daily trends page for game odds, data, and insights.

On the Monday slate, we’ve got two games on tap, including Dodgers-Brewers and Guardians-Rays. With that in mind, let’s dive into my best DFS picks for the Championship Series of the 2026 MLB Playoffs.

MLB Playoffs DFS Picks

POS	Player	Matchup	Salary
P	Y. Yamamoto	LAD @ MIL	$10,000
P	D. Rasmussen	CLE @ TB	$8,500
C	W. Contreras	LAD @ MIL	$4,400
1B	Y. Diaz	CLE @ TB	$4,200
2B	T. Bazzana	CLE @ TB	$3,700
3B	K. Hernandez	LAD @ MIL	$2,600
SS	B. Rocchio	CLE @ TB	$3,200
OF	S. Ohtani	LAD @ MIL	$5,800
OF	A. Pages	LAD @ MIL	$4,000
OF	S. Kwan	CLE @ TB	$3,400

Yoshinobu Yamamoto – LAD/SP ($10,000)

We’ve run out of superlatives to describe Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s postseason. After a legendary run in the 2025 playoffs, capped off by a historic performance in the World Series, Yamamoto has continued to dominate when it matters most. So far in these playoffs, he’s allowed a combined three earned runs in 13 innings with two walks and 14 strikeouts.

I’m betting that the Dodgers get it done in Game 2, so I’d rather pay up for Yamamoto than go with Logan Henderson.

Drew Rasmussen – TB/SP ($8,500)

Drew Rasmussen was phenomenal for the Rays this season, putting up a 2.67 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP with 32 walks and 174 strikeouts in 172 innings. He’s continued that run in the playoffs so far, pitching eight scoreless innings with one hit, two walks, and 10 strikeouts vs. the Yankees.

He’s the much safer play, one with more upside, than either Logan Henderson or Foster Griffin. In this slate, it makes sense to pay up for pitching.

William Contreras – MIL/C ($4,400)

William Contreras had a disappointing season by his standards, slashing .270/.341/.417 with 18 home runs in 566 at-bats. However, he’s got a strong track record and hits in the heart of the order for the Brewers.

I know that it goes against the typical rules of building a lineup by rostering an opposing hitter to your pitcher, but Contreras is clearly the best option on the slate. I saved some money elsewhere to fit him into my lineup. We’ve seen Contreras homer once in these playoffs so far.

Yandy Diaz – TBR/1B ($4,200)

Yandy Diaz is one of the most underrated hitters in MLB. He’s coming off another excellent season, where he slashed .293/.359/.446 with 22 home runs in 614 at-bats. He’s a fixture at the top of the order for the Rays, putting him in a good spot for counting stats.

We’ve seen Diaz hit safely in each game in the playoffs so far, including one run. He comes at a reasonable price at $4,200, making him worth a look in this spot.

Travis Bazzana – CLE/2B ($3,700)

I don’t want to pay up for Brice Turang, but I also don’t like the cheaper options at second base. So it makes sense to take a shot at Travis Bazzana, even though I’m riding with Drew Rasmussen.

Bazzana had a respectable rookie season, slashing .245/.335/.408 with 15 home runs and 19 stolen bases in 449 at-bats. He has three runs and one RBI in his last three games. Given how weak 2B is, Bazzana feels like a high-floor play at 3,700.

Enrique Hernandez – LAD/3B ($2,600)

Enrique Hernandez is a “punt play” who provides salary relief that I need to jam in some star hitters in the outfield. While he’s a utility player during the regular season, he always seems to elevate his game when it matters most.

We saw Hernandez homer against the Braves in Game 2., so we’ll take a shot on him here. You have to like the $2,600 price.

Bryan Rocchio – CLE/SS ($2,900)

Bryan Rocchio is another salary relief play shortstop. He had a bit of a power surge this season, hitting 15 home runs with a .253 batting average in 534 at-bats. He hits at the bottom of the order, making him a nice pairing with Travis Bazzana.

Rocchio has gone 2-for-9 with one run and one RBI so far. Just like with Hernandez, this is a move to save salary more than anything else.

Shohei Ohtani – LAD/OF ($5,800)

Shohei Ohtani had a down year by his standards, and he dealt with injuries down the stretch. So far, those struggles have continued in the playoffs, as he’s yet to homer, going 2-for-13 heading into Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday.

Ohtani’s price has remained high, which will push some players off him, making him less rostered than usual. In a large-field tournament, it makes sense to try out Ohtani. It’s only a matter of time before he finds his swing again.

Andy Pages – LAD/OF ($4,000)

Andy Pages had a breakout season for the Dodgers, slashing .274/.343/.468 with 23 home runs in 511 at-bats. Heading into Game 1 of the NLCS, he had gone 4-for-7 with one run and two RBI in his previous two games, so he’s coming in hot.

It also helps that Pages hits in the No. 7 hole, forming a nice pairing at the bottom of the order with Enrique Hernandez (No. 9) in this Dodgers stack.

Steven Kwan – CLE/OF ($3,600)

Steven Kwan is one of the safest floor plays on the board today: he’s hitting .282/.382 with a 9.7% strikeout rate in 2026, among the lowest in the majors, which matters against a pitcher as sharp as Drew Rasmussen since Kwan is far less likely than most hitters to simply swing through him.

He bats leadoff for Cleveland, so he’s guaranteed the most plate appearances on the roster and comes with added stolen-base equity (10 steals this season) on top of any hits. Tropicana Field isn’t a power park, which fits Kwan’s game anyway since he profiles as a contact-and-on-base asset rather than a slugger. He’s not a huge home-run or multi-hit ceiling play, but for cash games or as a cheap, low-bust floor piece at the top of a contending lineup, he’s a sound source of points.

Photo Credit: REUTERS