MLB Championship Series DFS Picks: Best Value Plays for Sunday, October 18th

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 Sunday slate, we’ve got one game on tap: Rays-Guardians Game 5. With that in mind, let’s dive into the best DFS picks for the Championship Series of the 2026 MLB Playoffs.

MLB Playoffs DFS Picks

Pos	Player	Matchup	FPPG	Salary
MVP	👑 Drew Rasmussen	TB @ CLE	20.6	$17,700
UTIL	Junior Caminero	TB @ CLE	8.8	$9,800
UTIL	Patrick Bailey	TB @ CLE	4.6	$4,400
UTIL	Jonathan Aranda	TB @ CLE	7.6	$7,800
UTIL	Richie Palacios	TB @ CLE	6.1	$4,600
UTIL	Nathaniel Lowe	TB @ CLE	5.8	$5,200

👑 Drew Rasmussen TB/SP/MVP ($17,700)

The clear chalk MVP play. Rasmussen has been a legitimate workhorse for Tampa Bay all year, running a 7-2 record with a 2.47 ERA and 88 strikeouts over 87.1 innings in his 15 road starts this season — exactly the kind of road split that matters tonight at Progressive Field. He already got the ball for Game 1 of this ALCS, and with the series knotted at 2-2, the Rays are leaning on their ace again in a game they need. At this salary, a 1.5x scoring multiplier on a pitcher averaging 20.6 FPPG is the engine of this lineup.

Junior Caminero- TB/UTIL ($9,800)

The biggest raw power bat on the board. Caminero has been a 40-plus-homer threat for Tampa Bay this season and does the bulk of that damage as a true middle-of-the-order force. He’s a right-handed hitter, which lines him up for the platoon advantage against Cleveland’s expected lefty starter, and against that handedness a mistake pitch anywhere in the zone can leave the yard. For a UTIL spot at this price, he’s the highest ceiling swing in the lineup.

Patrick Bailey – CLE/UTIL ($4,400)

The salary-relief piece, and an honest one. Bailey came over to Cleveland in a May trade from San Francisco and has quietly hit .245 with 4 homers in 114 at-bats since the move — a real uptick after he’d struggled with the Giants. He’s a right-handed bat, so facing a right-handed Rasmussen tonight isn’t a favorable platoon look, but at this salary he’s priced as pure cap space, and his two Gold Gloves behind the plate mean he’s in the Guardians’ lineup regardless of matchup.

Jonathan Aranda – TB/UTIL ($7,800)

The steady floor play. Aranda is hitting .274 with a .792 OPS and 22 home runs across 155 games this season, a genuinely productive everyday bat for Tampa Bay. He’s left-handed, so a lefty starter for Cleveland tonight isn’t his best matchup on paper, but his season-long consistency against all pitching makes him a safer source of points than his salary suggests.

Richie Palacios – TB/UTIL ($4,600)

The proven big-moment bat at a bargain price. The Brooklyn native delivered one of the signature hits of the ALDS, a huge knock that helped bury the Yankees and send Tampa Bay to this series. He’s a left-handed hitter facing a likely lefty tonight, which tempers the projection, but he’s shown he can come through in exactly these spots, and at $4,600 he’s cheap enough to pair with the lineup’s bigger salary commitments.

Nate Lowe – CLE/UTIL ($5,200)

The hottest bat in the pool. Since Cleveland acquired him at the deadline from Cincinnati, Lowe has hit .296 with a .903 OPS and multiple go-ahead home runs in just his first eight games as a Guardian. He’s left-handed, which sets up a favorable platoon look against the right-handed Rasmussen tonight, and he’s shown he’s capable of a big swing against exactly that kind of pitcher. At $5,200, he’s one of the better value plays on the slate.

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