New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz picked up his first win of the postseason on Thursday, tossing 1 innings against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of their Wild Card series. Diaz came in after Jose Butto gave up back-to-back homers and put the Mets down 2-0. He got the next five outs and set the stage for a big comeback in the top of the ninth. Diaz did end up throwing 39 pitches in this one, so his availability for Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies could be up in the air. It is the postseason though, so if Diaz is needed, he will probably be ready to go.

Atlanta Braves right-hander AJ Smith-Shawver has been named the starter for Game 1 of the wild-card series against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Tuesday night. The Braves didn't have ideal options to choose from to start against a strong Padres offense to kick off the three-game series, as Smith-Shawver got the nod over Ian Anderson and Bryce Elder. The 21-year-old made his big-league debut in 2023 but pitched in just six games (five starts). His lone MLB start in 2024 came back on May 23, when he threw 4 1/3 shutout innings in a no-decision against the Chicago Cubs. The former seventh-rounder didn't do great in the minors, posting a 4.85 ERA and 1.24 WHIP with 108 K's and 40 walks in 89 innings over 21 starts with Triple-A Gwinnett and High-A Rome. Needless to say, Smith-Shawver won't be a recommended DFS play for the first day of playoff action.

New York Mets outfielder Jesse Winker (back) was included on the team's wild-card roster this week versus the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field and he's starting in Game 1 versus right-hander Freddy Peralta on Tuesday. Winker had missed the last four regular-season games due to a back issue, but he was feeling good enough to give it a go for the start of the playoffs. The Mets have lefty-hitting Brett Baty on the taxi squad in case Winker has a setback and needs to be replaced on the roster. Winker is serving as the designated hitter and batting sixth, pushing veteran J.D. Martinez to the bench. The 31-year-old lefty-hitting Winker won't be a popular DFS play for Tuesday's slate after hitting .071 (3-for-42) with a homer, four RBI, seven walks and 10 strikeouts in 18 games in the month of September. However, the Mets are going to play the splits, with Winker batting .258 (88-for-341) with 13 of his 14 homers this year against righties.

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan O'Hearn and outfielder Austin Slater are not included in the starting lineup for Game 1 of the wild-card series against the Kansas City Royals at Camden Yards on Tuesday. In addition, catcher James McCann will be behind the dish and will hit ninth against Royals left-hander Cole Ragans. Adley Rutschman is the designated hitter and is batting fifth, while Colton Cowser starts in left field and bats sixth. O'Hearn ended the regular season on a tear with the bat but did not have a single one of his 15 home runs on the year against left-handed pitchers. With veteran righty Seth Lugo set to start for KC in Game 2 on Wednesday, expect the lefty-hitting O'Hearn to be back in at DH for the O's. Slater has hit just .209 combined in 2024 with two homers and 18 RBI in 177 at-bats with the Orioles, San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds.

New York Mets outfielder Jesse Winker (back) didn't play in the last four regular-season games and had his back taped up on Monday. If he's unavailable to play in the wild-card series this week against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field, the Mets have an opening for a left-handed hitter. As such, third baseman Brett Baty is currently on the taxi squad and could be added to the playoff roster if Winker isn't included. It sounds as though the 31-year-old Winker won't be available against Milwaukee. It would mean more action for veteran designated hitter J.D. Martinez against the Brewers, with Baty likely just filling a bench role for the Mets. After being acquired in a trade from the Washington Nationals at the deadline, Winker hit .243 (28-for-115) in New York with three homers, five doubles and 13 RBI in 44 games played.

Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe is not in the team's starting lineup for Game 1 of the wild-card series on Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. With Renfroe riding pine, the Royals will roll with Tommy Pham in right field, and he will hit seventh against Orioles right-hander Corbin Burnes. Renfroe's playing time in the postseason might be more spotty now that first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (thumb) is back from the injured list to take over designated hitter duties, at least for the wild-card series. If the 32-year-old Renfroe does get into a game at any point during the series in Baltimore, it will likely come against a left-handed pitcher. In his first year with the Royals in 2024, Renfroe hit just .229/.297/.392 with a below-average .689 OPS, 15 home runs and 52 RBI in 120 games played. In 23 games with KC, Pham went 23-for-101 (.228) with two homers and eight RBI.

Atlanta Braves right-handers Ian Anderson, AJ Smith-Shawver and Bryce Elder are all candidates to start Game 1 of the wild-card series against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Tuesday. Anderson has some of the best postseason numbers of all time, but he hasn't pitched in the big leagues since 2022. The Braves may wait as long as possible to announce their starter against the Padres. Anderson has a 1.26 ERA in 35 2/3 innings pitched in the postseason, including a 1.04 WHIP with 40 strikeouts and 17 walks, but he'd be a pretty big dice role for Atlanta to kick off the three-game series. In 15 minor-league stops at four different levels this year, he had a 3.44 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 68 strikeouts and 29 walks in 68 innings. Smith-Shawver made just one start for Atlanta this year and has six starts since debuting in 2023. Elder was an All-Star in 2023 but had an ERA over 6.00 in his 10 starts this year.

New York Mets outfielders Starling Marte and Jesse Winker are both on the bench for Game 1 of the team's big divisional doubleheader on Monday at Truist Park against the Atlanta Braves. Harrison Bader is starting in center field and batting ninth, while Tyrone Taylor gets the nod in right field and will bat seventh against Braves right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach. Bader has never faced Schwellenbach before, while Taylor is hitless in just three at-bats against him. The 35-year-old Marte is typically a lineup regular for the Mets, but he enters Monday's big doubleheader with just one hit in his last five games and hasn't homered in the second half of the season. Bader gives the Mets a nice little power-speed combination at the bottom of the lineup, but he comes into Monday with no hits and five strikeouts in 12 plate appearances in his last six games dating back to Sept. 20.

New York Mets outfielder/designated hitter Jesse Winker is out of the starting nine for the second-straight game on Sunday afternoon as the Mets look to avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers. As a result, J.D. Martinez will serve as the designated hitter and Brandon Nimmo, Tyrone Taylor, and Starling Marte will be in the outfield. Since the start of the month, Winker has held a poor .071 AVG with just one extra-base hit. Even though the Mets offense has struggled over the past week, they have a favorable matchup against Milwaukee right-hander Colin Rea and are worth a look in DFS.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Luis Matos was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento for the final game of the regular season as outfielder Mark Canha (finger) was placed on the injured list with a right thumb sprain. Matos is not penciled into the starting nine and will be available off the bench as the Giants face the St. Louis Cardinals in their season finale. Matos has posted a .216/.240/.351 line across 44 games at the major league level this summer. The Giant offense is best to fade in DFS this afternoon as they will face Cardinal prospect Michael McGreevy who enters Sunday with a strong 2.40 ERA.

Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner (arm) is set to start in the final game of the regular season on Sunday afternoon against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Feltner left his previous start early due to cramping but that injury does not seem serious as he will get the nod in the season finale. The Ohio State product has held a 4.66 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, with a 50:135 BB:K ratio across 156 1/3 innings of work. The right-hander has held a slightly higher 5.53 ERA and 1.49 WHIP at home, where he will pitch this afternoon against a high-powered Dodger offense. DFS players should look to avoid Feltner in this start as he will have a tall task ahead of him.

Baltimore Orioles third baseman Emmanuel Rivera had his best game of the season in Saturday's 9-2 win over the Twins, reaching base in each of his five plate appearances. The 28-year-old went 4-for-4 with a walk, a double, and a pair of home runs, plus he drove in four runs and scored three times. Rivera hadn't received a start in the Orioles' prior five games, so he certainly made the most of his opportunity. Rivera came over from the Marlins in August and has hit well in Baltimore when given the chance, slashing .323/.380/.597 with four home runs, 14 RBI, and nine runs scored in 71 plate appearances.

Miami Marlins outfielder Dane Myers had a huge day at the plate on Saturday, recording two hits and mashing a three-run homer in the Marlins' 8-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Myers added on a two-run double along with his three-run homer to give him five RBI on the day. The 28-year-old spent the first half of the season in the majors with Miami but has spent most of the season recovering from an ankle injury he sustained after kicking a door in anger in July. Saturday marked his third game back and easily his best day at the plate in terms of RBI. His OPS increased to .788 on the season, an improvement over his .644 OPS in 2023. Fantasy managers in dynasty leagues may want to keep an eye on Myers going forward, though he'll likely only have value in deeper leagues.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitching prospect Mike Burrows is being promoted to the major league roster. In a corresponding move, the Pirates demoted right-hander Jared Jones to the Florida Complex League as he made his final start of the season on Friday evening. Burrows has spent the entire season at Triple-A Indianapolis and posted a 4.06 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, with a 15:45 BB:K ratio. The 24-year-old is not projected to start on Saturday or Sunday but could be deployed out of the bullpen over the weekend. Fantasy managers should expect Burrows to compete for a spot on the major league roster during spring training.

Miami Marlins shortstop Xavier Edwards' speed was on full display in Friday's 15-5 win over the Blue Jays, setting a Marlins franchise record with three triples in a single game. The 25-year-old finished the day 4-for-6 from the plate, with four RBI and two runs scored. It was Edwards' fourth straight multi-hit game, putting an exclamation point on the end of his breakout campaign, with the switch-hitter putting up some impressive numbers in just 68 games played. The 38th-overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft tallied a .327-1-26-37-31 line with a .357 wOBA and 127 wRC+ over 294 plate appearances -- that's a 63-steal pace with 600 plate appearances. He'll be an intriguing fantasy asset in drafts next season with that type of speed and batting average.

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jake McCarthy is absent from the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the San Diego Padres. This is a much-needed rest day for McCarthy who has started in each of the last five games. He has put together a solid season with a .283 batting average with eight home runs, 54 RBI, and 25 stolen bases across 140 games. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Pavin Smith will cover the corner outfield spots against right-hander Yu Darvish on Friday. Gurriel should be started in most fantasy leagues right now.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch (triceps) is serving as the designated hitter and batting fifth for the Cubbies on Friday against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Nick Martinez at Wrigley Field. Busch was hit by a pitch earlier this week and missed one game as a result, but he's back now and ready to go for the final three games of the 2024 regular season this weekend. Cody Bellinger is making another start at first base, with rookie Kevin Alcantara making his second big-league start in right field. Busch does not have a hit in four career at-bats against Martinez. The 26-year-old left-handed hitter has produced his first 20-homer season and has also driven in 65 in 149 games in his first full season in the majors with the Cubs in 2024. Busch has been cold at the plate lately, going 3-for-20 (.150) with a homer, double, one RBI and six strikeouts in his last seven games played.

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Chris Flexen was on his game in Thursday's 7-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels, tossing 6 frames of shutout ball and earning his third victory. Flexen limited the Angels to five hits and a walk while notching seven strikeouts. While the 30-year-old has been good in three of his last four starts, it doesn't do much to salvage a season where he went 3-15 with a 4.95 ERA and 1.52 WHIP. Hopefully next year Flexen won't be on the White Sox and can be a viable streamer in the right matchups, but he has a long way to go.

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Brent Honeywell (fingernail) was placed on the 15-day IL on Thursday with a cracked right fingernail. It is another tough loss for a pitching staff that has gone through the wringer this year in terms of injuries. Honeywell has been a quality relief option that can pitch multiple innings and can be used in any situation, so it'll be tough for the Dodgers to replace come playoffs. The severity of the injury is unknown, but he will be out until at least part of the way through the Wild Card series due to his placement on the IL. Anthony Banda was activated off the IL and is taking Honeywell's spot, so the news isn't all bad for the Dodgers.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes (toe) was activated off the 10-day injured list on Thursday afternoon. In a corresponding move, the Dodgers optioned backstop Hunter Feduccia to Triple-A Oklahoma. Feduccia made only two starts over the past two weeks and went 2-for-10. Barnes was sidelined since September 15 with a toe fracture. Before the injury, the veteran catcher held a .261/.327/.306 line with three doubles, one home run, and 11 RBI. Fantasy managers should expect Barnes to remain as the backup catcher over the final weekend of the regular season and during the postseason, while Will Smith sees the vast majority of starts behind the plate.