Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder AJ Pollock is in the lineup on Thursday night for Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. The veteran is starting in left field after beginning Wednesday's Game 4 loss on the bench. He'll bat fifth against left-handed starter Max Fried and the Atlanta Braves. In Los Angeles' Game 1 loss, Pollock recorded a double and a run scored in four plate appearances. Three of those plate appearances, including the one that ended with a double, came against Fried.

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder and first baseman Cody Bellinger is getting the start in center field for the fifth game of the National League Championship Series on Thursday night. Bellinger is hitting eighth against the Atlanta Braves and left-handed starter Max Fried. It'll be Bellinger's first start of the series in the outfield after starting three games at first base. In 96 plate appearances during the regular season against left-handed pitching during the regular season, the 26-year-old hit .116 with a .208 on-base percentage and one home run.

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Albert Pujols is in the starting lineup for Game 5 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday. The veteran will bat sixth against Atlanta Braves left-handed starter Max Fried. Pujols also started the first game of the series when Fried was on the mound for Atlanta. In 11 plate appearances, this season the 41-year-old has collected three hits while striking out twice. He had a pinch-hit single in Los Angeles' Game 4 loss on Wednesday.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Jorge Soler returned to the team's roster for the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers for Game 5 on Thursday after being cleared from MLB's COVID-19 list. Soler will replace top prospect Cristian Pache on the NLCS roster for the remainder of the series. Soler hasn't played in the postseason since testing positive for the virus before Game 4 of the National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Oct. 12. He was required to produce two negative tests at the end of his 10-day quarantine. Soler isn't in the starting lineup for Game 5 against Dodgers relief opener Joe Kelly, but Soler can provide Atlanta with a powerful bat off the bench later in the game, if needed.

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner (hamstring) has been replaced on the National League Championship Series roster by infielder Andy Burns after the veteran suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain in the Game 4 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. Burns last appeared in a big league game on June 22 and appeared in nine games for the Dodgers in mid-June, collecting three hits and three walks. Like Turner, Burns hits right-handed, and third base was his primary position in the minors. The 31-year-old hit .237/.374/.425 with seven home runs in 58 games over two minor league levels this season. With Turner out for Game 5 on Thursday, Chris Taylor is starting at the hot corner and batting seventh against Braves left-hander Max Fried.

Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos is expected to opt out of his deal with $34 million and two years left. He's still only 29 years old and had a .939 OPS for the Reds in 2021, and Cincinnati retains interest in keeping the All-Star around. Castellanos has a $16 million player option for the 2022 season, but he'll likely decline that in order to become a free agent. He also slashed an impressive .309/.362/.576 with 34 long balls, 38 doubles, 100 RBI and 95 runs scored in 138 games for the Reds. For fantasy purposes, it might be best to see Castellanos stick around in Cincy, but his bat should play anywhere if he continues to swing it like he did this year.

Houston Astros ace Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm) is unlikely to be available if the Astros were to advance past the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox and to the World Series. McCullers' forearm injury is seen as muscular in nature, which is good news in the long term. Before his injury in the Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, the right-hander had a 0.84 ERA. The 28-year-old was also excellent in the regular season, going 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings in 162 1/3 frames over his 28 starts. Jake Odorizzi was added to Houston's ALCS roster in the wake of McCullers' arm injury.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Eddie Rosario is starting in left field and batting fifth on Wednesday in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. Rosario is hitting .400 with a .464 on-base percentage in 27 plate appearances this postseason. He's been particularly productive as of late, with five hits and a pair of walks in his last 10 plate appearances. The outfielder previously hit leadoff in the first three games of the series but will bat fifth against Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias. In 120 plate appearances against left-handed pitching during the regular season, Rosario hit .265 with a .288 on-base percentage, a 76 wRC+, and a .651 OPS.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Huascar Ynoa (shoulder) was scratched from his scheduled start on Wednesday as Atlanta's opener for Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. Ynoa was scratched because of shoulder inflammation. Instead, reliever Jesse Chavez will take the ball first as the team's opener. The right-hander pitched to a 2.14 ERA and a 2.01 FIP in 33.2 innings during the regular season, striking out 36 batters while surrendering 11 walks. In 3.1 innings this postseason, Chavez has allowed three hits and a pair of walks while striking out two batters.

Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson will bat leadoff on Wednesday in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and left-handed starter Julio Urias. Eddie Rosario previously hit leadoff for Atlanta in each of the first three games of the series, but the outfielder is batting fifth against Urias. Swanson also hit leadoff in Game 4 of the Division Series against Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Eric Lauer. The shortstop hit .248 with a .311 on-base percentage, 27 home runs, and nine stolen bases in 653 plate appearances during the regular season.

The New York Mets announced in a tweet on Wednesday that starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco (elbow) "underwent successful surgery yesterday to remove a bone fragment from his right elbow." In the same tweet, the Mets wrote that Carrasco "will resume baseball activities later this winter." Acquired as part of the Francisco Lindor trade, the veteran pitched to a 6.04 ERA and a 5.22 FIP in 53.2 innings while striking out 50 batters and surrendering 18 walks in his first season in New York.

Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman will start and hit third in Game 5 of the ALCS against the Red Sox. Bregman is slashing .281/.343/.406 through eight playoff games and popped his first home run since September 28 in the Astros seven-run ninth inning of Game 4. The Red Sox will send left-handed starter Chris Sale to the mound for Game 5 and Bregman hit .300 against lefties through 120 at-bats in the regular season. Bregman's power may be compromised at this time but still is a dangerous hitter at the plate heading into Game 5.

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez will start and hit cleanup Wednesday in Game 5 of the ALCS against the Red Sox. Alvarez has been a metronome of offensive consistency in these playoffs and has at least one hit in every game of the Championship Series. Alvarez will face left-handed starter Chris Sale in Game 5 and the left-handed slugger has been surprisingly productive against lefties. Alvarez slashed .283/.349/.532 through 205 at-bats against left-handed pitching during the regular season and is 5-for-13 (.385) in the playoffs. Alvarez is a solid DFS option for Wednesday.

Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa will try and stay hot as the team takes on the Red Sox in Game 5 of the ALCS. The series is tied at 2-2 and Correa will hit fifth against Red Sox projected starter Chris Sale. Correa has been, once again, dynamite in the playoffs, slashing .367/.441/.567 through 30 at-bats with one home run, three doubles, five runs batted in and seven runs scored. Through 71 career postseason games, Correa is now slashing .280/.350/.535 with 15 doubles, 18 home runs, 34 runs scored and 55 runs batted in heading into this crucial game.

Houston Astros outfielder Michael Brantley will hit second in the team's crucial Game 5 matchup against the Red Sox in the ALCS. Brantley is 3-for-8 with three runs batted in since the series moved to Boston but will have a difficult matchup against left-handed starter Chris Sale. The veteran is hitting .306 during the postseason but is posting only a .219 mark against left-handed pitching during the regular season. Brantley is as professional a hitter as there is in the game but may not be the best DFS option for this Game 5 matchup.

Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve will start and hit leadoff in Game 5 of the ALCS against left-handed starter Chris Sale and the Red Sox. Altuve is hitting only .219 through 32 postseason at-bats but has hit some huge home runs. Altuve went 1-for-4 in Game 4, including a game-tying home run in the eighth inning that gave the Astros new life. The former MVP is slugging .563 in the playoffs with two doubles, three home runs, seven runs batted in and 13 runs scored through eight games.

Houston Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker will start and hit sixth Wednesday in Game 5 of the ALCS. Tucker has driven in runs in each of his last three games against the Red Sox and leads the Astros with 12 runs batted in through eight postseason games. Tucker has parlayed a fantastic second half in the regular season into a productive playoffs, slashing .281/.303/.625 with two doubles and three home runs. The Red Sox will send left-handed starter Chris Sale to the mound and the Tucker, surprisingly, posted a .910 OPS against lefties in the regular season.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nick Pivetta got the nod to start Game 4 of the ALCS against the Houston Astros, and he delivered a very strong performance with just one run allowed on two hits and two walks in five innings of work. He struck out three batters, and the only blemish came on a home run from Alex Bregman in the top of the first inning. Pivetta has delivered a 2.63 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 14 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings across three appearances this postseason, and he's quickly establishing himself as a reliable option to eat up innings under pressure, whether that be as a starter or out of the bullpen.

Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts provided all the offense the team could muster in Tuesday's ALCS Game 4, hitting a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning. He also doubled in five at-bats. Bogaerts is slashing .316/.395/.605 with three homers, two doubles, six RBI, and seven runs scored in 43 postseason plate appearances. This represents a significant improvement over his career .725 playoff OPS in 42 games. Bogaerts is one of a slew of top fantasy shortstop options heading into 2022.

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi entered Tuesday night's ALCS Game 4 against the Houston Astros in the top of the ninth inning with the score tied, and proceeded to allow four runs on two hits and two walks with two strikeouts in two-thirds of an inning to take the loss. He very nearly escaped unscathed, but he did not get a borderline called third strike to Jason Castro with two out and two on and it all went downhill from there. Eovaldi is still on track to start Game 6, but it's fair to wonder if this appearance will cost him a few outs of length on Friday.