NL Wild Card Series 2020: Brewers vs. Dodgers Odds and Fantasy Picks

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers have the largest record disparity between any opponents in the MLB wild-card round. 

The top-seeded Dodgers are widely expected to cruise through the National League Central side because of how well they played throughout the 60-game regular season. 

Dave Roberts' team will hope to win the best-of-three series in two games with Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw headed to the bump for Games 1 and 2. 

Milwaukee boasts an impressive pitching staff headlined by Brandon Woodruff and a slew of dominant relievers, but it pales in comparison to the Dodgers when you break down the batting order. 

The Brewers' offensive struggles were one of the main factors that led to the team finishing below .500 on its path to the No. 8 seed. 

Odds

To Win World Series

Los Angeles Dodgers (+350; bet $100 to win $350)

Milwaukee (+3300)

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Fantasy Picks

Will Smith, C, Los Angeles Dodgers

The obvious fantasy picks on the Dodgers roster are Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger, but you may not gain separation in daily fantasy contests with both of them in the squad since they will be coveted by many fantasy players. 

Will Smith will be targeted by some fantasy players, but he should not have the same roster percentage as the high-profile hitters on the Los Angeles roster. 

Smith increased all four of his splits in 2020 from his first year in the majors, with the biggest jump occurring in OPS from .907 to .980.

However, the most significant change in numbers from 2019 to 2020 could be the most important number for Smith's fantasy value. He dropped his strikeout total from 52 in 196 plate appearances to 22 in 137 plate appearances. 

Smith should not be a liability against either left-handed or right-handed pitchers. He hit .294 in in 34 at-bats against southpaws and .288 over 80 at-bats against righties. 

He could be in a good position to drive in runs from the start of Game 1 with Betts, Bellinger, Justin Turner and others hitting in front of him. 

If the Dodgers receive production from everyone, they could counter whatever Woodruff, Brett Anderson or the Milwaukee relivers throw at them. 

Orlando Arcia, SS, Milwaukee

It is hard to trust most aspects of the Milwaukee offense. 

The Brewers had a .223 team batting average and a .702 OPS. Both totals placed them in the bottom 10 in each category in the majors. 

Additionally, the NL wild-card team struck out on 583 occasions, which was the second highest total behind the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Since Christian Yelich and Keston Hiura strike out at a high rate, someone like Orlando Arcia could be the best fantasy pick out of the Brewers lineup.

Arcia was only punched out on strikes on 32 occasions. He had 10 doubles, one triple and five home runs from the heart of the Milwaukee order. 

The shortstop's propensity for extra-base hits could either produce runs if Hiura and Yelich reach base, or set up run-scoring opportunities for the bottom of the order. 

If Woodruff, Anderson or any other starter goes five or six innings with a short lead, they could turn it over to the bullpen to try to steal a game or two from the Dodgers. 

It is still a long shot given the difference between the two teams in regular-season play, but players like Arcia could be the X-factors to an upset. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Baseball Reference.