The Duel Staff Picks, Predictions and Best Bets to Make Ahead of 2022 World Series

After a brief layoff, the 2022 World Series is officially here. The Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros will battle in out in the Fall Classic after a pair of impressive postseason runs.

Philadelphia's bats lifted the 87-win team to their Cinderella October run, mashing 16 home runs in just 11 games. The 2021 NL MVP Bryce Harper has been at the center of the action, slashing .419/.444/.907 along with 6 doubles, 5 home runs and 11 RBIs.

As they did all season, the Houston Astros dominated the New York Yankees during the ALCS with the league's best pitching staff. Houston's staff allowed only 6 earned runs over four games against the Yankees and logged a stellar 50 strikeouts.

Houston enters the Fall Classic as a slight -190 favorite over the Phillies' +165 odds, according to FanDuel Sportsbook's latest World Series odds. The Astros are also -172 moneyline favorites in Game 1 of the series with a matchup against Philadelphia's Aaron Nola. Justin Verlander is Houston's most likely Game 1 starter.

First pitch of the 2022 World Series is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 28 at 8:03 p.m. ET. And The Duel staff is here to make our picks and predictions for baseball's final battle in October.

World Series Picks and Predictions

All MLB betting odds and lines are from FanDuel Sportsbook.

1. "Astros Pitching Quiets Hot Phillies Bats" - Adam Taylor McKillop

Game 1 Prediction: Astros 5, Phillies 2
World Series Pick: Astros in 5
World Series MVP: Jose Altuve (+1300)
Best Bet: Bryce Harper to Hit Most Home Runs (+430)

2. "Houston, We Have A Championship" - Tyler Maher

Game 1 Prediction: Astros 4, Phillies 2
World Series Pick: Astros in 6
World Series MVP: Yordan Alvarez (+650)
Best Bet: Jose Altuve to Record Most Hits (+500)

3. "Bryce Harper's Dream Postseason Continues" - David Kaestle

Game 1 Prediction: Phillies 4, Astros 3
World Series Pick: Phillies in 6
World Series MVP: Bryce Harper (+550)
Best Bet: Bryce Harper to Record Most RBI (+380)

4. "Another Win for the Bad Guys" - Jason Schandl

Game 1 Prediction: Astros 5, Phillies 2
World Series Pick: Astros in 6
World Series MVP: Yordan Alvarez (+650)
Best Bet: Yordan Alvarez to Record Most RBI (+360)

Adam Taylor McKillop is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Adam Taylor also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username atmckillop. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.