Tonight’s MLB DFS main slate at DraftKings and FanDuel has eight games starting at 7:07 p.m. ET. Tonight’s top pick ’em selections at Underdog and Sleeper are also from the eight-game slate.
Check out our best picks on the MLB Underdog Cheat Sheet 
Today’s MLB DFS & Player Props Picks
Friday’s Starting Pitcher Rankings
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD) vs. DET
Yoshinobu Yamamoto had an excellent MLB debut in his first season stateside in 2024. According to FanGraphs, in 18 starts spanning 90 innings, he had the following stats.
- Seven wins
- Seven quality starts
- 3.00 ERA
- 3.44 xERA
- 2.86 xFIP
- 3.14 SIERA
- 1.11 WHIP
- 6.0 BB%
- 28.5 K%
- 12.0 SwStr%
- 30.4 CSW%
- 93 stuff+
- 109 location+
- 104 pitching+
Yamamoto got his 2025 campaign off on the right foot, earning a win by holding the Cubs to one run on three hits, one walk and four strikeouts.
The 26-year-old righty has a cupcake matchup and drool-inducing betting info for tonight. Six of Detroit’s projected starters have had a 96 wRC+ or worse against righties since 2023, and five have had at least a 24.4 K%. Finally, the Dodgers are -200, and the game’s total is 7.0 runs, making Yamamoto the top pitcher on tonight’s DFS slate.
Luis Castillo (SEA) vs. ATH
Luis Castillo excels in his pitcher-friendly home digs. In 34 home starts spanning 202 innings at home since 2023, Castillo has spun a 3.12 ERA, 3.31 xFIP, 1.04 WHIP, 5.9 BB% and 29.2 K%.
The veteran righty has a favorable matchup and encouraging betting info tonight. Among the Athletics’ eight projected starters with experience in the Majors, four have had a 96 wRC+ or lower against righties since 2023 or debuting, and only Brent Rooker (144 wRC+) has a wRC+ north of 120. Furthermore, it’s a strikeout-prone group, enhancing Castillo’s upside. The Mariners are justifiably -150, and the game’s total is just 7.0 runs.
Merrill Kelly (ARI) vs. CHC
Merrill Kelly had stellar back-to-back seasons in 2022 and 2023 before enduring an injury-plagued 2024 campaign, limiting him to 13 starts and 73.2 innings. He wasn’t terrible when he toed the slab, spinning a 4.03 ERA with mixed ERA estimators. Still, Kelly will attempt to bounce back this year.
Kelly will start his season somewhere he’s pitched well. In 22 home starts spanning 132.1 innings since 2023, Kelly has had a 3.06 ERA, 3.59 xFIP, 1.07 WHIP, 8.6 BB% and 26.1 K%.
Kelly’s matchup and betting info are mixed. Three of Chicago’s projected starters have had at least a 129 wRC+ against righties since 2023 or debuting, but five have had a 100 wRC+ or worse. In addition, six of the projected hitters have had at least a 23.9 K% versus righties since 2023 or debuting. Lastly, the Diamondbacks are -130, albeit with a slightly alarming game total of 8.5 runs.
Suggested Lineup Stacks
The Dodgers have a juggernaut lineup. Seven of their projected starters have had at least a 106 wRC+ versus righties since 2023 or debuting, and four have had at least a 137 wRC+. Jack Flaherty isn’t necessarily a cushy matchup. Yet, last year’s 3.17 ERA was an outlier relative to his 4.25 ERA in 2022 and 4.99 ERA in 2023. Thus, LA’s lineup’s ceiling is worth chasing on tonight’s slate.
- Home (T-Mobile Park)
- Game Total/Moneyline: 7.0 Runs/SEA -150
Jeffrey Springs was sharp last year in his return from Tommy John surgery. He’s not a cupcake for hitters to feast on. Nevertheless, Seattle’s lineup is stacked with lefty killers. Cal Raleigh‘s 91 wRC+ against lefties since 2023 is the lowest in their projected lineup. Victor Robles‘s 112 wRC+ against southpaws since 2023 was the second-lowest mark during that span. As a result, I expect the Mariners to wear Springs down and get the better of him eventually.
Core Studs
- Shohei Ohtani smacked a homer last night, his second in 14 plate appearances in the regular season. The defending NL MVP has terrorized pitchers of either handedness. Still, in 917 plate appearances against righties since 2023, Ohtani has had a .423 OBP, .389 ISO and 202 wRC+.
- In 427 plate appearances against righties on the road since 2023, Rafael Devers has hit 26 homers with a .370 OBP, .275 ISO and 149 wRC+. The left-handed-hitting Devers’ bat has traveled away from his hitter-friendly confines when he has the platoon advantage.
- In 587 plate appearances against righties since 2023, Triston Casas has mashed 30 taters with a .361 OBP, .225 ISO and 129 wRC+.
Value Plays/Punts
- Cedric Mullins will probably get a point-chasing bump in roster percentage tonight after going 3-for-5 with two homers, two runs and five RBIs on Thursday afternoon. This isn’t a point-chasing suggestion, though. Instead, Mullins has had a .315 OBP, .193 ISO and 111 wRC+ against righties since 2023 and has a nifty blend of power and speed.
- Mitch Garver lights up lefties. In 240 plate appearances against southpaws since 2023, Garver has hit eight homers with a .388 OBP, .178 ISO and 141 wRC+.
- Ryan Bliss had an excellent Triple-A season in 2024, tallying 12 homers, 50 stolen bases, a .377 OBP, .186 ISO and 110 wRC+ in 433 plate appearances. He swiped five more bases in 33 games and 71 plate appearances in the Majors and had a 146 wRC+ against lefties in 34 plate appearances for the Mariners last year.
Friday’s Top 3 Sleeper and Underdog Player Props
Check out our best picks on the MLB Underdog Cheat Sheet
Shohei Ohtani: 1.5 Total Bases – More (Sleeper) (1.75x)
Shohei Ohtani: 1.5 Total Bases – Higher (Underdog)
Ohtani has had three, four, and five total bases in three games this season. He’s come out of the gates scalding the ball, with a .417 batting average, .376 xBA, 1.000 slugging, .451 xSLG, .583 ISO, two singles, one double and two homers. The MLB Underdog Cheat Sheet projects Ohtani for 2.3 total bases, giving his over at Underdog a three-star rating.
Rafael Devers: 1.5 Total Bases – More (Sleeper) (1.83x)
Rafael Devers: 1.5 Total Bases – Higher (Underdog) (1.05x)
In 377 plate appearances against righties last year, Devers hit 45 singles, 23 doubles, two triples and 24 homers with a .293 batting average, .601 slugging and .308 ISO. Conversely, Jack Leiter coughed up 12 singles, three doubles, two triples, three homers, a .270 batting average and .486 slugging to 86 lefties in 2024. Finally, left-handed batters have park factors of 0.976 for singles, 1.004 for doubles, 0.728 for triples and 1.228 for homers at Globe Life Field.
Merrill Kelly: 4.5 Strikeouts – More (Sleeper) (1.82x)
Merrill Kelly: 4.5 Strikeouts – Higher (Underdog)
Even in an injury-plagued, down year last season, Kelly had over 4.5 strikeouts in seven of 13 starts. Additionally, in 22 home starts spanning 132.1 innings since 2023, Kelly had 137 strikeouts, 9.32 K/9, 26.1 K% and cleared 4.5 strikeouts 16 times. Kelly should surpass 4.5 strikeouts tonight against a strikeout-prone lineup.
Josh Shepardson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Josh, check out his archive and follow him @BChad50.
