This is a fun slate. It’s that simple.
We’ve got 12 games getting going past 7:05 p.m. ET this evening and that’s translated into a MLB DFS slate that stacked with talented starting pitchers and amazing hitters. Heck, we even get Ronald Acuna Jr. ($5,500; knee) back for the first time in almost a year. Need I say more?
Let’s dive in and break down a few must-start assets for your DraftKings lineups.
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SP Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves vs. San Diego Padres, $9,400
I remain somewhat flummoxed by Sale’s recent salaries on DraftKings. While this isn’t nearly as bad as the slate where the reigning Cy Young award winner was just $8,000 at the end of April, Sale only being the fifth-most expensive starter on Friday’s pricing list is a head-scratcher. The left-hander has been absolutely locked in across his last four outings, registering a pristine 1.71 ERA and a 2.24 FIP. Most tantalizing from a DFS perspective? Sale’s struck out 36 in that 26.1 inning span, a 34.3% strikeout rate that gives the veteran the highest ceiling of any pitcher toeing the rubber on Friday.
It doesn’t hurt that the Padres are in serious offensive rut, either. San Diego has lost six straight contests and has been held to a single run or fewer in five of those defeats. The Padres also set up pretty well to be exploited by an elite left-hander, as they give every-day at-bats to a host of LHBs, including Luis Arraez, Jackson Merrill, Gavin Sheets and Jake Cronenworth. For his career, opposing lefties have just a .243 wOBA off Sale.
OF Aaron Judge, New York Yankees at Colorado Rockies, $7,000
I know. I too can rarely remember a time when a positional player was deserving of a $7,000 price tag. Yet here we are. Judge playing at Coors Field was always going to be a circus. This is a man that comes into Friday’s action slashing .396/.486/.743 with a 240 wRC+ in 222 plate appearances at a normal altitude. What do you think he’s going to do in Colorado? On top of that, he’ll draw a matchup from Tanner Gordon ($6,000), who owns a career 8.19 ERA at the MLB level while allowing opposing RHBs to combine for a .697 slugging percentage. It’s the perfect storm.
I can understand having an ideological stance on not rostering a player this expensive in DFS. Still, essentially every Yankee that takes the field tonight is going to be at least $5,000. To me, it makes sense to just find the money for Judge, unless you’re going to fade this spot entirely.
2B Jackson Holliday, Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox, $3,900
Let’s be real. This article needed a little value, right?
Not much has gone well for the Orioles so far in 2025, but you can count Holliday’s sophomore campaign as one of very few successes. Across 166 plate appearances, the former first-overall pick is hitting .268 with six home runs, a .351 expected wOBA and a 120 wRC+. It’s not a stat line that is going to wow everyone — especially when juxtaposed to the aforementioned Judge — but it’s pretty impressive when you remember that Holliday only turned 21-years-old last December. Most players his age are in High-A.
Holliday has been particularly successful at hitting right-handed pitching, slashing .274/.328/.476 with a 130 wRC+ within the split. As such, he’s started hitting leadoff for Baltimore against RHPs, something he’s even doing versus Brayan Bello in Game 1 of today’s doubleheader at Fenway. Lucas Giolito ($6,500) will start Game 2. In 7.2 innings in Boston in 2025, Giolito’s surrendered 12 earned runs. Yikes.
