Look, it’s Friday. I don’t want to waste anyone’s time. There’s 12 games on tonight’s featured MLB DFS slate on DraftKings. If you clicked on this, you’re either interested in setting a few lineups or you’re avoiding doing work. In both scenarios, you should keep reading to see my top picks for the night.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $200K Extra Inning [$50K to 1st]
PITCHER
Stud
Framber Valdez, Houston Astros vs. Baltimore Orioles, $10,500 – Sometimes you just have to spend up. The fact that Valdez doesn’t bring elite strikeout upside to the table often ruins his value in DFS, but the left-hander has four performances with a double-digit strikeout total over his last 11 starts. Combine that with a 2.97 ERA and a 2.96 FIP for the season as a whole, and you’ve got yourself a very intriguing fantasy asset. Let’s also not pretend this evening’s matchup doesn’t help Valdez’s viability. The Orioles have struggled offensively since trading away the likes of Ryan O’Hearn, Ramon Laureano and Cedric Mullins at the deadline. Since August 1, Baltimore is hitting a league-worst .181 with a 56 wRC+. Woof.
Value
Luis Gil, New York Yankees at St. Louis Cardinals, $7,500 – Gil’s first start of 2025 was horrendous, as the reigning AL Rookie of the Year walked four and allowed five earned runs across 3.1 innings against the Marlins. His next outing? 5.1 innings versus the Astros with seven strikeouts and 17.8 FPTS. Such is the Luis Gil experience. In any case, Gil’s immense strikeout upside is enough to make him viable on pretty much every slate — especially if his salary remains below $8,000. In 2024, Gil posted a 3.50 ERA with a 26.8% strikeout rate. It’s not difficult to see his potential. Specific to Friday, this is a great matchup for the RHP. Since the All-Star break, St. Louis ranks 29th in MLB in both ISO (.118) and wRC+ (88).
INFIELD
Stud
Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks at Colorado Rockies, $6,400 – I feel bad for Tanner Gordon ($4,500). On any other team, this man would not be expected to take the mound every five days and get absolutely crushed, but we’re talking about the Rockies. Things are different in Colorado. Somehow, Gordon’s produced negative FPTS in each of his last three starts; a span of time where the RHP has surrendered 23 earned runs in only 10.1 innings of work. It’s also a stretch where opponents are slashing an ungodly .508/.531/.787 off the former sixth-round pick. For his part, Marte owns a 183 wRC+ off of right-handers in 2025, but know that the whole Diamondbacks lineup is viable on this slate.
Stud
Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres, $5,000 – This is the biggest series of the season for both teams, yet the Padres’ pitching plan is a little murky on Friday. However, it seems like Randy Vasquez ($6,500) will be heavily involved either as a starter or a bulk guy. That’s bad news for San Diego. Vasquez had been chilling in Triple-A for a reason. Namely the fact that the RHP is in possession of a first percentile strikeout rate (11.8%), a third percentile xERA (5.98) and a fifth percentile opponent barrel rate (12.0%). Yuck. Vasquez has long had his issues with LHBs, as well, which is where Freeman comes into play. The raw power isn’t what it once was, but Freeman is hitting .300 with a 136 wRC+ so far in 2025. He’s still got it.
Value
Sean Murphy, Atlanta Braves at Cleveland Guardians, $3,400 – You don’t have to overthink this one too much. Murphy is simply a great option if you’re looking to punt at catcher. The veteran backstop has mashed left-handed pitching in 2025 to the tune of a .329 ISO and a 145 wRC+. Joey Cantillo ($8,000) has been shockingly effective since moving to the Guardians’ rotation, but the man still owns a career 4.41 ERA. I’m not ready to crown the man yet.
OUTFIELD
Stud
Roman Anthony, Boston Red Sox vs. Miami Marlins, $4,600 – We’re entering into a “Happy learned how to putt” scenario with Anthony, who is finally starting to see the ball leave the yard. The rookie has a pair of home runs over the team’s past three games, his third and fourth long balls of the season. The 21-year-old is now slashing .280/.399/.441 with a .378 expected wOBA in the first 223 plate appearances of his career. Not too shabby. He’ll look to add to those numbers on Friday in a matchup with Sandy Alcantara ($6,500). It’s been a rough campaign for the one-time Cy Young Award winner and Alcantara’s been at his worst away from Marlins Park. In fact, Alcantara possesses a ghastly 8.87 ERA on the road in 2025.
Value
Taylor Trammell, Houston Astros vs. Baltimore Orioles, $2,900 – The Astros’ hunt for left-handed bats continues in the wake of Yordan Alvarez (hand). Trammell has been the team’s latest attempt and the outfielder has shown some potential, mustering three home runs and a 103 wRC+ across 103 plate appearances in 2025. That production and a salary below $3,000 are enough to put Trammell on my radar on Friday night. Houston will square off with Brandon Young ($5,600), who is conceding more than 2.00 opponent long balls per nine at the MLB level. Young is also giving up a massive .416 wOBA to opposing LHBs.
