Five of the six MLB games scheduled on Thursday are taking place in the afternoon, so you’re going to have to hustle if you want to craft a couple DFS lineups on DraftKings.
I’m here to help in that process. Let’s break down some studs and values you’ll need to consider on the diamond.
Set your DraftKings fantasy baseball lineups here: MLB $125K Bat Flip [$25K to 1st]
PITCHER
Value
Bailey Ober, Minnesota Twins at Kansas City Royals, $7,700 – Ober was a Top 100 pick in most season-long formats and, despite a tough Opening Day, he’s still got that type of fantasy potential. In 178.2 innings in 2024, Ober compiled a 3.22 xERA and a 26.9% strikeout rate. That strikeout ability seems legitimate, too, at least that’s what a 14.2% swinging strike rate would suggest — the sixth-highest qualified mark among starters. Expect Ober to put together his first quality outing of 2025 on Thursday in Kansas City. The RHP is set to square-off with a Royals lineup that ranks 24th in both ISO (.114) and wRC+ (77). Kansas City got shutout less than 18 hours ago. This isn’t an opponent to fear.
INFIELD
Stud
Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Guardians vs. Chicago White Sox, $5,900 – It’s been an interesting start to the season for Ramirez, as most of the damage he’s done at the plate was contained to a single massive performance against the Angels last week. Still, Ramirez comes into Thursday’s action slashing .281/.400/.719 with a 204 wRC+. As per usual, the veteran can hurt you with the long ball or the stolen base, so his DFS ceiling is incredibly high. Jonathan Cannon ($6,800) will take the mound for Chicago. For his brief career, Cannon’s allowed 1.57 home runs per nine to opposing LHBs. If I were him, I’d pitch to Ramirez very carefully.
Value
Jonathan Aranda, Tampa Bay Rays vs. Los Angeles Angels, $3,600 – The Angels will start Jose Soriano ($8,800) this afternoon, who has had a very nice start to 2025. Even so, the RHP has struggled with the left-handed hitters he’s seen through a pair of outings, allowing those within the split to combine for a .421 wOBA. That’s music to the ears of Aranda. The platoon bat will likely be hitting clean-up for the Rays on Thursday — and why not? In his first 31 plate appearances of the season, Aranda is batting .385 with an eye-popping .479 expected wOBA. He’s good, he’s cheap and he’s playing at a Yankee Stadium replica. What’s not to like?
OUTFIELD
Stud
Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers at Colorado Rockies, $6,000 – Remember when Chourio struck out five times on Opening Day? Well, in the next 11 games, the sophomore has slashed .347/.340/.755 with a .408 ISO and a 197 wRC+. I’ll go out on a limb and say he’s still pretty good and the face of the Brewers’ future. Chourio has had a big series so far in Coors, racking up four extra-base hits and seven RBI in the first two contests. He’ll get one more shot in the altitude on Thursday and I’m not going to pass it up.
Value
Zac Veen, Colorado Rockies vs. Milwaukee Brewers, $3,000 – After an amazing Spring Training, Veen made his MLB debut earlier this week. The success hasn’t been immediate, but the former ninth-overall pick did collect his first career hit on Tuesday. More importantly, Veen is a cheap LHB to stack against Quinn Priester ($6,500). The Brewers are desperate for pitching depth at the moment and they traded the Red Sox a small ransom to acquire Priester. In his 99.2 career innings at the MLB level, Priester has struggled with opposing lefties, allowing the 224 he’s faced to collectively slash .332/.415/.589. Yikes.
