The 2025 World Series has lived up to the hype so far and delivered plenty of great drama, storylines and excitement through the first four games. It has been one of the most exciting Fall Classic’s in recent memory, and both teams have many heroes who have stepped up to get them this far.
With the series knotted at two games a piece, let’s look at some overall strategy for Game 5 and Blue Jays vs. Dodgers MLB DFS showdown contests on DraftKings.
The Blue Jays opened the World Series with a win by getting to Blake Snell in Toronto and winning 11-4 behind a solid start from Trey Yesavage. Game 5 will be a rematch of those two starting pitchers, as the Blue Jays go with their young stud against the Dodgers’ wily veteran. After losing Game 1, the Dodgers answered back and won Game 2 in Toronto, setting up an epic, 18-inning Game 3 that Freddie Freeman won with a walk-off. The Blue Jays bounced back on Tuesday, though, winning 6-2 over Shohei Ohtani and tying the series once again.
Let’s take a look at what to expect and how to attack this Dodgers vs. Blue Jays matchup from a DFS perspective.
Set your DraftKings MLB DFS lineups here: MLB Showdown $100K Relay Throw [$25K to 1st] (TOR @ LAD)
Blue Jays vs. Dodgers World Series Game 5 Showdown
Captain’s Picks
Blake Snell ($17,400 CP) – Snell had a rough Game 1 and only earned 2.0 FPTS. Part of that was due to damage caused after he left, but his final line of five runs on eight hits in five innings wasn’t pretty. It was a huge contrast for Snell, since he had been so dominant in his first three postseason starts, allowing just two runs on six hits total in three starts across 21 frames. While I’m not counting on him to be quite that dominant in Game 5 against a very productive Blue Jays lineup, I do think he’ll bounce back enough to be a solid Captain’s Pick.
Snell was especially effective at Dodger Stadium this season, going 6-1 in eight starts and compiling a 1.17 ERA with a 2.54 FIP and just one home run allowed across 38 ⅓ regular-season innings. Coming home should be enough to help him turn in a much better outing, and I expect a very strong start from the veteran lefty on Wednesday night. The Dodgers bullpen has been an adventure outside of their Game 3 mastery, so look for manager Dave Roberts to get all he can from Snell in Game 5.
Alejandro Kirk ($10,200 CP) – If you think both starting pitchers will be strong and are looking to include both as UTIL plays with a cheaper hitter as your Captain’s Pick, Kirk is my value contrarian play in this spot. The Blue Jays’ backstop has gone 5-for-14 (.357) in the four games in this series with two homers, four runs scored and six RBI.
He had 28 FPTS in Game 1 against Snell and the Dodgers and also had a huge game in Game 3 with 25 FPTS. In his career, he’s 5-for-7 against Snell and has been hot enough to be a very solid value play as a Captain’s Pick, leaving plenty of space for either big bats or both starting pitchers in UTIL spots.
FLEX Plays
Trey Yesavage ($10,400) – Yesavage actually had more fantasy points than Snell in Game 1, totaling 10.8 FPTS in four innings with three walks, five strikeouts and two runs allowed. I think the Blue Jays could push him to go a little deeper in this matchup, since they are not facing elimination, and their bullpen could use all the help it can get. In his seven appearances in the major leagues in the regular and postseason, Yesavage has a 3.82 ERA and 1.33 WHIP while picking up 43 strikeouts in 33 innings. He brings such a high strikeout ceiling that he makes a great fantasy option if you can make his salary work with your cap space.
Teoscar Hernandez ($8,200) – I highlighted Hernandez in my top home run props since I like the righty’s matchup against Yesvage better than lefties in the Dodgers’ order. Hernandez had 23 FPTS in Game 3 and seven more FPTS in Game 4, continuing a strong postseason. In his 14 playoff games, the righty is averaging 9.5 FPTS per contest, making him a very strong mid-range bat to include.
Will Smith ($6,400) – Smith has been a good value play throughout the playoffs since he has been consistent and productive in most matchups. He had at least seven fantasy points in six straight games before going 0-for-4 on Tuesday. He brings a little bit of power potential, as he showed with his home run and 21 FPTS in Game 2, and he is one of the Dodgers best right-handed bats. Since righties have had more success against Yesavage, I like both Smith and Hernandez on Wednesday.
Fades
Shohei Ohtani ($10,600) – It’s potentially not smart to fade the best player in the history of baseball, but that’s what I’m doing in Game 5. It’s actually because he’s been so good, that I think the Blue Jays will walk him or work around him every time he bats. He went off for a monstrous 52 FPTS in Game 3, but he only had two fantasy points as a hitter in Game 4, going 0-for-3 with a walk. He has a sky-high ceiling, to be sure, but I just don’t see the Blue Jays letting him be the player that beats them in Game 5. He’ll be on base a lot — as I highlighted in my player props — but he’s so expensive that he’s hard to include in DFS lineups, given the probability that he’ll get very few pitches to hit.
The Outcome
In this Game 1 rematch, the Blue Jays will look to duplicate their success against Snell, but I think the Dodgers’ ace will bounce back with a very strong outing. I also think Yesavage will pitch well, ultimately leaving this game to be decided once again by the bullpens. In what should be another thriller, I think the Dodgers’ home field advantage will be just enough to push them to a Game 5 win, setting up an extremely dramatic and high stakes weekend in Toronto.
