FanDuel MLB DFS Picks: Friday 5/2/25

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Let's check out the top options on today's main slate.

Note: All MLB odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook. All stats come from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless noted otherwise.

Top MLB DFS Picks

Pitcher Breakdown

Tarik Skubal ($10,600)

Since the start of last season, the Los Angeles Angels are posting the eighth-worst wOBA (.296), eighth-worst wRC+ (90), and eighth-worst ISO (.137) against left-handed pitching, while they are logging the second-highest strikeout rate (28.2%) in that split to begin the 2025 campaign. Besides not having to face Mike Trout, Tarik Skubal is in the 81st percentile in strikeout rate (28.8%) and 90th percentile in hard-hit rate (30.1%), making him one of the safer pitchers to target in DFS on Friday.

Max Fried ($10,400)

Max Fried has been extremely steady to begin his first year with the New York Yankees, notching 37-plus FanDuel points (FDPs) and a win in each of his last five outings, including 39 FDPs against the Tampa Bay Rays, who he'll face again on Friday. With Fried displaying plenty of consistency early this season, he should be in store for another notable outing, as the Rays are sporting the 12th-worst wOBA (.300), 7th-worst ISO (.136), and 7th-highest strikeout rate (24.7%) versus southpaws since the start of last season.

Framber Valdez ($9,200)

There are certainly some concerning underlying metrics for Framber Valdez this season, but his 40th percentile xERA (4.22), 45th percentile strikeout rate (20.9%), and 22nd percentile hard-hit rate (46.1%) could be mitigated in Friday's matchup against the Chicago White Sox. Along with the temperature expected to be in the 40s at Guarantee Rate Field around when the first pitch is made, the White Sox boast the worst wOBA (.268), worst wRC+ (72), and worst ISO (.107) against left-handed pitching since the start of the 2024 campaign.

Robbie Ray ($8,400)

Robbie Ray has typically been one of the biggest boom-or-bust pitchers in DFS, and the volatile southpaw will draw a favorable matchup at home on Friday against a Colorado Rockies squad that is registering the eighth-worst wOBA (.278), fourth-worst wRC+ (62), and highest strikeout rate (29.2%) versus left-handed pitchers to begin the 2025 season. Along with getting to face the Rockies away from Coors Field, Ray's 80th percentile whiff rate (30.5%) and 64th percentile strikeout rate (24.6%) should help him return decent value if he can avoid issuing free passes with his 11th-percentile walk rate (14.2%).

Stacks to Target

Athletics

Players to Target: Lawrence Butler ($3,300), Jacob Wilson ($3,000), Tyler Soderstrom ($3,700), and Brent Rooker ($3,600)

At the moment, Valente Bellozo is expected to start for the Miami Marlins on Friday, and over the course of 76.2 innings pitched across the last two seasons, he's recording a dismal 5.34 SIERA, 15.2% strikeout rate, 52.2% flyball rate, and 11.5% barrel rate. Along with getting to face Bellozo, the Athletics should do plenty of damage against a Marlins bullpen that has the worst SIERA (4.67), fifth-worst HR/9 (1.27), lowest strikeout rate (18.0%), and ninth-worst barrel rate (9.3%) in MLB.

New York Yankees

Players to Target: Trent Grisham ($2,900), Aaron Judge ($4,800), Ben Rice ($3,600), and Cody Bellinger ($3,100)

Among pitchers with 30-plus innings to begin this season, Ryan Pepiot is generating the 4th-worst HR/9 (2.12) and 29th-worst barrel rate (10.0%), which could get him into plenty of trouble at Yankee Stadium on Friday. In addition to the Yankees tallying the second-best wOBA (.357), best wRC+ (133), and second-best ISO (.203) versus right-handed pitching to begin the 2025 campaign, they'll also get to square off against a Tampa Bay Rays bullpen that has the third-worst HR/9 (1.28), fourth-worst barrel rate (10.8%), and worst hard-hit rate (46.4%).

San Francisco Giants

Players to Target: Mike Yastrzemski ($3,100), Willy Adames ($2,600), Jung Ho Lee ($3,200), and Matt Chapman ($2,900)

If the San Francisco Giants weren't playing at Oracle Park on Friday, they'd have an argument as the best team to stack on the slate, but even with them playing at a pitcher-friendly venue, I still like them quite a bit with Antonio Senzatela set to be on the bump for the Rockies. Senzatela is sitting in the 2nd percentile in xERA (7.55), 1st percentile in strikeout rate (9.5%), 20th percentile in barrel rate (11.9%), and 9th percentile in hard-hit rate (49.2%), which has led to him coughing up four-plus earned runs in three of his last four starts.

Chicago Cubs

Players to Target: Ian Happ ($3,200), Kyle Tucker ($4,300), Seiya Suzuki ($3,600), and Jon Berti ($2,300)

Despite Quinn Priester being in the 90th percentile in groundball rate (56.7%) and 67th percentile in hard-hit rate (36.7%), his 12th percentile strikeout rate (15.3%) and 12th percentile walk rate (14.1%) could be worrisome versus a Chicago Cubs squad that has the fifth-best wOBA (.342), sixth-best wRC+ (119), and sixth-best ISO (.186) against righties to begin the year. On top of that, Priester is carrying a concerning 5.28 SIERA and 8.6% swinging strike rate, and he's surrendered a combined 12 hits and 7 earned runs across his last 9.0 innings pitched.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.