FanDuel MLB DFS Picks: Friday 5/9/25

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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

Hunter Brown, Astros ($11,000)

Hunter Brown is the night's SP1, per our MLB DFS projections, as we project him for 37.0 FanDuel points, 4.5 more than anyone else. He's at home against the Cincinnati Reds, an offense that sits just 19th in wOBA over the last 14 days (.308) with the 8th-highest K rate (22.7%) in that span. Brown has taken his game to a new level in 2025, thriving to the tune of a 2.71 SIERA and 31.0% strikeout rate. The only concern with him today is the sky-high salary as using Brown makes it tougher to get exposure to Coors bats.

Max Meyer, Marlins ($9,800)

The $9,000 range is full of quality options -- Max Meyer ($9,800), Aaron Nola ($9,600) and Luis Castillo ($9,200). Of the three, Meyer has the edge for me due to a friendly matchup with the Chicago White Sox. While the matchup is a big reason for Meyer being so appealing today, he's also been pretty dang good. Through his first 39 frames this year, he's pitched to a 3.90 SIERA and 28.1% K rate. He's more than capable of taking advantage of the stellar matchup.

Will Warren, Yankees ($7,300)

I mentioned Coors earlier, and if you want to load up on bats, Will Warren is worth a look. He's facing the Athletics at their hitter-friendly temporary home, so this could go poorly. With that said, Warren checks a few boxes. Namely, he can get strikeouts (26.5% K rate), and his 3.86 SIERA is miles better than his 5.65 ERA. We project him for 27.2 FanDuel points and rate him as the slate's best point-per-dollar arm.

Stacks to Target

San Diego Padres

Players to Target: Fernando Tatis Jr. ($4,500), Jackson Merrill ($4,200), Manny Machado ($3,900) and Gavin Sheets ($3,300)

The San Diego Padres' 6.78 implied total puts them in a tier of their own tonight. They're at Coors against Antonio Senzatela, a righty who has posted just a 7.4% swinging-strike rate so far this season. Everyone in the San Diego lineup is a viable play. You don't need me to sell you on the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Manny Machado, but don't sleep on Gavin Sheets. The lefty slugger owns a .366 wOBA and 47.5% fly-ball rate versus RHP in 2025.

Baltimore Orioles

Players to Target: Gunnar Henderson ($3,100), Cedric Mullins ($3,200), Ryan O'Hearn ($3,000) and Jackson Holliday ($2,700)

The Baltimore Orioles are off to a rough start, but that's pushed down their salaries, making them a good fit alongside San Diego. The O's hold a 5.09 implied total against Kyle Hendricks, who has struggled to a 5.39 SIERA, 44.7% fly-ball rate and 12.9% K rate. A year ago, lefties torched Hendricks for a .370 wOBA, and that's where I'm focusing. Gunnar Henderson is a core play for me tonight, and he's got a .357 wOBA over his last 50 plate appearances. Jackson Holliday has been bumped to sixth in the order, and Cedric Mullins is projected to hit leadoff.

New York Mets

Players to Target: Juan Soto ($3,900), Pete Alonso ($4,100), Francisco Lindor ($3,900) and Brandon Nimmo ($3,200)

I think there's a chance the New York Mets go overlooked today as their high-salary stars are a bad fit alongside the Padres. But I think a home date with Jameson Taillon is a really nice spot for the Mets and am bullish on their upside. Taillon permits lots of fly-balls (44.9% fly-ball rate) and isn't getting many punchouts (19.5% K rate). Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso can cook in any matchup. Brandon Nimmo offers some salary relief and had a 40.1% fly-ball rate against RHP last season.

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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.