FanDuel MLB DFS Picks: Monday 9/22/25

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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

Chris Sale, Braves ($10,800)

Chris Sale is the clear SP1 on tonight's three-game slate. He's at home against the Washington Nationals, a team that is dead last in wOBA versus southpaws this season (.278) with the third-highest strikeout rate in the split (25.4%). With a 32.3% K rate and 2.88 SIERA, Sale can crush in this matchup. He's had exactly nine punchouts in four straight outings and got up to 106 pitches last time out. So, even though the Atlanta Braves have nothing to play for, Sale still has a pretty long leash.

MacKenzie Gore, Nationals ($8,600)

On the flip side of the Nats-Braves game, MacKenzie Gore intrigues me as a value play who could go overlooked. After a fast start to 2025, Gore endured some rough patches, including a three-start span this summer where he allowed a total of 23 earned runs. Yikes. But his advanced metrics are very strong, including a 13.4% swinging-strike rate, 27.3% K rate and 3.74 SIERA. Given how few of options we have today, Gore needs to be on our radar.

Stacks to Target

San Francisco Giants

Players to Target: Rafael Devers ($4,000), Bryce Eldridge ($2,700), Heliot Ramos ($3,100) and Jung Hoo Lee ($3,000)

The San Francisco Giants are showing a 4.33 implied total for a home date with Michael McGreevy. McGreevy really struggles to miss bats, posting a 14.9% strikeout rate over 86 innings this year. Lefties should be our focus as he's permitting a .363 wOBA in the split, compared to a .250 wOBA in righty-righty matchups. That makes Rafael Devers one of the night's top hitters, and rookie Bryce Eldridge is an appealing low-salary bat after he slugged 25 dingers in 433 minor-league plate appearances this campaign.

St. Louis Cardinals

Players to Target: Alec Burleson ($2,900), Nolan Gorman ($2,700), Brendan Donovan ($2,800) and Lars Nootbar ($2,800)

With it being a small slate, I'm more inclined to get weird. Stacking against Justin Verlander -- a guy with a 0.87 ERA over his last five starts -- won't be a popular move today. But Verlander's excellent results aren't supported by his advanced metrics as he owns a 4.73 xFIP over that five-start span. He's allowed a 45.3% fly-ball rate this year, so he could give up a bomb or two in this one. Brendan Donovan is one of my favorite plays on the slate. He'll be atop the order and can be deployed at all of 3B, 2B, SS and OF -- making him a handy puzzle piece.

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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.