FanDuel MLB DFS Picks: Thursday 6/5/25

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Let's check out the top options on today's main slate, which starts at 6:40 p.m. ET.

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

Framber Valdez, Astros ($10,300)

There's a two-player top tier tonight at pitcher -- Max Fried and Framber Valdez. Between the two, I side with Valdez due to his easier matchup as he's on the road at the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team that sits 26th in wOBA versus LHP (.271) while also holding the 4th-highest strikeout rate (27.2%) in the split. Valdez has been his usual self so far in 2025, getting a ton of ground balls (58.5% GB rate) and a solid amount of strikeouts (23.8% K rate). His projection of 33.7 FanDuel points leads the slate, per our numbers.

Max Fried, Yankees ($10,100)

While I lean Valdez, Fried could easily wind up being this slate's top-scoring arm. Fried has a 3.32 SIERA and 3.64 expected ERA -- both very good numbers but also nowhere near his 1.92 ERA. He's mostly been the same guy he was in Atlanta, which is to say he's been excellent overall while lagging a bit in the swing-and-miss department (9.7% swinging-strike rate). A Bronx date with the Cleveland Guardians is a nice matchup. Cleveland is 24th in wOBA against LHP (.275) and has the 10th-highest K rate in the split (25.1%). We project Fried for 32.8 FanDuel points.

Jack Leiter, Rangers ($8,200)

While Ryan Pepiot ($9,000) deserves a shout, if I'm going away from the slate's two best pitchers, I want to gain significant salary savings in doing so, which pushes me to Jack Leiter. With that said, it's hard to get too excited about using a pitcher who owns a 4.94 SIERA and 18.6% K rate this year while allowing a 43.6% fly-ball rate. He has, however, gone for at least 40 FanDuel points in two of his last four outings.

Stacks to Target

New York Yankees

Players to Target: Aaron Judge ($5,000), Ben Rice ($3,400), Trent Grisham ($3,100) and Paul Goldschmidt ($3,300)

The New York Yankees' offense has been kept quiet in back-to-back nights. They're due for a big game, and Slade Cecconi might be exactly what they need. The Guardians have worked their magic with the right-hander so far as he's pitched to a 3.62 SIERA and 25.4% K rate in 15 1/3 innings. But over a larger sample of 119 1/3 career frames, Cecconi has been extremely meh, boasting a 19.6% strikeout rate and surrendering 1.89 homers per nine innings. Outside of Aaron Judge, the Yanks' salaries aren't too bad, but you'll need to save somewhere if you want to roster Judge alongside one of the slate's two best pitchers.

Washington Nationals

Players to Target: James Wood ($3,900), Nathaniel Lowe ($2,900), Luis Garcia ($2,900) and Jose Tena ($2,400)

The Washington Nationals are a salary-friendly stack -- especially if you use just one of James Wood or C.J. Abrams ($3,500) -- and that makes them really handy. Plus, they have a nice matchup against Colin Rea, who is expected to handle a bulk of the work after Drew Pomeranz opens the game. With a 4.18 SIERA and 19.5% K rate, Rea is a pedestrian pitcher, and the Nats have a solid 4.41 implied total. Lefties have a .387 wOBA against Rea this year, and each Nats player I listed above swings from the left side.

Tampa Bay Rays

Players to Target: Brandon Lowe ($2,800), Jose Lowe ($3,300), Jose Caballero ($2,600) and Jonathan Aranda ($3,000)

Even though I have some interest in using Jack Leiter at pitcher, I'm also intrigued by a Rays stack. Similar to the Nats, Tampa Bay's salaries are attractive. As mentioned above, Leiter's profile is far from perfect as he's been tagged for a 43.6% fly-ball rate while generating just a 18.6% strikeout rate. Versus RHP, Brandon Lowe has a .357 wOBA and 46.6% hard-hit rate. Jose Caballero is a useful puzzle piece as he can be deployed at four different positions.

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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.