FanDuel MLB DFS Picks: Thursday 7/3/25

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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

Robbie Ray ($10,200)

Of the pitchers available on the slate, Robbie Ray is the most notable option with an 87th percentile xERA (2.91), 90th percentile xBA (.208), and 81st percentile strikeout rate (27.5%). Aside from the fact that Ray will benefit from being on the bump at pitcher-friendly Oracle Park, he'll take on a Arizona Diamondbacks squad that possesses the 9th-best wOBA (.315), 11th-best wRC+ (99), 8th-best ISO (.153), and 2nd-lowest strikeout rate (17.9%) versus southpaws this season, so I'm not completely opposed to stacking Arizona in large-field tournaments if Ray is extremely popular.

Seth Lugo ($9,500)

Recommending Seth Lugo at $9,500 might seem questionable, but the experienced hurler has been dominant in his last three starts, earning the 16th-best SIERA (2.87), 14th-best WHIP (0.83), and 6th-highest strikeout rate (33.8%) among qualified pitchers since June 17. While the Seattle Mariners do have the seventh-best wRC+ (126) and fifth-lowest strikeout rate (19.6%) over the last 14 days, Lugo hasn't given up a homer since June 6, and he just produced an impressive 47 FanDuel points (FDPs) and 8 Ks versus the Los Angeles Dodgers in his last outing.

Dustin May ($8,800)

Pitching options are thin on Thursday, which makes Dustin May a viable option at home versus the Chicago White Sox, who have the fourth-worst wOBA (.287), fourth-worst wRC+ (81), ninth-worst ISO (.135), and ninth-highest strikeout rate (23.2%) across the last 14 days. Similar to almost every pitcher on this slate, you could also make an argument to stack against May, as he's totaled five-plus hits allowed, two-plus walks allowed, and three-plus earned runs allowed in four straight starts.

Jose Soriano ($8,600)

The implied run totals haven't made sense for the Atlanta Braves recently, and I'll continue to use that as leverage by deploying Jose Soriano, who excels at keeping the ball on the ground with his 99th percentile groundball rate (66.7%), and he's yet to surrender a homer on the road this season. Along with the Braves posting the 11th-worst wOBA (.304), 11th-worst wRC+ (92), worst ISO (.114), and 5th-highest strikeout rate (23.7%) over the last 14 days, Soriano owns the 8th-best SIERA (2.54), 3rd-best xFIP (2.12), and 11th-highest strikeout rate (32.0%) since June 10 despite coughing up eight earned runs in his last start versus the Washington Nationals.

Stacks to Target

Los Angeles Dodgers

Players to Target: Shohei Ohtani ($4,700), Will Smith ($3,300), Freddie Freeman ($3,500), and Andy Pages ($3,000)

Career-worst marks of a 17.3% strikeout rate, 8.3% swinging-strike rate, 50.0% flyball rate, and 9.9% barrel rate spell disaster for Aaron Civale ahead of Thursday's road meeting against the Dodgers. Civale is flashing slight reverse splits with a 5.65 xFIP, 1.74 HR/9, and 52.8% flyball rate versus righties (compared to a 4.81 xFIP, 1.56 HR/9, and 45.7% flyball rate versus lefties), but everyone is in play here for LA's lineup -- especially with Chicago's relievers notching the fourth-worst SIERA (4.20) and sixth-lowest strikeout rate (18.9%) across the last 30 days of action.

Detroit Tigers

Players to Target: Colt Keith ($2,600), Wenceel Perez ($3,100), Riley Greene ($3,600), and Spencer Torkelson ($3,300)

There's certainly an argument to be made that the Detroit Tigers -- particularly their lefties -- are the best team to stack on Thursday's slate with Jake Irvin slated to make another start for the Nationals. Irvin is permitting a .352 wOBA and 1.82 HR/9 to left-handed sluggers this year, but he's also coughing up a .317 wOBA and 1.61 HR/9 to right-handed sluggers, so Spencer Torkelson (.329 wOBA and .208 ISO vs. RHP in 2025) shouldn't be avoided in Detroit stacks.

Los Angeles Angels

Players to Target: Nolan Schanuel ($3,100), Mike Trout ($3,400), Taylor Ward ($3,200), and Jo Adell ($3,300)

Bryce Elder has been dreadful over his last three starts, accruing a total of 25 hits allowed, 8 walks allowed, 18 earned runs allowed, and only 8 Ks in 10.2 innings pitched during that span. With Elder allowing a .381 wOBA and 2.17 HR/9 to right-handed batters, Mike Trout (132 wRC+ vs. RHP), Taylor Ward (109 wRC+), and Jo Adell (122 wRC+) are the primary players to target when stacking the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday.

Chicago Cubs

Players to Target: Kyle Tucker ($3,900), Seiya Suzuki ($3,400), Dansby Swanson ($2,800), and Nico Hoerner ($3,000)

The Cleveland Guardians announced that Joey Cantillo will make a spot start on Thursday, and he's residing in the 37th percentile in xERA (4.15), 11th percentile in walk rate (11.4%), and 31st percentile in barrel rate (9.6%) across 21 relief appearances this season. In addition to Cantillo giving way to a Cleveland bullpen that has the fourth-worst SIERA (4.33) and seventh-worst WHIP (1.39) over the last 30 days, the Cubs have the third-best wOBA (.363), third-best wRC+ (135), best ISO (.228), and fourth-lowest strikeout rate (17.9%) across the last 14 days.

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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.