FanDuel MLB DFS Picks: Wednesday 5/21/25

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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

Garrett Crochet ($10,800)

Garrett Crochet carries a monstrous $10,800 salary in a brutal home start against the New York Mets. Fenway is the second-best venue for hitters according to Statcast Park Factors, and the Mets are top-10 in wOBA (.326) against left-handed pitchers.

That could result in a lower-than-usual roster rate for an ace of his caliber. I want to buy the dip.

Frankly, I'm not too concerned with the matchup when you're pitching as well as Crochet is right now. The southpaw has a stellar 2.00 ERA -- backed up by a 3.16 xERA -- while limiting opposing hitters to a 36.3% hard-hit rate and .200 batting average. And while his swinging-strike rate (13.4%) is down from 2024, it's still a top-10 mark league-wide.

That's led to a 29.1% strikeout rate and helped him average an eye-popping 41.4 FanDuel points (FDP) per game. He's cleared 40 FDP in 6 of 10 starts, cracking 55 FDP three times.

Crochet's massive salary is harder to swallow with some high-salaried lineups on today's main slate, but his upside is unmatched.

JP Sears ($8,800)

JP Sears will be my go-to mid-range arm tonight. Though he's coming off his worst start of the season, the southpaw still owns a 3.31 ERA (and 3.61 xERA). The strikeout rate (18.8%) won't blow you away, but he's cut the walk rate to a career-low 5% and has held opponents to a 7.3% barrel rate. That's helped him average 27.4 FDP/g and crack 30 FDP in three of his last six starts.

But Sears' stuff isn't what makes him so intriguing tonight -- the matchup is. The Los Angeles Angels are in town, and though they've rattled off five straight wins, their season-long numbers against lefties leave a lot to be desired. LA is 29th in wOBA (.254) and 28th in wRC+ (59) against left-handed pitchers; plus they've struck out at the league's second-highest clip (28%) in this split.

With several high-salary lineups to get to, JP Sears makes a lot of sense at $8,800.

Trevor Williams ($7,400)

Considering how tough of matchups Wednesday's aces have, Trevor Williams is someone I'm going to have plenty of exposure to in DFS. The righty has failed to exceed 20 FDP in three of his last four starts, but he'd gone for 27+ FDP in three of the four prior outings.

Now, while the righty still has an ugly 5.91 ERA on the year, a .356 BABIP and 63.1% strand rate suggest he's gotten a tad unlucky. Williams is running a 3.66 xERA and 4.17 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA), and his 26% called + swinging-strike rate is the highest since 2021.

That has me optimistic Williams can get back on track at National Park -- a venue at which he's pitched to a 3.21 ERA and registered a 26.5% K% dating back to last season.

He'll be tasked with containing an Atlanta Braves lineup which ranks just 16th in wRC+ (102) against right-handed pitching. They've run an above-average K% (21.6%) and ground-ball rate (42%) in this split, offering hope Williams can output another decent start.

Our MLB DFS projections peg Williams for a slate-leading 28 FDP. At $7,400, that makes him the top point-per-dollar value (3.78x) among pitchers.

Stacks to Target

Phillies

Players to Target: Kyle Schwarber ($4,500), Bryce Harper ($4,300), Trea Turner ($4,000), Nick Castellanos ($3,300), Edmundo Sosa ($3,200)

The Philadelphia Phillies feature four of our six highest-projected hitters on today's main slate. With an eye-popping 7.1-run implied team total, Philly is the clear top stack against the Colorado Rockies' Carson Palmquist.

Palmquist -- a lefty -- made his MLB debut last week, allowing 6 hits and 5 runs across 4 innings of work. Things won't get any easier in his Coors Field debut.

Philly has several hitters with strong lefty splits. Kyle Schwarber is a borderline must-roster after homering in each of the first two games of this series, and he has a video game-like 1.249 OPS against southpaws.

Surrounding Schwarber with other strong lefty hitters like Bryce Harper (.852 OPS vs. LHP), Trea Turner (.808), and Nick Castellanos (.877) could be advantageous.

For value, Edmundo Sosa (1.100) should help offset the high salaries in this Philly lineup.

Athletics

Players to Target: Tyler Soderstrom ($3,400), Jacob Wilson ($3,100), Lawrence Butler ($3,000), Nick Kurtz ($2,500)

The Athletics are the only other team with an implied total north of 5.0 -- theirs is up at 5.9 against Jack Kochanowicz. The righty has a 5.09 SIERA through 9 starts, and he's managed only an 11.3% K% in 115 major league innings.

Kochanowicz has been abysmal against left-handed hitters across his two-year MLB career, permitting a .357 wOBA and registering a 4.95 xFIP.

That bodes well for the Athletics given their plethora of lefty bats. Tyler Soderstrom (.858 OPS vs. RHP) is a priority here, but Lawrence Butler (.773) and Nick Kurtz (.747) are intriguing options at lower salaries.

And while Jacob Wilson bats from the right side of the plate, his .853 OPS against righties is hard to ignore.

Padres

Players to Target: Fernando Tatis ($4,100), Jackson Merrill ($4,000), Jake Cronenworth ($3,300), Gavin Sheets ($2,900), Luis Arraez ($2,800)

Don't let Kevin Gausman's name scare you off the San Diego Padres tonight -- the righty is a shell of the pitcher who led the American League in strikeouts two years ago. Gausman has only a 21.7% K% the last two seasons, during which his ERA has hovered right around 4.00.

This year, Gausman's xERA is up to 4.36 and his quality of contact numbers have never been worse. He's allowing career-worst barrel (12.6%) and hard-hit (44.1%) rates.

That bodes well for San Diego, especially with how well their stars have mashed righties. Fernando Tatis Jr. (1.017 OPS vs. RHP) is the obvious headliner here, though Jackson Merrill (.935) is nearly as big of a priority. Jake Cronenworth (.916) and Gavin Sheets (.846) are solid mid-range options, and we shouldn't sleep on Luis Arraez (.792) nor Manny Machado (.740)

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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.