FanDuel MLB DFS Picks: Thursday 4/3/25

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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

Nick Lodolo ($9,300)

Across a league-high 137 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers to begin the 2025 season, the Milwaukee Brewers are producing the 11th-worst wOBA (.277), 11th-worst wRC+ (78), 10th-worst ISO (.089), and 8th-highest strikeout rate (29.2%) in that split. We've seen Nick Lodolo display strikeout upside in his career before, and he understandably performed better away from Great American Ball Park last season, sporting a 3.38 xFIP, 0.86 WHIP, and 29.1% strikeout rate on the road (compared to a 4.58 xFIP, 1.57 WHIP, and 20.5% strikeout rate at home).

Nestor Cortes ($8,000)

While starting Nestor Cortes after he surrendered 8 earned runs, 5 walks, and 6 hits en route to -12 FanDuel points (FDPs) in his first start of the season against the New York Yankees is risky, the Cincinnati Reds possess the 8th-worst wOBA (.296), 4th-worst wRC+ (83), 9th-worst ISO (.141), and 10th-highest strikeout rate to southpaws since the start of last season. On a small two-game slate, I'll be focusing on using the pitchers from the Brewers-Reds showdown, rather than the starters from the potential high-scoring matchup between the Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Stacks to Target

Arizona Diamondbacks

Players to Target: Corbin Carroll ($3,900), Ketel Marte ($3,700), Lourdes Gurriel ($3,000), and Eugenio Suarez ($3,600)

Carlos Carrasco is set to make his second start of the season after giving up three earned runs and five hits in only two innings pitched in his first start, and he's coming off a 2024 campaign where he was in the 19th percentile in xERA (4.71), 35th percentile in average exit velocity (89.3 MPH), and 25th percentile in strikeout rate (19.9%). Carrasco had slight reverse splits a season ago with a 4.49 xFIP and 1.75 HR/9 to righties and 3.88 xFIP and 1.55 HR/9 to lefties, so the right-handed hitters in Arizona's lineup shouldn't be ignored here.

New York Yankees

Players to Target: Cody Bellinger ($3,500), Aaron Judge ($4,800), Austin Wells ($3,000), and Ben Rice ($2,700)

On the other side of the DBacks-Yankees clash, Merrill Kelly also doesn't miss many bats following a 2024 season where he was ranked in the 33rd percentile in strikeout rate (21.0%) and 15th percentile in whiff rate (21.3%), which led to him residing in the 12th percentile in xERA (4.94), 9th percentile in average exit velocity (90.5 MPH), and 6th percentile in barrel rate (10.7%). Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge are undoubtedly primary stacking options, but Austin Wells and Ben Rice both have solid metrics against Kelly's four-seam/sinker combo, and they allow us to get slightly different on a two-game slate.

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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.