MLB DFS Picks Today: Daily Fantasy Baseball Strategy and Tips For FanDuel, DraftKings (8/22/25)

Jamie's top DraftKings and FanDuel MLB DFS picks for today, Thursday, 8/21/25. His favorite daily fantasy baseball lineup sleepers and value picks for DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel.

After a somewhat quiet Thursday of baseball, the game storms back tonight with a monster 13-game Friday slate. We finally get a break from Coors Field as the Rockies have gone on the road, and the weekend features some epic division matchups, highlighted by Yanks/Red Sox and Padres/Dodgers.

There is no clear-cut "top team" on the slate, which should make for a lot of interesting paths in GPP. We'll be in the RotoBaller Discord channel for you all day, helping you attempt to pad your bank account in advance of the football season (it's less than two weeks away!).

This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 8/22/2025, with the slate starting at 7:05 PM EST. The lineup picks will showcase elite players, mid-priced options, and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. Monitoring injury news and today's MLB starting lineups is always essential.

DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Max Fried, SP - NYY ($9,500 DK/$9,100 FD)

Right off the bat, this is a potentially controversial pick. Nathan Eovaldi, with his 1.76 ERA, is a far safer choice in cash, but money matters in this game. Fried has struggled lately with 21 ER allowed over his last five starts, but he's also $800 cheaper than Eovaldi on DK and a whopping $1,400 less on FD.

Fried is in the spotlight this evening after the Yankees walked nine batters and committed four errors en route to a crushing loss to Boston. He needs to embrace his role of stopper, and gets a solid matchup as the Red Sox have the fourth-highest K rate against LHP.

Fried has been excellent at keeping the ball in the park with only 0.76 HR/9 allowed, and his GB rate is once again over 50%. He also has over a 30% K rate against LHP, which should help neutralize two of the Red Sox's three premier hitters (Roman Anthony and Jarren Duran).

Zebby Matthews, SP - MIN ($7,700 DK/$8,300 FD)

Zebby time! The Minnesota righty definitely has kinks to work out (his 35% GB rate and 1.50 HR/9 allowed won't fly), but his 3.59 FIP shows he's a much better pitcher than his 5.06 ERA indicates. Zebby Matthews is also a strikeout machine, with a 29.9% K rate and 29.7% CSW.

The White Sox have the sixth-lowest batting average against RHP with a .227 mark, and they have an implied total of 3.8 despite Matthews being an unproven commodity and the Twins also featuring a decimated bullpen. Matthews is the perfect SP2 in all formats and can be used as your cash SP on FD if you want to go offense-heavy.

Others To Consider (Cash/GPP):

• Nathan Eovaldi, SP - TEX ($10,300 DK/$10,500 FD)
• Blake Snell, SP - LAD ($9,300 DK/$10,200 FD)
• Lance McCullers Jr., SP - HOU ($6,800 DK/$7,500 FD)

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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Bobby Witt Jr., SS - KC ($5,600 DK/$3,900 FD)

Finally, we don't have to dominate the hitting section with Coors bats, as the Rockies have traveled to Pittsburgh for the weekend. The Royals begin a pivotal series in Detroit as they continue to fight for their playoff lives, and Witt Jr. is having another phenomenal season with 18 homers, 34 steals, and an .862 OPS.

Witt has been exceptional over the past ten games. He's gone 16-for-37 with a 1.095 OPS, and he has excellent splits against same-handed pitchers (.396 wOBA, .252 ISO). Opposing pitcher Casey Mize has, in turn, struggled with RHB. He's allowed 1.54 HR/9 to them this season with only an 18.7% K rate. Witt is worth being your big hitter spend.

Bobby Witt Jr. had his 20th career multi-stolen base game today, in his 595th MLB game, after he hit his 100th home run Tuesday.

The only other players in MLB history with 100 HR and 20 multi-SB games before their 600th career game are Eric Davis (459) and Hanley Ramirez (595). pic.twitter.com/V0oJjFdTEN

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 21, 2025

Corey Seager, SS - TEX ($4,500 DK/$3,300 FD)

If your high-priced choices are players other than Bobby Witt, you should strongly consider Corey Seager as your cash SS. The Rangers' hitters get a park boost playing at home in Arlington, and opposing pitcher Slade Cecconi has allowed 1.87 HR/9 to LHB with a 4.79 FIP against them.

Seager has ten hits in his last five games, which include three doubles and two homers, and he also maintains strong numbers in the platoon split. Seager has rocked RHP for a .389 wOBA, .242 ISO, and 41.4% HHR, and he continues to be priced too cheaply on both sites.

Pavin Smith, 1B on DK, 1B/OF on FD - ARI ($3,300 DK/$2,900 FD)

Arizona is my favorite stack tonight, and Pavin Smith is a great value as long as he finds himself in one of the top five lineup spots. Smith has quietly been an excellent platoon power bat with a .367 wOBA and .225 ISO against RHP, and he's especially cheap on DK.

Zack Littell will toe the rubber for the Reds in a must-win situation, but there are definite indicators that he'll struggle here. Littell's 3.52 ERA is backed by a 4.65 FIP, and he just does not miss bats (16.9% K rate). Littell has also allowed a ton of power this year, with a 14.4% HR/FB rate and 1.61 HR/9.

• Ketel Marte, 2B - ARI ($5,800 DK/$4,000 FD)
• Elly De La Cruz, SS - CIN ($5,500 DK/$3,900 FD)
• Carlos Correa, 3B on DK, 3B/SS on FD - HOU ($3,700 DK/$2,600 FD)

DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Corbin Carroll, OF - ARI ($6,300 DK/$4,100 FD)

Take all the upside mentioned in the Pavin Smith blurb and multiply it by ten, and you get Corbin Carroll, who tops my outfield ranks for the day. Carroll has been hot lately with a .931 OPS over his last ten games, and he'll get a premier spot in the order against Zack Littell.

Carroll has a .355 wOBA and .258 ISO against RHP this season, and he's a cornerstone hitter for Diamondbacks stacks. Arizona has an IRT of 4.9 runs, which challenges for the highest on the slate that has no real standout stack.

Corbin Carroll is the 1st player in MLB HISTORY to have 4 multi-homer games AND 4 multi-triple games in a single season 🤯

One of the most electric power-speed threats we've ever seen. pic.twitter.com/v2Z6HzYmF1

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) August 20, 2025

Trent Grisham, OF - NYY ($4,300/$3,200 FD)

Yankees' lefties are in a great spot tonight at home. They get to take aim at the short RF porch and will face Brayan Bello, who has allowed a career .345 wOBA and 1.26 HR/9 with only a 16.8% K rate. Leading off in Yankee Stadium gets you an extra boost of upside, and Trent Grisham is still a value with his price tag.

Grisham sees a lot of quality pitches hitting directly in front of Aaron Judge, and he's elevated his power immensely this year (especially against righties). This year, facing RHP, he has a .350 wOBA and .231 ISO. His .212 ISO is a career best, and his 21% K rate is by far the lowest of his career as well. Grisham will get a well-earned contract this offseason.

Trent Grisham vs Rays:

3-5
2 HR
2 RBI

His 3rd multi-homer game of the season. pic.twitter.com/cP3ywrXefi

— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 21, 2025

Heliot Ramos, OF - SF ($3,700 DK/$2,900 FD)

Anytime Heliot Ramos is facing a mediocre-to-bad lefty, the DFS world has to take notice. The Giants head to Milwaukee where they'll get a huge park boost and face Jose Quintana. The Brewers southpaw has a 4.59 FIP to go along with a career-low 16.4% K rate.

Ramos should lead off for San Francisco, and he's been excellent against lefties this season. He has a .397 wOBA, .269 ISO, and 160 wRC, and is priced beautifully on both sites. The Brewers bullpen is strong, so the Giants aren't really in stack territory, but Ramos is a solid one-off for cash.

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): 

• Kyle Tucker, OF - CHC ($5,400 DK/$3,600 FD)
• Jacob Marsee, OF - MIA ($4,500 DK/$3,200 FD)
• Gavin Lux, 2B/OF - CIN ($3,100 DK/$2,700 FD)

DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks

1. Arizona Diamondbacks vs Zack Littell

Despite not having the highest IRT on the slate, Arizona carries big upside as a stack. Zack Littell's inability to miss bats, coupled with the platoon power upside up and down the Diamondbacks' order, puts them in a prime position to succeed. They have a relentless amount of lefties at the top of the order to make Littell's life miserable, and some of the options being cheap make a full stack quite easy to pull off.

Favorite Combo: Perdomo, Marte, Carroll, Smith, Del Castillo

2. New York Yankees vs Brayan Bello

Brayan Bello has drastic splits for his career, mowing down righties at a 5% higher K rate than he does against lefties and allowing far less power. Luckily, the Yankees have plenty of lefties with which to take aim at the RF porch, so it's a good idea to carefully pick and choose which players you use. You should still rock Aaron Judge 🙂

Favorite Combo: Grisham, Judge, Bellinger, Chisholm Jr. 

3. Minnesota Twins vs Aaron Civale

The cheap stack of the day is Minnesota, which has upside against Civale. Oddly enough, Civale has improved since he demanded his way out of Milwaukee and wound up with the White Sox, but he's still fully attackable. Civale has a 32.8% GB rate and has allowed a career-worst 9.8% barrel rate this season. The Twins have several platoon plays near the top of the order that won't break the bank, and you can stack them alongside the expensive guys.

Favorite Combo: Buxton, Larnach, Clemens, Wallner

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