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Thunder Dan's top DraftKings and FanDuel MLB DFS picks for today, Friday, 4/11/25. His favorite daily fantasy baseball lineup sleepers and value picks for DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel.
Finally, a huge Friday slate to tackle with 13 games on both FanDuel and DraftKings tonight! There's no shortage of pitching or bats today, so there should be multiple paths toward building a winning lineup. If you're looking for some home run prop bets, I just launched our first edition of those HERE, so I won't double dip and recommend those hitters here, too!
This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 4/11/2025, with the slate starting at 7:05 p.m. EDT. The lineup picks will range from some elite players to 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
Nick Pivetta vs. COL ($9.1K DraftKings; $9.3K FanDuel)
Pivetta has had one excellent start (against Atlanta) and a pretty bad one last time out against the Cubs. I have tried targeting the Cubs with pitchers a few times this season, but I am quickly taking them off the list as they have been incredibly tough on opposing pitchers to start the season. So let's cut Pivetta some slack here and talk about tonight's juicy matchup with the Rockies.
Colorado finally hit a little bit in their last series, but they still rank 28th in wRC+ against RHP this season, with the worst K% in baseball at nearly 30%. This is a great spot for Pivetta to get back on track, and he should be able to pile up some strikeouts to give him a solid floor. There's some nice win equity here, too, as the Padres are -210 favorites with a solid offense to provide Pivetta with run support.
Taj Bradley vs. ATL ($8.7K DraftKings; $9.7K FanDuel)
I love Bradley here tonight, and I have been a big fan of his for several seasons. We could be witnessing a breakout this year if his first two starts are a sign of things to come, as he's whiffed 14 hitters over his first 11 frames.
Taj Bradley's 2Ks in the 2nd.
4Ks thru 2. pic.twitter.com/Xz8Mq7oTMv
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 30, 2025
I'm chasing those strikeouts tonight as Atlanta is off to an abysmal start at the plate, whiffing 26% of the time against righties (fourth-worst in the league). There's some danger here if Bradley walks guys and gives up a home run or two, but I was impressed at how he bounced back from a four-run first inning against Texas in his last start to pitch four more scoreless frames and get seven strikeouts.
Also consider: Jacob deGrom at Seattle, Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Chicago Cubs, David Festa vs. Detroit
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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Kristian Campbell - 2B/OF, BOS vs. Davis Martin ($4.2K DK; $3.0K FD)
I am all over the Red Sox tonight in this matchup, as Davis Martin stands out to me as one of the worst starting pitchers on the slate. Martin simply doesn't miss bats, and that's a recipe for disaster against a lineup like Boston's, which has a great combination of power and speed.
Campbell has been flashing an impressive hit tool this season, hitting .318 with hits in all but two games. He's got power in all fields and the ability to steal a base. His price is suppressed because of his spot in the batting order, but he's now eligible at 2B and OF on both sites, providing some added flexibility. Get him into your Boston stacks, or use him at 2B as a nice value play for cash games.
Jake Cronenworth – 1B/2B, SDP vs. German Marquez ($4.0K DK; $2.9K FD)
Cronenworth is one of the cheapest cleanup hitters you will find, and he's hitting right in the middle of a very good Padres offense. With Jackson Merrill out, the Pads will need Cronenworth and Gavin Sheets to provide some pop from the left side of the plate, and lefties are exactly the hitters we usually want to target Rockies' starter German Marquez with in DFS.
Jake "the Rake" happens to have three career homers off Marquez. While I don't typically use BvP to justify picking hitters, it certainly doesn't hurt to help make the case that Cronenworth profiles quite well against Marquez and his arsenal of pitches. This game isn't in Coors, but the Padres are still one of my favorite offenses tonight, as Marquez is attempting to come back from multiple years of injuries and is backed by a below-average bullpen.
Spencer Torkelson – 1B, DET vs. David Festa ($3.7K DK; $2.9K FD)
I'm not sure what Torkelson has to do to get some respect. The Detroit slugger has three home runs and is hitting .311, and the post-hype breakout is in full effect already.
The Twins are turning to David Festa to fill the empty spot in the rotation vacated by Pablo Lopez, which is interesting because some of us might think that Zebby Matthews was the better choice there based on his strong spring and how Festa floundered.
While Festa has plus stuff, he also got knocked around at times last year and struggled in ST. This is not a lineup to have an off day against, as Detroit has surprisingly hit to a 159 wRC+ against RHP this season, the best mark in baseball! Line up those lefties, but make sure to anchor that stack with Torkelson as Festa gives it up to righties, too.
Also consider: Pete Alonso (NYM), Brandon Lowe (TB), Geraldo Perdomo (ARI), Triston Casas (BOS)
DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks
Cam Smith - 3B/OF, HOU vs. Jack Kochanowicz ($2.4K DK; $2.4K FD)
The rookie has struggled at the plate so far; however, he showed some signs of life in the Seattle series, going 3-7 with a triple and two RBI in two games.
We always need value, and Smith is nearly as cheap as it gets tonight, despite being one of the more talented hitting prospects in the game.
I like Smith here in this matchup, specifically because Kochanowicz is a major contact pitcher who doesn't miss too many bats. His 92% Z-Contact% is the second-worst on the slate behind Davis Martin. That could be the cure for Smith's contact struggles (35% K% so far).
Teoscar Hernandez - OF, LAD vs. Matthew Boyd ($5.0K DK; $3.9K FD)
As much as I love Matthew Boyd as a late-round value in seasonal fantasy baseball and have been impressed with his results so far, I can't ignore that Teoscar is one of the best left-mashers we have seen in the last decade.
Teoscar Hernández has 3 home runs in his last 4 games! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/JMiLnR0N3a
— MLB (@MLB) April 9, 2025
Hernandez has been heating up lately, too, riding a four-game hitting streak with three home runs in that stretch. He profiles well against the fastball-slider mix that Boyd mainly features, and I won't be surprised if he goes deep tonight.
Jackson Chourio - OF, MIL vs. Eduardo Rodriguez ($5.5K DK; $3.8K FD)
Chourio is on a tear right now, having had two huge series in Cincy and Colorado to boost his offensive statistics. Now, we are seeing why he was a second-round pick in fantasy drafts last month, as he's been on fire and hard to keep off the basepaths.
He's smashing lefties so far this year to the tune of a .875 SLG and 1.250 OPS. Despite a fluky 12-strikeout performance against Washington, E-Rod's days of being a pitcher we fear are long over, and he's a guy who I would rather target with good right-handed hitters as he's HR-prone.
Also consider: Riley Greene (DET), Aaron Judge (NYY), Yordan Alvarez (HOU), Max Kepler (PHI)
DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks
1. Boston Red Sox vs. Davis Martin (4.5 implied run total)
I mentioned it already in Campbell's blurb, but Martin has some of the worst metrics of any pitcher on the slate, and the White Sox bullpen could be called into action here early tonight if he struggles. Boston was slow out of the gates but has been heating up the last week and a half. This lineup is deep and stackable in multiple ways.
Fave combo - Duran, Devers, Casas, Campbell, Abreu
2. Tampa Bay Rays vs. Bryce Elder (4.8 run total)
Elder is simply not good and might be on his last chance here with the Braves after he struggled badly last year, too. Tampa doesn't have many names you will recognize in their lineup, but they do have a bunch of pesky hitters who will work counts and potentially double or single you to death.
I have Lowe as a home run pick tonight, lefties have smashed Elder badly in his career so I am rolling with mainly lefties and the righty Caminero.
Fave combo - Lowe, Caminero, Aranda, Misner, Mangum
3. Detroit Tigers vs. David Festa (4.2 implied run total)
Yes, Detroit has the best wRC+ against RHP so far this season! Carpenter and Greene are deep threats from the left side, but so are Spencer Torkelson and catching prospect Dillon Dingler. I think Detroit is a sneaky slate-winning stack for GPPs.
Fave Combo - Malloy, Carpenter, Greene, Torkelson, Dingler
Also consider: New York Mets vs. JP Sears, San Diego Padres vs. German Marquez, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Jose Quintana
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