MLB DFS Picks Today: Daily Fantasy Baseball Strategy and Tips For FanDuel, DraftKings (7/31/25)

Zach's top DraftKings and FanDuel MLB DFS picks for today, Thursday, 7/31/25. His favorite daily fantasy baseball lineup sleepers and value picks for DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Welcome back, RotoBallers! With the much-anticipated trade deadline at 6:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, the schedule for DFS contests is much lighter than usual. After just one afternoon game between the Rays and Yankees, the main DFS slate on both DraftKings and FanDuel includes the two games taking place under the lights. Despite the fact that there are just two games, they are two compelling matchups, with some solid fantasy options to consider if you're looking to close out the trade deadline festivities with a fantasy baseball victory.

The two games are the Braves-Reds meeting at Great American Ball Park to start their three-game set that culminates in the Speedway Classic on Saturday, and the Rangers and Mariners starting a four-game set in Seattle. The weather for the two games looks fine, so let's take a look at the best way to build a fantasy lineup for this miniature two-game slate.

This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 7/31/2025, with the slate starting at 7:10 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.

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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Andrew Abbott, SP - CIN ($9.3K DK/$10.2K FD)

Of the four starting pitchers on the board, Abbott has been the most productive this season. He has averaged 19.2 DraftKings points and 33.5 FanDuel points per start on the season while compiling a 2.09 ERA and 3.48 FIP. He has eight quality starts and has gone 8-1 with 95 strikeouts in his 103 1/3 innings.

The Reds starting pitcher Andrew Abbott has now had 14 starts this season where he has allowed one run or less. That leads Major League Baseball. pic.twitter.com/KiGvy9y9O8

— Zirkle Blakey III (@vapreps) July 29, 2025

Abbott has earned at least 20 DraftKings points in three of his last six outings and at least 15 DraftKings points in six of his last eight. He held the Rays to just two hits and one run in his start last Saturday, earning 22.5 DraftKings points in a no-decision. He showed off an even higher ceiling in June when he threw a complete-game, three-hit shutout against the Guardians to earn 36.85 DraftKings points.

He has that kind of ceiling in this matchup against the Braves as well. Atlanta has been scuffling all season and lost Ronald Acuna Jr. (hamstring) earlier this week. The Braves rank in the bottom 10 in the majors in road batting average and runs scored in road games. They've also struggled with lefties like Abbott, hitting .230 with a 23.6% K% against lefties on the season.

It should be a favorable spot for Abbott to continue his strong season for Cincinnati, and he's clearly the top arm on this limited slate

Kumar Rocker, SP - TEX ($7.3K DK/$8.2K FD)

Rocker is a solid SP2 option on DraftKings or a good pivot play on FanDuel if you don't want to be too chalky with Abbott. Rocker is 4-4 in 13 starts this season with a 5.73 ERA and 4.53 FIP, but he has shown a high ceiling recently. He had a great start coming out of the All-Star break against the Tigers, holding them to just one hit in 6 1/3 innings to get his fourth win of the season. He earned 25.85 DraftKings points for that start. However, he struggled a little bit against the Braves last Saturday, giving up three runs on five hits and only lasting four innings.

Rocker has allowed two earned runs or fewer in five of his last seven starts, but he can still be inconsistent at times. Many of his better outings have come at home, but he'll be facing the Mariners on the road in this contest.

One factor in Rocker's favor, though, is that he looked solid against Seattle when he faced them at the end of June, giving up just two runs on four hits in six innings in a no-decision. He'll face a revamped lineup this time around, but at this salary on this slate, he brings enough upside to consider as a leverage play or a secondary starter since he brings more upside than the other affordable options on the board.

Others To Consider (Cash/GPP):

• George Kirby, SP - SEA ($8.8K DK/$9.4K FD)

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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Corey Seager, SS - TEX ($4.9K DK/$3.5K FD)

Seager will be sad to see July come to an end since he has been mashing this month. In 23 games in July, the lefty hit .326 with nine doubles, five homers, 15 RBI, and a .434 wOBA. He has a 60.3% hard-hit rate and an average exit velocity of 94.8 miles per hour coming into the final game of the month.

He and the Rangers take on George Kirby, who has been up and down this season with strong outings against the Angels but so-so outings outside of that matchup. Lefties have hit .269 against Kirby this season with a .342 wOBA, so Seager and the Rangers' other lefty bats are on the strong side of the splits.

Tyler Stephenson, C - CIN ($3.4K DK/$3K FD)

Stephenson has also been picking up his production over the last month and is 11-for-41 (.268) in his last 11 starts, with two doubles, two homers, and an average of  7.8 DraftKings points per game in those 10 contests. Stephenson brings nice offensive upside for a catcher and is an affordable way to still get production from that spot on Thursday night.

Stephenson has hit six of his eight homers off righties and should be in a favorable spot against righty Carlos Carrasco, whom the Reds just added in a trade from the Yankees on Monday. The 38-year-old Carrasco had a 5.91 ERA and 5.31 FIP in eight games for New York earlier this season, letting righties like Stephenson hit .320 with a .463 wOBA.

Spencer Steer, 1B on DK OF/1B/2B on FD - CIN ($3.7K DK/$2.9K FD)

Steer is another good right-handed hitter to use against Carrasco and the Braves on Thursday night. Steer had a huge triple on Wednesday night to help the Reds beat the Dodgers after an impressive 11-pitch at-bat.

Sorry for the delay.

Spencer Steer’s Go-Ahead Triple in Win Over Los Angeles Dodgers Heard on Reds and Dodgers Broadcasts

Reds TV
Reds Radio
Dodgers TV
Dodgers Radio
Dodgers Spanish Radio pic.twitter.com/GKcl4JmTgd

— Reds Daily (@RedsDaily4) July 31, 2025

Steer is hitting .242 on the season with a .305 wOBA, 11 homers, and six stolen bases. He struggled for the last week before that huge triple, but he has the potential to be a key piece of the Reds' lineup down the stretch. He has been much better when playing at Great American Ball Park, with a .270 batting average, seven of his 11 home runs, and a .329 wOBA at home. In such a good spot against Carrasco, Steer is a good, affordable play at first base on DraftKings and can slot into a variety of positions on FanDuel.

• Cal Raleigh, C - SEA ($6.5K DK/$4.4K FD)
• Josh Smith, 1B/3B on DK SS/3B/2B/1B/OF on FD - TEX ($3.6K DK/$2.9K FD)

DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Randy Arozarena, OF - SEA ($5K DK/$3.4K FD)

The Mariners added Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez at the trade deadline, but their new-look offense will still rely heavily on Julio Rodriguez and Randy Arozarena, who have both been rolling lately. Since Arozarena is a little bit cheaper and has been better at home, he's the pay-up outfield option I'm going with on Thursday.

Arozarena has 13 homers in his last 26 games with a .276 batting average, five stolen bases, a .428 wOBA, a 52.9% hard-hit rate, and a 20% barrel rate. He caught another barrel on Wednesday in Sacramento:

SEA - Randy Arozarena Solo HR (21)

📏 Distance: 392 ft
💨 EV: 100.5 mph
📐 LA: 28°
⚾️ 87.3 mph sweeper (ATH - RHP Jack Perkins)
🏟️ Would be out in 30/30 MLB parks

SEA (4) @ ATH (5)
🔺 9th#TridentsUp pic.twitter.com/2rQqZwFdLI

— MLB Home Runs🚀 (@MLBHRs_) July 31, 2025

Arozarena has hit 12 of his 21 homers at home in Seattle and 15 of them against right-handed pitching. He'll be on the strong side of both those splits against Rocker, and he'll look to welcome his new teammates in style with another big game on Thursday night. Throughout his career, Arozarena has been an extremely streaky producer, and when he's on a hot streak like this, he brings a very high ceiling with both power and speed potential.

Evan Carter, OF - TEX ($4.4K DK/$2.8K FD)

Carter is another Rangers' lefty that I'm loading up on against Kirby in the late-night matchup. The former top prospect has battled a few injuries this year, but he has flashed positive signs that he can realize his lofty potential.

He has hit safely in four of his last five games with multiple at-bats, with a double, a triple, three runs scored, and three RBI. He has been struggling and often sitting against lefties, but he is hitting .262 on the season against righties with all of his extra-base hits and a .337 wOBA on that side of the splits. Given Kirby's issues against lefties, Carter is worth a look as a mid-range option on this small slate.

Gavin Lux, OF on DK 2B/OF on FD - CIN ($3K DK/$2.6K FD)

Lux isn't a righty against Carrasco like the other Reds highlighted above, but he's still a strong option to consider since he comes at such a low salary and has moved into the leadoff spot for the last two games for the Reds. He picked up a hit in each of those two games in the leadoff spot and is 10-for-31 (.323) with a double, four runs scored, and five RBI in his last nine games.

Lux only has four homers and one stolen base on the season, so he doesn't bring a lot of flashy, high-point plays. However, if he's hitting leadoff for a lineup that scores a bunch of runs on Thursday night, he has the potential to be a great value to consider since he's doing such a good job getting on base and jump-starting the offense.

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): 

• Julio Rodriguez, OF - SEA ($5.3K DK/$3.6K FD)
• Jurickson Profar, OF, ATL ($4.1K DK/$2.9K FD)

DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks

1. Cincinnati Reds (Implied Run Total - 5.4) vs Carlos Carrasco

The Reds bring the highest IRT on the slate by over a full run. They have a good matchup against Carrasco, who looked good in spring training and in the minors but has been hammered in the majors. The weather should be good hitting weather in Cincinnati, so the Reds should have a good chance to build on their dramatic win on Wednesday. They're only three games out of the final NL Wild Card spot and could potentially make a push for the playoffs over the next few weeks.

Carrasco was especially mashable away from Yankee Stadium with a 9.26 road ERA in his stint with the Yankees, and righties had excellent numbers against him as mentioned above. That's why I'm leaning into that side of this stack on Thursday night.

Favorite Combo: Lux, Steer, Stephenson, Austin Hays, Noelvi Marte

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