MLB DFS Picks Today: Daily Fantasy Baseball Strategy and Tips For FanDuel, DraftKings (8/29/25)

Zach's top DraftKings and FanDuel MLB DFS picks for today, Friday, 8/29/25. His favorite daily fantasy baseball lineup sleepers and value picks for DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Welcome Back, RotoBallers! Major League Baseball is ready to head into the final weekend of August with all 30 teams on the schedule under the lights. While it's a busy time of year across multiple sports, baseball is ready to head down the stretch with plenty of exciting storylines to follow. Of the 15 games on Friday night, 12 are on the main DFS slate for both DraftKings and FanDuel. Three games start early in separate turbo contests, with the other 12 games making up the biggest contests on each site for this Friday.

Friday night is a great blend of options with a few top pitchers on the board in some games and some great hitting environments and matchups in other spots. The Red Sox are calling up top prospect Payton Tolle to go head-to-head with Paul Skenes in one of the most exciting pitching matchups of the day, but the weather could be a factor in Boston. On the offensive side, the Cubs are at Coors Field and the Rangers are at Sutter Health Park in two of the hitter-friendliest matchups, but Colorado also has rain in the forecast. Keep an eye on those potential trouble spots as we near first pitch, but there are plenty of other matchups to consider as well, including a great series between the Blue Jays and Brewers.

This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 8/29/2025, with the slate starting at 7:07 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

George Kirby - SEA at CLE ($9.2K DK/$10.2K FD)

Kirby got a late start to the season with a shoulder injury and had a few uneven starts once he returned. He has settled back in lately, though, and returned to his form as one of the top starting pitchers in baseball. Kirby and the Mariners are in the third and final AL Wild Card spot with a three-game lead over the Royals coming into the weekend, and they'll look to build on that lead as they face the slumping Guardians in Cleveland.

In his last six starts, Kirby has allowed two runs or fewer five times. The one outlier was a rough outing in New York, but over those starts, he has a 3.03 ERA, 2.90 FIP, and 38 strikeouts in 35 2/3 innings. In his last start, he bounced back from that beating by the Mets and went six innings with just one run allowed and three strikeouts in a victory at home over the Athletics. He earned 13.3 DraftKings points and 28 FanDuel points for that start, but before the Mets game, he had been even better with four straight starts of over 26 DraftKings points and over 45 FanDuel points. He'll look to get back to that ceiling against the Guardians on Friday.

Cleveland has scored the fewest runs in the majors over the last two weeks, averaging only 2.1 runs per game over their last 12 contests while hitting .171 as a team with an abysmal 31 wRC+ (league average is 100) and just a .212 wOBA. The Guardians should be a great matchup for Kirby this Friday.

Jonah Tong, NYM vs. MIA ($8.5K DK/$8.8K FD)

Two top prospects are set for their major league debut with Tolle for the Red Sox and Tong for the Mets. Both bring great upside, but the weather is much better in New York, and the Mets have been mashing at home, which should give Tong good run support.

Jonah Tong is getting called up and will make his MLB debut on Friday!

2025 (AA/AAA)
22 GS, 113.2 IP
1.58 ERA, 0.92 WHIP
10.6% BB, 40.5% K

Tong is a Top 5 pitching prospect for me and should be a priority add in all leagues.pic.twitter.com/n0t4Sbmi09

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) August 26, 2025

The 22-year-old leads the entire minor leagues in strikeouts after racking up 179 punchouts in 113 2/3 innings across 22 starts in Double-A and Triple-A. He has dominated with a 1.43 ERA, 1.67 FIP, and 0.92 WHIP. He had 17 strikeouts in his 11 2/3 innings shutout innings in two Triple-A starts, and gave up just eight hits.

Facing the Marlins at home should set him up to be a great mid-range value since his strikeout ceiling is so high in his MLB debut this Friday.

Nestor Cortes, SD at MIN ($6.9K DK/$7.3K FD)

If you want to go cheap with your starting pitcher to build around bigger bats, Cortes brings great upside as he takes on the Twins, whose offense has struggled since the Trade Deadline. Over the last 30 days, the Twins rank in the bottom 10 in runs scored and wOBA and 11th in K%.

Cortes is coming off a strong outing against the Dodgers in his best performance since being traded to the Padres at the deadline. He went six shutout innings at home against L.A., allowing just one hit with three strikeouts to earn the win, 22.9 DraftKings points, and 37 FanDuel points. The veteran lefty seemed close to finding a groove in his last few starts before that outing against the Dodgers, and could be ready to settle in to contribute down the stretch. In such a good matchup, he has a high ceiling for a bargain play this Friday

Others To Consider (Cash/GPP):

• Shane Bieber, TOR vs. MIL ($10K DK/$9.3K FD)
• Blake Snell, LAD vs. ARI ($9.8K DK/$9.9K FD)
• Payton Tolle, BOS vs. PIT ($7.6K DK/$5.5K FD)
• Jack Leiter, TEX at ATH ($7.3K DK/$7.6K FD)

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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Bobby Witt Jr., SS - KC ($5.7K DK/$3.9K FD)

Witt and the Royals host the Tigers this weekend and start the series with a matchup against Chris Paddack. Witt has been on fire in August, hitting .340 with a .407 wOBA, five doubles, four homers, and a 48.7% hard-hit rate. He comes into the series riding a 16-game hitting streak, during which he has hit .397 (25-for-63) with four doubles and two homers.

He's the most expensive shortstop on the board this Friday, but he brings both a high ceiling and a high floor in a huge home series for Kansas City.

Michael Busch, 1B - CHC ($5.2K DK/$3.6K FD)

The Cubs are at Coors, which sets up Busch to be a strong play at first base. Busch has already set a new career-high with 24 homers with a month remaining in the season. He is hitting .261 with a .357 wOBA on the year and has 10 hits in his last 10 games, including a home run on Thursday.

Michael Busch comes out on top of an epic 11-pitch battle with Logan Webb.

He blasted his 25th bomb of the year 412 feet to center field in San Francisco. pic.twitter.com/D1sXckkK8w

— The Wrigley Wire (@TheWrigleyWire) August 28, 2025

He and the Cubs lefties are in a great spot against German Marquez (see more below in stacks), so as long as the weather doesn't cause any issues, he'll be a great slugger to build around Friday.

Ezequiel Duran, 1B/2B on DK, 1B/3B/SS/OF on FD - TEX ($2.3K DK/$2.3K FD)

As my bargain infield play of the day, Duran is in a good spot with the Rangers as they roll into Sutter Health Park against lefty Jeffrey Springs. Duran is very versatile on FanDuel and can fill a couple of spots on DraftKings as well. He's getting more playing time with all the injuries in Texas, and the 26-year-old righty has been hitting near the top of the order in several recent contests.

He had a pair of hits in Wednesday's 20-run outburst against the Angels and is 9-for-28 (.321) with three doubles, a stolen base, and an average of 6.8 DraftKings points per game over the last eight contests. If he's hitting second or third in the order against Springs, he should be in a good spot to deliver production at this bargain salary that's barely over the minimum.

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): 

• Jazz Chisholm Jr., 2B on DK, 2B/3B on FD - NYY ($5.2K DK/$3.7K FD)
• Dansby Swanson, SS - CHC ($4.7K DK/$3.4K FD)
• Mark Vientos, 3B - NYM ($3.1K DK/$3K FD)
• Jared Triolo, 3B/SS on DK, 1B/2B/3B/SS on FD, - PIT ($2.9K DK/$2.5K FD)

DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF - CHC ($5.5K DK/$4.2K FD)

Crow-Armstrong got off to an incredibly strong start to the season and looked like one of the top fantasy players in the league before hitting a brutal dry spell after the All-Star break. The 23-year-old seems to have found his rhythm again in his last few games, with at least one hit in five of his last six games, including a double and a home run.

His recent slump keeps his price affordable even at Coors Field in a great matchup against Marquez. The dynamic dual-threat can put up big fantasy games with either his power or his speed, so he's a strong play to consider in this spot on Friday.

Adolis Garcia, OF - TEX ($4K DK/$2.8K FD)

Garcia has had a down year overall, which keeps his salary very low coming into the weekend series in Sacramento (especially on FanDuel). However, the streaky slugger has looked excellent since coming off the injured list earlier this week. In his five games since returning, he went 9-for-22 (.450) with four doubles, two home runs, and two stolen bases for an average of 19.2 DraftKings points per game.

He had a huge game against the Angels on Wednesday to fuel the Rangers' 20-run explosion.

Adolis Garcia vs Angels:

4-6
1 HR
2 2B
5 RBI

His second career game with 3+ XBH and 5+ RBI. pic.twitter.com/KrUEZ9P8hk

— StatMuse (@statmuse) August 28, 2025

He gets a good matchup in a hitter-friendly park and will have to carry the offense even more now that Corey Seager (appendix) is the latest of his teammates to land on the injured list.

Brenton Doyle, OF - COL ($3.6K DK/$3.4K FD)

The Cubs aren't the only team playing with the added boost of Coors Field on Friday, and the Rockies actually have some fairly affordable options that can also help your lineup have a Mile High ceiling. Doyle is hitting only .244 with 14 homers on the season, but he is wrapping up a great month of August.

In 23 games since August 1, Doyle is 29-for-80 (.363) with five doubles, seven homers, a .451 wOBA, and a 181 wRC+. He's added two stolen bases in his last four contests and is up to 14 steals on the year. He's hitting .324 with a .386 wOBA at Coors this year but only .166 with a .210 wOBA on the road. Even for Coors, those splits are dramatic! Doyle's recent success has helped the Rockies be a much more productive offense over the last month, and he makes sense at this salary coming home, even in a tough matchup against Cade Horton.

Others To Consider: 

• Kyle Tucker, OF - CHC ($6.5K DK/$4.3K FD)
• Fernando Tatis Jr. - SD ($5K DK/$3.5K FD)
• George Springer - TOR ($4.7K DK/$3.4K FD)
• Jeremiah Jackson, OF on DK, SS on FD - BAL ($2.9K DK/$2.6K FD)

DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks

1. Chicago Cubs (Implied Run Total - 6.8) vs. German Marquez

Marquez will be coming off the injured list for his 21st start of the year. The veteran has been extremely hittable this season, posting a 5.67 ERA, 4.58 FIP, and 1.64 WHIP. Lefties have hit nine of the 13 homers he has allowed while posting a .392 wOBA against him.

Favorite Combo: Busch, Crow-Armstrong, Tucker, Seiya Suzuki, Matt Shaw

2. Texas Rangers (Implied Run Total - 5.1) vs. Jeffrey Springs

The Rangers are a much more affordable stack, and they get the boost of playing at Sutter Health Park after scoring 20 runs on Wednesday. With multiple injuries to their regular starters, the Rangers offer multiple value plays against Springs, who has a 4.73 ERA and 5.19 FIP in his 12 starts at home.

Favorite Combo: Garcia, Wyatt Langford, Duran, Josh Jung, Cody Freeman

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