Just a week into the 2025 MLB season, most starting pitchers have just one trip to the mound under their belt, but that doesn’t mean we can’t leverage that when making MLB DFS picks. The Orioles vs. Royals and Reds vs. Brewers matchups feature four starting pitchers with ERAs of at least 5.40. So, does that mean Friday MLB lineups should load up with batters from these games such as Elly De La Cruz, Bobby Witt Jr., Christian Yelich and Adley Rutschman?
Those are all big names, and with that kind of status often comes lofty price tags. So, who else can you target with your daily Fantasy baseball picks on Friday that won’t do too much damage to your MLB DFS salary cap? Nate Lowe of the Nationals could be an option as he faces Arizona starter, Brandon Pfaadt, as Lowe has a 1.292 OPS in his career off the D-Backs RHP. Before locking in any MLB DFS picks for Friday, be sure to check out the MLB DFS advice, strategy and projections from SportsLine daily Fantasy expert Mike McClure.
McClure is a daily Fantasy pro who has won more than $2 million in his career. And when it comes to daily Fantasy baseball, McClure is at his best. Recognized in the book “Fantasy Football (and Baseball) for Smart People: How to Turn Your Hobby into a Fortune” as a top MLB DFS player, McClure’s proprietary projection model simulates each game 10,000 times, taking factors such as matchups and recent results into account. This allows him to find the best values on every site.
On Thursday (when McClure last made MLB DFS picks), McClure identified Phillies catcher JT Realmuto as one of his top MLB DFS picks on both sites. The result: Realmuto went 3-for-3 with two stolen bases and a walk, returning 23 points on DraftKings and 27.2 points on FanDuel.
Now, with the 2025 MLB continuing on Friday, McClure has locked in his top MLB daily Fantasy picks for April 3. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
McClure’s top MLB DFS picks for Friday, April 4
One of McClure’s top MLB DFS picks for Friday is Dodgers SS/OF Mookie Betts at $6,000 on DraftKings and $4,300 on FanDuel for MLB DFS lineups. You wouldn’t be able to tell that Betts battled an illness to start the season, missed the Tokyo Series, and reportedly lost 15 pounds. He’s hammered the ball out the gate and boasts a 1.114 OPS across his five games. He has three home runs, six RBI and six runs scored while adding positional flexibility as a shortstop and outfielder, with even second base eligibility on some MLB DFS sites.
Betts gets to face Phillies southpaw, Jesus Luzardo, on Friday, and the eight-time All-Star feasts off lefties. Betts’ entire slash line is higher off LHPs than RHPs over his career. Luzardo was shaky last year with the Marlins, posting a 5.00 ERA across 66.2 innings, and he couldn’t notch a quality start in his first start this season. Betts is one of the most expensive players in Friday’s MLB DFS player pool but his production should justify the cost.
McClure is also rostering Braves third baseman Austin Riley ($4,200 on DraftKings and $3,400 on FanDuel). After going hitless in four straight games, Riley finally broke that slump with a hit on Wednesday before being off on Thursday. He’s also had nice success versus Friday probable starter, Max Meyer, with a homer and triple from five at-bats versus the Marlins pitcher.
In Meyer’s last start versus Atlanta in August 2024, he allowed a career-high of three home runs to go along with 4 ER over 5 IP. Additionally, the Braves will make their 2025 home debut on Friday after a disastrous road trip to start the year, and Riley performs his best in front of the Atlanta faithful. His OPS is 80 points higher at home (.878) than on the road (.798) over his career, and he has four more homers in Atlanta (79) than on the road (75), despite having 151 fewer ABs at home. See McClure’s full MLB DFS player pool right here.
How to set your MLB DFS lineups for April 4, 2025
McClure is also targeting an undervalued player who is set to explode for huge numbers on Friday. The stars are aligning for him to return tournament-winning value and he comes at a price that won’t break the bank. You can only see who it is, and get the rest of McClure’s MLB DFS picks, here.
So what are the top MLB DFS picks for Friday? Visit SportsLine now to see DFS millionaire Mike McClure’s complete player pool and picks for FanDuel and DraftKings, all from the DFS expert who has won more than $2 million.
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