MLB Thursday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for April 24, 2025
Apr 23, 2025, 8:25AM
Draftstars Australia's MLB Thursday DFS contest kicks off at 9:00am AEST on April 24, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for every player on the slate to help you create winning line-ups.
A handy Draftstars cheat sheet is a must for MLB fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you assemble your fantasy teams for Draftstars' MLB contests and enhance your season-long fantasy line-ups on April 24 and beyond.
Featured MLB Games
Draftstars' MLB Thursday slate features the following match-ups:
- Oakland Athletics vs Texas Rangers
- Chicago Cubs vs Los Angeles Dodgers
- Los Angeles Angels vs Pittsburgh Pirates
- San Francisco Giants vs Milwaukee Brewers
- Kansas City Royals vs Colorado Rockies
- Houston Astros vs Toronto Blue Jays
- Arizona Diamondbacks vs Tampa Bay Rays
- Minnesota Twins vs Chicago White Sox
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, uses the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to come up with some of the most reliable DFS projections available.
With the best MLB fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more MLB fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet and Projections
We've reviewed every player from every team to help you make the best picks on Thursday's slate.
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | Freddy Peralta (MIL, P) | $20,060 | 18.8 | 0.9 |
Value | Germán Márquez (COL, P) | $8,680 | 13.8 | 1.6 |
Fade | Enmanuel Valdez (PIT, 1B) | $8,400 | 1.1 | 0.1 |
Cheapie | Brenton Doyle (COL, OF) | $5,000 | 7.4 | 1.5 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks provide the most "bang for your buck," meaning they are expected to perform well relative to their salary.
Conversely, a "fade" is a player considered to offer lower value for money, based on their expected score relative to their salary. For those needing to stay under the salary cap, "cheapie" options refer to the best value players at lower price points not already mentioned.
In fantasy sports, understanding value—assessing a player's potential output against their salary—is crucial, as players scoring high relative to their cost are key in crafting the optimal line-up.
The "Pts/$1K" metric shows the predicted points for every $1,000 of a player's salary. A higher number indicates better value, making it easier to spot players who could outperform their cost.
Positional Breakdown
C (Catcher)
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | William Contreras (MIL) | $8,070 | 7.2 | 0.9 |
Value | William Contreras (MIL) | $8,070 | 7.2 | 0.9 |
Fade | Kyle Higashioka (TEX) | $8,480 | 3.1 | 0.4 |
Cheapie | Yainer Diaz (HOU) | $7,010 | 6 | 0.9 |
SS (Shortstop)
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | Robert Witt (KC) | $12,740 | 9.5 | 0.7 |
Value | Jeremy Peña (HOU) | $7,380 | 7.2 | 1 |
Fade | Thomas Edman (LAD) | $9,960 | 6.6 | 0.7 |
Cheapie | Chandler Simpson (TB) | $5,000 | 4.4 | 0.9 |
OF (Outfielder)
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | Shohei Ohtani (LAD) | $11,770 | 10 | 0.8 |
Value | Brenton Doyle (COL) | $5,000 | 7.4 | 1.5 |
Fade | José Caballero (TB) | $9,160 | 3.1 | 0.3 |
Cheapie | Joc Pederson (TEX) | $5,000 | 4.4 | 0.9 |
3B (Third Base)
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | Matt Chapman (SF) | $8,770 | 6.9 | 0.8 |
Value | Josh Smith (TEX) | $5,000 | 4.9 | 1 |
Fade | Wilmer Flores (SF) | $8,090 | 3.6 | 0.5 |
Cheapie | Ryan McMahon (COL) | $7,250 | 6.4 | 0.9 |
2B (Second Base)
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | Marcus Semien (TEX) | $8,420 | 7.3 | 0.9 |
Value | Brandon Lowe (TB) | $5,000 | 6.2 | 1.2 |
Fade | Thomas Edman (LAD) | $9,960 | 6.6 | 0.7 |
Cheapie | Brooks Lee (MIN) | $5,000 | 4.1 | 0.8 |
1B (First Base)
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | Vladimir Guerrero (TOR) | $10,150 | 8.3 | 0.8 |
Value | Frederick Freeman (LAD) | $8,930 | 8.1 | 0.9 |
Fade | Enmanuel Valdez (PIT) | $8,400 | 1.1 | 0.1 |
Cheapie | Yainer Diaz (HOU) | $7,010 | 6 | 0.9 |
P (Pitcher)
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | Freddy Peralta (MIL) | $20,060 | 18.8 | 0.9 |
Value | Germán Márquez (COL) | $8,680 | 13.8 | 1.6 |
Conclusion
When building your MLB Thursday teams, consider starting with a value player like Germán Márquez. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Freddy Peralta is a strong option. If you're seeking budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, take a look at our cheapie options, including Brenton Doyle.
On the other hand, according to our model, Enmanuel Valdez is one of the worst value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if putting together multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' MLB Thursday slate closes at 9:00am AEST on Thursday. ENTER NOW!
As with all MLB DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider's data-driven MLB fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the MLB Thursday slate. The unique insights here can give you an edge when you make your MLB DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised MLB Thursday line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.
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