We’ve got an early six-game slate for Thursday’s MLB action, starting at 12:35 pm ET.

Let’s find some studs and values for your MLB DFS lineups on DraftKings. This article was written before lineups were announced.

Make your DraftKings MLB DFS picks here: MLB $125K Bat Flip [$25K to 1st]

PITCHER

Stud

Steven Matz, Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox, $8,500 — In 2023 at the age of 32, Matz pitched 105 innings and posted a 21.8% strikeout rate with a 3.75 FIP. The following season, his strikeout rate plummeted to 17.4% while the FIP ballooned to 4.88. It looked like Father Time had come to collect, but Matz pushed back, posting a 3.46 FIP in 2025 with a 3.6% walk rate and a HR/9 under one. Granted, he only pitched 44.1 and 76.2 innings during those seasons. Through 16 frames this season, Matz is punching Father Time in the face — posting a 2.98 FIP with a 27% strikeout rate and 0.56 HR/9. He hasn’t been super lucky, with a .231 BABIP and 61.6% strand rate. Now he gets to face a White Sox team that sits third in strikeouts, 26th in ISO, and dead-last in wOBA and wRC+.

Value

Keider Montero, Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals, $7,500 — Montero wasn’t great during his opener, but he wasn’t awful either. Over 4.1 innings, he allowed two earned runs on three hits with just one walk and three strikeouts. In his second outing, Montero twirled six shutout innings with seven strikeouts. His BABIP is only .192, but the 1.81 FIP supports his 1.74 ERA. Kansas City is 26th in wOBA, 27th in ISO and 27th in wRC+.

INFIELD

Stud

William Contreras, Milwaukee Brewers vs. Toronto Blue Jays, $5,200 — Contreras has been shut out only once fantasy-wise this season, while putting up double-digit FPTS five times. He’s slashing an impressive .291/.400/.873 with a 15.4% walk rate and 13.8% strikeout rate. In his career against southpaws, Contreras has a .196 ISO and 147 wRC+. Patrick Corbin hasn’t had a strikeout rate north of 20% since 2020, nor has he had a FIP below 4.00 since 2019. In four innings this season, he’s already served up a pair of home runs, both to righties. He has a swollen 1.38 HR/9 against righties, while his FIP climbs 1.34 points compared to when he faces lefties.

Ben Williamson, Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox, $2,400 — The surface stats don’t look too impressive for Williamson. The ISO is only .083, while the .351 BABIP is fueling the .271 batting average. But he’s been very good against left-handed pitching, posting a 151 wRC+ and a .150 ISO in 22 plate appearances. Anthony Kay has struggled to start the season, posting a 5.48 FIP with a paltry 4.7% K-BB%. He’s struggled against righties, as the HR/9 is 1.80, and the FIP is a whopping 7.36. Williamson has six games with double-digit FPTS, including a high of 22 FPTS in Tuesday’s win.

OUTFIELD

Stud

Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays at Milwaukee Brewers, $4,000 — Brandon Sproat has struggled to start the season, despite averaging 96.9 mph on the fastball. Through three outings, he’s posted a 9.16 FIP and 20% walk rate, having already served up four home runs in just 10.1 innings. Against lefties, the K/9 is only 6.75, and the FIP is 11.04. The K-BB% is an insane -14.3%. His average exit velocity is 91.6 mph, while the barrel rate is 13.3% with a 50% hard-hit rate. Sure, it’s a small sample size, but that’s all we have for now. Varsho has impressive bat speed and a .228 ISO on the season. He’s been batting second in the order over the last six games.

Nathan Lukes, Toronto Blue Jays at Milwaukee Brewers, $2,500 — Lukes has only received 31 plate appearances this season, often slotted near the bottom of the order. The ISO is .000 so far with a 0.071/.129/.071 slash line. The BABIP is only .087, though, and he has a career .141 ISO. Lukes hit leadoff Wednesday, and there’s a chance he gets the nod there again for Thursday. He’s cheap, especially given Sproat’s early-season struggles.