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

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 $150K Bat Flip [$50K to 1st]

PITCHER

Stud

Ryan Weathers, New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers ($8,500) — Weathers has a career-high 28.5% strikeout rate and a 22.2% K-BB% through his first 38.2 innings in 2026. His FIP is slightly higher than his 3.03 ERA, but it’s still a respectable 3.61. Now he faces a Rangers team that is seventh in strikeouts, 23rd in ISO, and 24th in wOBA and wRC+. Weathers has put up double-digit FPTS in six of seven starts, with three over 20 and a high of 32.9 FPTS.

Value

Jake Irvin, Washington Nationals vs. Minnesota Twins ($7,000) — Irvin has a career-high 25.3% strikeout rate and 15.6% K-BB%. His 4.04 FIP underscores his bloated 4.93 ERA. The BABIP is .283, while the strand rate is 64.5%, so it’s not like he’s been lucky. The biggest change has been the pitch mix: he’s throwing the four-seam fastball less and incorporating a cutter more often. Irvin’s curveball has a 44.3% whiff rate, up from 25.1% last season. His four-seamer has seen the whiff rate go from 17.5% last season to 25% this season. Irvin has put up double-digit FPTS in five of seven starts, with two over 20 FPTS.

INFIELD

Stud

Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Guardians ($6,000) — Most of the numbers look fine for Witt, but the ISO is only .147, and he’s hit three home runs in 162 plate appearances. I have no doubt the ISO will be over .200 by season’s end. In the season, Witt has failed to produce fantasy goodies only four times. He’s put up double-digit FPTS 17 times, with four performances over 20 FPTS. Slade Cecconi has a 5.84 FIP, 17.1% strikeout rate, and allowed eight home runs in 35.2 innings. Five of those have come off righties. The FIP is 7.12, and K-BB% is only 5.1% against righties, as well.

Michael Massey, Kansas City Royals vs. Cleveland Guardians ($3,000) — Yeah, we’re stacking against Cecconi. Massey will likely bat towards the bottom of the lineup, but he has a .192 ISO against right-handed pitching and went yard on Tuesday.

OUTFIELD

Stud

James Wood, Washington Nationals vs. Minnesota Twins ($5,900) — Wood tantalizes with 10 home runs, seven stolen bases, .275 ISO, and a 6-foot-6, 234-pound frame. But he strikes out at a 32.7% clip! Talk about high-risk, high-reward. Wood’s bat speed is 76.2 mph, and his 96.5 mph average exit velocity leads MLB. Simeon Woods Richardson has a 6.46 FIP and a 1.9 K-BB%, and has served up eight home runs in 34.2 innings. He has coughed up three of his eight home runs to lefties, owning a 5.39 FIP and a 6.3 K-BB% against southpaws.

Jake McCarthy, Colorado Rockies vs. New York Mets ($3,000) — The average exit velocity is only 85.3 mph, while the barrel rate is a paltry 3.8%. The launch angle, though, is 13.2 degrees — and the ISO is .148. This game is in Denver, and McCarthy has put up double-digit FPTS in two of the last four games, without a donut in any of those contests.