MLB Late Thursday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for September 25, 2025
Last updated: Sep 25, 2025, 12:27AM | Published: Sep 24, 2025, 8:25AM
Draftstars Australia's MLB Late Thursday DFS contest begins at 11:38am AEST on September 25, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for every player on the slate to help you make winning line-ups.
A handy Draftstars cheat sheet is essential 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 Thursday and beyond.
Featured MLB Games
Draftstars' MLB Late Thursday slate includes these match-ups:
- Athletics vs Houston Astros
- Seattle Mariners vs Colorado Rockies
- Arizona Diamondbacks vs Los Angeles Dodgers
- San Francisco Giants vs St. Louis Cardinals
- Los Angeles Angels vs Kansas City Royals
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, employs the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to make some of the strongest DFS projections in the world.
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 find the best choices on Thursday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Blake Snell (LAD, P) | $21,420 | 21.3 | 1 |
| Value | Tanner Gordon (COL, P) | $9,280 | 11.9 | 1.3 |
| Fade | Dominic Canzone (SEA, OF) | $11,280 | 3.2 | 0.3 |
| Cheapie | Brent Rooker (ATH, OF) | $7,860 | 8.6 | 1.1 |
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're 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 budget-conscious strategies, "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 | Caleb Raleigh (SEA) | $13,490 | 8.3 | 0.6 |
| Value | Shea Langeliers (ATH) | $7,050 | 6.5 | 0.9 |
| Fade | Iván Herrera (STL) | $11,220 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Cheapie | Hunter Goodman (COL) | $6,980 | 6.3 | 0.9 |
SS (Shortstop)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Robert Witt (KC) | $11,280 | 10 | 0.9 |
| Value | Ezequiel Tovar (COL) | $6,400 | 6.7 | 1 |
| Fade | John Crawford (SEA) | $9,320 | 5.9 | 0.6 |
| Cheapie | Willy Adames (SF) | $7,460 | 7.4 | 1 |
OF (Outfielder)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Shohei Ohtani (LAD) | $13,490 | 10.3 | 0.8 |
| Value | Brent Rooker (ATH) | $7,860 | 8.6 | 1.1 |
| Fade | Dominic Canzone (SEA) | $11,280 | 3.2 | 0.3 |
| Cheapie | Jordon Adell (LAA) | $7,830 | 7.7 | 1 |
3B (Third Base)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Rafael Devers (SF) | $9,030 | 8 | 0.9 |
| Value | Blaze Alexander (AZ) | $5,850 | 5.8 | 1 |
| Fade | Isaac Paredes (HOU) | $8,690 | 5.1 | 0.6 |
| Cheapie | Brett Harris (ATH) | $5,000 | 4.5 | 0.9 |
2B (Second Base)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Ketel Marte (AZ) | $8,140 | 8.5 | 1 |
| Value | Ketel Marte (AZ) | $8,140 | 8.5 | 1 |
| Fade | Jorge Polanco (SEA) | $10,400 | 5.4 | 0.5 |
| Cheapie | Blaze Alexander (AZ) | $5,850 | 5.8 | 1 |
1B (First Base)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Nick Kurtz (ATH) | $8,970 | 8.5 | 0.9 |
| Value | Alec Burleson (STL) | $7,510 | 7.1 | 0.9 |
| Fade | Maxwell Muncy (LAD) | $8,530 | 5.4 | 0.6 |
| Cheapie | Christian Walker (HOU) | $7,750 | 7.3 | 0.9 |
P (Pitcher)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Blake Snell (LAD) | $21,420 | 21.3 | 1 |
| Value | Tanner Gordon (COL) | $9,280 | 11.9 | 1.3 |
Conclusion
In DFS, creating an optimal line-up requires understanding key concepts and metrics. When building your MLB Late Thursday teams, consider starting with a value player like Tanner Gordon. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Blake Snell is a strong option. If you're looking for budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, check out our cheapie options, including Brent Rooker.
On the other hand, according to our model, Dominic Canzone 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 Late Thursday slate closes at 11:38am 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 Late Thursday contest. The unique insights here can give you an edge when you make your MLB DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised MLB Late Thursday line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.
Please note that if you use our DFS tips for betting purposes, ensure you gamble responsibly and keep track of your money. For free and confidential support, call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
