MLB Thursday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for July 31, 2025
Last updated: Jul 30, 2025, 10:26PM | Published: Jul 30, 2025, 8:27AM
Draftstars Australia's MLB Thursday DFS contest kicks off at 9:05am AEST on July 31, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has looked at the data for every player on the slate to help you make winning line-ups.
An accurate 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 improve your season-long fantasy line-ups on Thursday and beyond.
Featured MLB Games
Draftstars' MLB Thursday slate features these match-ups:
- Athletics vs Seattle Mariners
- Cincinnati Reds vs Los Angeles Dodgers
- New York Yankees vs Tampa Bay Rays
- Los Angeles Angels vs Texas Rangers
- St. Louis Cardinals vs Miami Marlins
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, employs the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to produce some of the most accurate 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 choices on Thursday's slate.
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | Nathan Eovaldi (TEX, P) | $22,270 | 17.9 | 0.8 |
Value | Joshua-Douglas Naylor (SEA, 1B) | $5,000 | 7.1 | 1.4 |
Fade | Taylor Walls (TB, SS) | $8,110 | 2.8 | 0.3 |
Cheapie | Jordon Adell (LAA, OF) | $6,650 | 7 | 1.1 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks offer 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) | $10,710 | 7.7 | 0.7 |
Value | Agustín Ramírez (MIA) | $8,140 | 6.6 | 0.8 |
Fade | Iván Herrera (STL) | $9,180 | 5.7 | 0.6 |
Cheapie | Shea Langeliers (ATH) | $7,810 | 5.5 | 0.7 |
SS (Shortstop)
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | Elly De La Cruz (CIN) | $11,480 | 8.8 | 0.8 |
Value | Zachary Neto (LAA) | $8,190 | 8.3 | 1 |
Fade | Taylor Walls (TB) | $8,110 | 2.8 | 0.3 |
Cheapie | Anthony Volpe (NYY) | $7,750 | 6.7 | 0.9 |
OF (Outfielder)
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | Julio Rodríguez (SEA) | $10,200 | 8.7 | 0.9 |
Value | Jordon Adell (LAA) | $6,650 | 7 | 1.1 |
Fade | Jordan Walker (STL) | $8,350 | 3.8 | 0.4 |
Cheapie | Brent Rooker (ATH) | $7,180 | 7.5 | 1 |
3B (Third Base)
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | Junior Caminero (TB) | $8,940 | 7.7 | 0.9 |
Value | Yandy Díaz (TB) | $8,290 | 7.4 | 0.9 |
Fade | Gavin Lux (CIN) | $8,060 | 4.7 | 0.6 |
Cheapie | Nolan Arenado (STL) | $7,860 | 6.4 | 0.8 |
2B (Second Base)
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | Jasrado Chisholm (NYY) | $8,970 | 7.8 | 0.9 |
Value | Marcus Semien (TEX) | $7,310 | 6.9 | 0.9 |
Fade | Brendan Donovan (STL) | $9,290 | 6.4 | 0.7 |
Cheapie | Cole Young (SEA) | $5,000 | 3.9 | 0.8 |
1B (First Base)
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | Frederick Freeman (LAD) | $8,610 | 7.6 | 0.9 |
Value | Joshua-Douglas Naylor (SEA) | $5,000 | 7.1 | 1.4 |
Fade | Alec Burleson (STL) | $10,290 | 5.3 | 0.5 |
Cheapie | Nolan Schanuel (LAA) | $6,720 | 6.4 | 0.9 |
P (Pitcher)
Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stud | Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) | $22,270 | 17.9 | 0.8 |
Value | Cal Quantrill (MIA) | $9,750 | 10.9 | 1.1 |
Conclusion
In DFS, creating an optimal line-up requires understanding key concepts and metrics. When building your MLB Thursday teams, consider starting with a value player like Joshua-Douglas Naylor. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Nathan Eovaldi 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 Jordon Adell.
On the other hand, according to our model, Taylor Walls is one of the lowest value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if building out multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' MLB Thursday slate closes at 9:05am 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 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 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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