MLB Thursday Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for May 22, 2025
Last updated: May 21, 2025, 10:25PM | Published: May 21, 2025, 8:25AM
Draftstars Australia's MLB Thursday DFS contest begins at 9:05am AEST on May 22, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for every player on the slate to help you create winning line-ups.
A reliable Draftstars cheat sheet is crucial for MLB fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you build your fantasy teams for Draftstars' MLB contests and enhance your season-long fantasy line-ups on Thursday and beyond.
Featured MLB Games
Draftstars' MLB Thursday slate includes these games:
- Oakland Athletics vs Los Angeles Angels
- Colorado Rockies vs Philadelphia Phillies
- Toronto Blue Jays vs San Diego Padres
- Los Angeles Dodgers vs Arizona Diamondbacks
- New York Yankees vs Texas Rangers
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 best DFS projections in the world.
With the latest 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 picks on Thursday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Jacob deGrom (TEX, P) | $23,660 | 21.3 | 0.9 |
| Value | Carson Palmquist (COL, P) | $5,000 | 13.4 | 2.7 |
| Fade | Samuel Haggerty (TEX, OF) | $8,810 | 1.2 | 0.1 |
| Cheapie | Marcus Semien (TEX, 2B) | $6,440 | 6.8 | 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 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 budget-conscious strategies, "cheapie" options highlight 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 | Shea Langeliers (OAK) | $8,240 | 5.9 | 0.7 |
| Value | Austin Wells (NYY) | $6,590 | 4.8 | 0.7 |
| Fade | Jonah Heim (TEX) | $8,520 | 3.2 | 0.4 |
| Cheapie | Gabriel Moreno (AZ) | $7,600 | 4.9 | 0.6 |
SS (Shortstop)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Markus Betts (LAD) | $10,040 | 8.5 | 0.9 |
| Value | Josh Smith (TEX) | $5,000 | 5.3 | 1.1 |
| Fade | Edmundo Sosa (PHI) | $10,120 | 2.1 | 0.2 |
| Cheapie | Anthony Volpe (NYY) | $6,920 | 7 | 1 |
OF (Outfielder)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Shohei Ohtani (LAD) | $11,710 | 10.3 | 0.9 |
| Value | Josh Smith (TEX) | $5,000 | 5.3 | 1.1 |
| Fade | Samuel Haggerty (TEX) | $8,810 | 1.2 | 0.1 |
| Cheapie | Jose Adolis García (TEX) | $7,350 | 6.9 | 0.9 |
3B (Third Base)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Manuel Machado (SD) | $8,320 | 7.8 | 0.9 |
| Value | Manuel Machado (SD) | $8,320 | 7.8 | 0.9 |
| Fade | Weston Wilson (PHI) | $8,490 | 1.3 | 0.2 |
| Cheapie | Eugenio Suárez (AZ) | $7,650 | 6.1 | 0.8 |
2B (Second Base)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Ketel Marte (AZ) | $8,760 | 7.7 | 0.9 |
| Value | Marcus Semien (TEX) | $6,440 | 6.8 | 1.1 |
| Fade | Edmundo Sosa (PHI) | $10,120 | 2.1 | 0.2 |
| Cheapie | Thomas Edman (LAD) | $7,790 | 6.4 | 0.8 |
1B (First Base)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Vladimir Guerrero (TOR) | $10,250 | 8.3 | 0.8 |
| Value | Luis Arraez (SD) | $8,050 | 7.5 | 0.9 |
| Fade | Tyler Soderstrom (OAK) | $9,550 | 6.3 | 0.7 |
| Cheapie | Joshua-Douglas Naylor (AZ) | $7,930 | 7.1 | 0.9 |
P (Pitcher)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Jacob deGrom (TEX) | $23,660 | 21.3 | 0.9 |
| Value | Carson Palmquist (COL) | $5,000 | 13.4 | 2.7 |
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 Carson Palmquist. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Jacob deGrom is a strong option. If you're looking for budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, explore our cheapie options, including Marcus Semien.
On the other hand, according to our model, Samuel Haggerty is one of the lowest value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if entering 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 help you balance star power, value and budget management 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.
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.
