MLB DFS: Opening Day Strikeout Pitchers to Target
The 2025 MLB Opening Day features a slate of 14 games that finds eight home teams favored and every game listed with less than an 8.5 run total.
Fantasy baseball season-long managers as well as DFS players will be looking to field a roster of home run hitters, but with the low-scoring projections by the experts in the desert, targeting the most dominant pitchers on the card may be the key to success.
Among the most popular players to target in DFS contests will be hard-throwing pitchers who can pile up the points with strikeouts (2.75 points) and a win (4.0 points).
Fantasy Baseball & MLB DFS Top Opening Day Strikeout Pitchers
Paul Skenes, Pittsburgh Pirates
at- Miami Marlins
DraftKings Strikeout Prop: 6.5 (Over -135)
DK DFS: $10,000
The 2024 NL Rookie of the Year was absolutely stellar in his first season with the Pirates, finishing 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA , 0.95 WHIP, and 170 strikeouts in 133 innings.
Paul Skenes bump day became appointment television in 2024.
— MLB (@MLB) November 18, 2024
(MLB x @MattressFirm) pic.twitter.com/yRcz2PBspV
Skenes, who owned an impressive 11.5 K/9 rate last season, will face a Miami club that struck out 1,113 times as a team in 5,589 total plate appearances (19.91%) last year.
Despite being listed as the most expensive starting pitcher on the DraftKings slate, Skenes will easily be among the most popular starting options who should easily soar over his 6.5 strikeout betting projection.
Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
at- Los Angeles Dodgers
DraftKings Strikeout Prop: 6.5 (Under -150)
DK DFS: n/a
The reigning 2024 AL Cy Young winner shined on the bump for the Tigers, finishing 18-4 with a 2.39 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP while leading the American League in strikeouts (228).
Tarik Skubal will be on a quest for a second straight AL Cy Young Award this season 👀 pic.twitter.com/e5gfhneXjW
— MLB (@MLB) March 13, 2025
Skubal’s Spring Training performance suggests an outstanding start to the season is on tap after recording 24 K’s in 19.1 innings.
Things may not be so easy out of the gate in 2025 as he faces a stiff test on Opening Day on the road against the reigning World Series champion Dodgers. Due to the matchup, bettors find Skubal with plus-odds on over 6.5 strikeouts (+115), which will likely result in DFS managers opting for other arms on the slate.
Garrett Crochet, Boston Red Sox
at- Texas Rangers
DraftKings Strikeout Prop: 6.5 (Over -150)
DK DFS: $9,000
After four seasons with the White Sox, Crochet finds a new home in Boston after compiling just a 9-19 record in 132 appearances with Chicago. However, Boston traded for the hard-throwing Crochet after his impressive 209 strikeouts in 146 innings - which ranked him seventh among MLB pitchers in 2024.
All 9️⃣ of Garrett Crochet's Ks 🔥
— MLB (@MLB) March 21, 2025
He also lowered his #SpringTraining ERA to 0.57. pic.twitter.com/VR5bSAGHhR
The left-handed flame-thrower dominated in the Spring, allowing just one run in 15.2 innings (0.57 ERA), recording 30 strikeouts in five starts. In peak form, over 6.5 K’s is one of the strongest investments in his Red Sox debut, resulting in a solid DFS value play.
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Frank Taddeo is a successful high-stakes fantasy football player who created the first-ever DFS program offered in a Las Vegas sportsbook. Besides contributing NFL fantasy analysis with a Vegas slant, Frank Taddeo primarily performs as On SI’s Senior Fantasy Analyst, providing his significant experience and resources in the sports world.