FanDuel MLB DFS Picks: Tuesday 8/12/25

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Let's check out the top options on today's main slate.

Note: All MLB odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook. All stats come from FanGraphs and Baseball Savant unless noted otherwise.

Top MLB DFS Picks

Pitcher Breakdown

Freddy Peralta ($10,300)

With several high-salaried lineups worth getting to and a handful of intriguing value arms, I'm not especially eager to allocate the bulk of my salary to pitcher tonight. That is, of course, unless I'm turning to Freddy Peralta.

The Milwaukee Brewers righty hasn't been at his best in recent weeks, but he's still cracked 39 FanDuel points (FDP) in five of his last seven starts. On the season, Peralta owns a 3.03 ERA and 25.9% strikeout rate -- all while holding opposing hitters to a 2.05 batting average.

Coming off extended rest, I'm bullish that can translate to a strong fantasy output in a home date with the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates. Pittsburgh has the league's lowest wOBA and eighth-highest strikeout rate against righties dating back to July 1st.

Our MLB DFS projections peg Peralta for 36.5 FDP, the highest among any main slate pitcher.

Emmet Sheehan ($7,700)

Emmet Sheehan has been sharp since rejoining the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation last month, notching 30, 26, and 36 FDP over his last three starts. Though he's still yet to pitch into the 6th inning this season, he's amassed 5 strikeouts in three straight starts and hovered in the high-70s pitch count range.

That could be enough to provide quality fantasy production at this salary in a road date with the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels are right around league-average in wRC+ against righties since the beginning of July, but they have baseball's third-highest strikeout rate in that split over that stretch.

Angel Stadium is a decent hitter's venue, but it's also been a top-five park for strikeouts over the past three seasons. With some uninspiring aces at the top, Sheehan has plenty of appeal at a midrange salary.

Nestor Cortes ($6,600)

Nestor Cortes has only made three starts this season, so I don't want to take much from his 7.11 ERA. Though his San Diego Padres debut only resulted in 17 FDP, he worked up to 76 pitches in his first big-league appearance since early April. With a 46-FDP showing against the Milwaukee Brewers still in his back pocket, there's more upside than you'd think for someone with such an ugly ERA.

Cortes's low salary is his primary appeal, but tonight's matchup is what really excites me here. Cortes is on the road against the San Francisco Giants -- a team with the league's lowest wRC+ and second-highest strikeout rate against lefties dating back to June 1st. Oracle Park rates as a bottom-10 hitting venue by Statcast Park Factors, Cortes will be my go-to arm in hitter-heavy lineups.

Stacks to Target

Athletics

Players to Target: Nick Kurtz ($4,200), Brent Rooker ($3,700), Shea Langeliers ($3,500), Tyler Soderstrom ($3,000)

The Athletics are back at home and taking on the erratic Shane Baz. Between the righty's 4.92 ERA and the Athletics' quality bats for this split, they're my top stack for Tuesday's main slate.

Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers are the building-blocks here. Both have been red-hot against righty pitchers over the past two months with Kurz sporting a 1.454 OPS and Langeliers up at 1.089 in this split dating back to July 1st.

Tyler Soderstrom and Brent Rooker both clear an .800 OPS against righties for the season with the left-handed Soderstrom compiling a .255 ISO at home in this split.

Dodgers

Players to Target: Shohei Ohtani ($4,800), Will Smith ($3,400), Freddie Freeman ($3,400), Max Muncy ($3,100), Andy Pages ($3,100), Michael Conforto ($2,500)

The Los Angeles Dodgers have the slate's highest implied total (5.7 runs) in a road date with Angels' rookie Victor Mederos. This will be the righty's second MLB appearance of the season after he complied a 3.39 ERA across 87.2 innings at Triple-A. Even so, his strikeout rate is below 20% in the minors this season, and he's pitched to a 6.02 SIERA over 12.1 career MLB innings.

Shohei Ohtani is the obvious starting point for any Dodgers stack, and he's someone I'm prioritizing even as one-off. Ohtani's 20.2-FDP projection is far and away the highest among any hitter on tonight's slate. That's a mark he's surpassed in five of his last six games, during which the NL MVP favorite is hitting .478 with 4 home runs and 10 runs.

The Dodger lineup has several complimentary pieces to pair alongside Ohtani, though Max Muncy and Will Smith stand out based on recent play. Smith actually has a higher OPS (1.096) than Ohtani in this split since the beginning of July, while Muncy has hit .421 with 4 home runs in seven appearances since returning from IL.

Freddie Freeman (.889 OPS vs RHP) and Andy Pages (.800) are the other two big bats I'm considering here, while the left-handed Michael Conforto has some appeal as a value play. He's the third-best point-per-dollar value based on our MLB DFS projections.

Cardinals

Players to Target: Ivan Herrera ($3,100), Willson Contreras ($3,000), Masyn Winn ($2,800), Jordan Walker ($2,500)

The St. Louis Cardinals are my favorite value stack tonight, and that's entirely thanks to their home date with Kyle Freeland. The Colorado Rockies lefty has struggled regardless of venue this season, pitching to a 4.75 ERA on the road and sitting in the 1st percentile in xBA (.307) overall.

For St. Louis, Ivan Herrera and Willson Contreras are the top priorities. Herrera -- now outfield-eligible on FanDuel -- has a bonkers 1.222 OPS against southpaws on the year, and he's blasted 7 home runs in just 61 at-bats versus this split. Contreras, isn't too far off, sporting a .374 wOBA against lefties.

Oh, and Contreras is among the best home run prop bets for Dinger Tuesday.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.