Covering The Bases: MLB DFS Picks Today for Sunday 8/31

by Justin Van Zuiden (stlcardinals84) Last Updated 2025-08-31 14:19:23 Premium Content Part of the product MLB DFS

Long-time grinder, Justin Van Zuiden (aka stlcardinals84), is here to cover the bases for the upcoming MLB DFS slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Whether you are looking for the top pitchers or the best stacks, Cards has you covered with an extensive deep dive into his favorite MLB DFS picks.

Happy Sunday, Grinders! We have an interesting Sunday slate on tap, with a 9-game docket on DraftKings and a 10-game docket on FanDuel, as FD has oddly decided to add the “early start” STL/CIN game to their main slate. If you are playing on FD, make sure you know that the slate locks an hour earlier at 12:10 PM ET. Don’t get stuck with players that you don’t want from the first game!

This looks to be a relatively balanced slate, but it also looks to be one that will be difficult to break down. There is a pile of jumbled offense that is difficult to separate, and there are a lot of good (but not great) pitchers on the mound. Remember that Sundays often give us some differing lineup decisions from managers with players possibly getting days off, so keep an eye on our MLB Starting Lineups page to stay updated before lock. It will also be important to monitor the weather with our MLB weather page, as we have an ORANGE/YELLOW rating from Roth for the DET/KCR game, which just happens to be a game where Tarik Skubal is pitching.

It’s the final Sunday of the year where anyone will care about baseball with the NFL season starting next weekend, so we need to make this one count. Let’s dive in and see what this Sunday afternoon has to offer!

Editor’s Note: Looking for more places to play? Check out our Underdog Fantasy promo code and PrizePicks promo code, two of the best DFS sites available today.

Sunday Pitching: MLB DFS Picks on FanDuel & DraftKings

TOP TIER ACES

Tarik Skubal vs. Royals
Hunter Brown vs. Angels
Joe Ryan vs. Padres
Brandon Woodruff vs. Blue Jays
Lucas Giolito vs. Pirates

We have a strong slate of aces going, highlighted by Tarik Skubal and Hunter Brown at the top of the list. As usual, let’s begin with a look at the 2025 data:

Skubal – 2.28 ERA, 2.46 xFIP, 33.5% K, 3.9% BB
Brown – 2.37 ERA, 3.08 xFIP, 29.1% K, 7.6% BB
Ryan – 3.22 ERA, 3.61 xFIP, 28.3% K, 4.9% BB
Woodruff – 3.10 ERA, 3.19 xFIP, 32.8% K, 6.3% BB
Giolito – 3.47 ERA, 4.36 xFIP, 20.0% K, 7.7% BB

I could have split this into a pair of different “ace” tiers today, as Skubal and Brown essentially deserve a conversation of their own. Let’s start there. I am not disputing the fact that Tarik Skubal is the best pitcher in baseball. His metrics are fantastic across the board, and you won’t find a better split of a K/BB ratio anywhere in the league. However, I do have a couple small words of caution here. He hasn’t looked quite as sharp in recent outings, and he has a lower-upside matchup today against a Royals team that has one of the lowest strikeout rates in the league. They sit at 21.6% for strikeout rate against LHP this year. I like Skubal just fine, and he’s probably your cash game choice simply for the high floor.

In GPP builds, I am going to give the edge to Hunter Brown. I think he has access to more upside in a matchup against the Angels, who lead the major leagues in strikeout rate against both RHP and LHP this year. I also expect more ownership to flow to Skubal because of his name recognition, especially since Brown lost to the Rockies in his last start (though he didn’t pitch that poorly and walked nobody). The matchup gives Brown access to more ceiling, and I’ll have more exposure to Brown than Skubal in GPP builds. Obviously, both are fine options, and I am largely splitting hairs with this analysis.

The rest of the aces are simply leftovers for me because they fall so far behind Skubal and Brown. However, they could be in play in DK builds where you decide you want to spend up for both of your pitchers. Joe Ryan continues to be an underappreciated pitcher with very strong numbers across the board, and his 28% K rate and 5% walk rate are nothing to sneeze at. He has a tougher matchup against the Padres but could be considered as a GPP pivot.

I can’t endorse Brandon Woodruff today. He has to face a very tough Toronto lineup, and the Brewers are going to continue to be cautious with his workload down the stretch given their sizeable cushion in the NL Central. He still hasn’t topped 100 pitches a single time this year, and I don’t expect that to start today. On a day where Skubal and Brown are pitching and have better matchups, spending for Woodruff just doesn’t make sense. The same largely goes for Lucas Giolito, who has a 4.36 xFIP and a 20% strikeout rate on the year. Those are league average numbers. However, he has an elevated DFS salary because of a matchup against the Pirates. I get it, but this feels like an overpay at $9,000 on DK and $9,200 on FD. He falls pretty far down my list.

I am ranking this tier as Brown > Skubal >>> Ryan > Giolito > Woodruff for today.

SECONDARY PITCHING OPTIONS

Want to read more? Sign up for Premium!