It’s the start of a new month! We start May with somewhat of a limited MLB slate. Although there are just 11 games on Thursday, there is still an endless amount of possibilities when it comes to building your DFS.
We know that you are preoccupied with the grind of life to be able to dig too deep into matchups and determine who the best picks are for Thursday. That’s where we come in. Here are two hitters to add and one you should avoid on May 1.
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Add: OF Jarren Duran, Boston Red Sox
Considering his resilient story, it feels like the entire league is rooting for the success of Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran. Not only is his personal journey inspirational but as Aaron Judge mentioned this week, Duran is a heck of a baseball player. His matchup on Thursday shows that to be true.
The Red Sox will be playing their AL East rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays with right-hander José Berríos on the mound. In 18 plate appearances against Berríos, Duran has nine hits. As impressive as that is, it is even more impressive that most of those have gone for extra bases. Duran has a single, five doubles and three homers against the Toronto starter. He has potential to have a big day on Thursday and help your DFS tremendously.
Add: OF Mike Yastrzemski, San Francisco Giants
The Colorado Rockies are coming off of a rare win on Wednesday. Colorado won just their fifth game in 2025 by avoiding a sweep of the Atlanta Braves. Don’t expect this to continue on Thursday when they play the San Francisco Giants and Mike Yastrzemski may be the reason why.
In most cases you would want to avoid left-handed hitters who are facing left-handed pitching but Yastrzemski is the exception on Thursday. Kyle Freeland will take the ball for Colorado whom Yastrzemski has good numbers against.
In 20 chances, Yastrzemski has eight hits including five singles, a double, a triple, and a home run. The Giants’ outfielder has also drown two walks against Freeland. These numbers suggest that Yastrzemski can use the whole field, hit for power and average against his opposition on Thursday which is the perfect recipe for some DFS success.
Avoid: OF Juan Soto, New York Mets
Most people would expect that the baseball player who signed the richest contract in sports history would always be a safe bet for a DFS roster. By the numbers, that is not the case for Juan Soto of the New York Mets on Thursday.
The Mets are facing Zac Gallen and the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday afternoon. In 24 plate appearances against Gallen, Soto has only four hits. One of those did go for a home run but he has struck out five times while only walking twice against the Diamondbacks starter. With just a .182 average against his opponent and a high strikeout rate, Soto is one superstar that is always tempting but should be avoided today.