Major League Baseball presents Draftkings baseball fans with a National League matchup featuring the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds. Let’s take a look at this MLB game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Atlanta Braves vs. Cincinnati Reds game let’s review the rules for the Draftkings MLB single game showdown contest.
Draftkings Single Game Showdown Contest Rules
You have $50,000 to utilize on five players from either team. However, one of those players will be designated as your team captain. The captain accumulates 1.5 times the standard fantasy points. Additionally, the captain is 1.5 times the standard cost of the flex position.
The remaining four players in your lineup will receive the standard fantasy points. Having stated that, it is highly important for you to identify the correct player for your captain position if you hope to win a large field DFS GPP (guaranteed prize pool) showdown contest.
If you have additional questions regarding the rules for the single game showdown contest, I recommend that you check out the Draftkings website for more details.
*I recommend that all readers review the starting lineups for both teams prior to setting your DFS lineup for this one game slate.
Here are my Draftkings picks for tonight’s Braves vs. Reds matchup.
Draftkings MLB Showdown Picks
Captain-Spencer Strider, Starting Pitcher, Atlanta Braves $12,200
On Saturday night, Major League Baseball presents the final game of a three-game National League series featuring the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds.
How are these two teams playing entering this MLB game? The Atlanta Braves arrive at the first game of this three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds playing below average baseball. The Braves have lost three of the team’s last four games played in the 2025 MLB regular season, including a 9-6 loss to the Kansas City Royals earlier this week.
Similar to the Atlanta Braves, the Cincinnati Reds arrive at this National League game playing subpar baseball. Let me be more specific. The Reds have lost three of the team’s last five games played this season, including a 12-11 loss to the Atlanta Braves three days ago.
Now that we have determined how both of these teams are currently playing let’s shift our focus to this evening’s contest. Starting pitcher Spencer Strider has certainly been a solid contributor for the Atlanta Braves starting pitching rotation this season. With that said, how has Strider performed from a statistical standpoint? Let’s review the talented pitcher’s relevant game data from the 2025 MLB regular season to answer that question.
Through 14 starts made in 2025, Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider has compiled a 5-8 (win-loss record), a 1.22 WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched) and a 3.71 ERA (Earned Run Average). Additionally, Strider has tallied 92 strikeouts while allowing 32 walks in 77.2 innings pitched this season.
More recently, in the Atlanta Braves 10-7 win over the Kansas City Royals five days ago, Atlanta starting pitcher Spencer Strider pitched rather well. Strider pitched five quality innings while scattering seven hits and two walks in the Braves victory over the Royals.
In my opinion, Spencer Strider is the most likely player to post the most Draftkings points in this MLB regular season game. For that specific reason, I am backing Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider at the captain position for this one game MLB DFS slate.
Flex plays I like to play well in this MLB regular season contest (Draftkings price noted): Chase Burns, Starting Pitcher (Cincinnati Reds) $10,800: Elly Da La Cruz, Shortstop (Cincinnati Reds) $9,600: Ozzie Albies, Second Baseman (Atlanta Braves) $7,200.