Draftkings Best MLB DFS Picks: Red Sox vs. Cubs 7/18/25
Boston Red Sox vs. Chicago Cubs
July 18, 2025 2:20 pm EDT
Major League Baseball presents Draftkings baseball fans with an interleague matchup featuring the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs. Let’s take a look at this MLB game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Boston Red Sox vs. Chicago Cubs 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 Friday afternoon’s Red Sox vs. Cubs matchup.
Draftkings MLB Showdown Picks
Captain-Lucas Giolito, Starting Pitcher Boston Red Sox $11,600
On Friday afternoon, Major League Baseball presents the opening game of a three-game interleague series featuring the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs.
How are these two teams playing entering Friday’s MLB game? The Boston Red Sox arrive at the first game of this three-game series playing good baseball. The Red Sox have won 11 of the team’s last 12 games played in the 2025 MLB regular season, including a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays three days ago.
Similar to the Boston Red Sox, the Chicago Cubs are playing quality baseball entering the opening game of this interleague series. Let me be more specific. The Cubs have won four of the team’s last seven games played in the 2025 MLB regular season, including a dominant 8-1 win over the Minnesota Twins last week.
Now that we have determined how both of these teams are currently playing let’s shift our focus to Friday’s contest. Starting pitcher Lucas Giolito has been a solid performer for the Boston Red Sox this season. Having stated that, how has the veteran pitcher performed from a statistical perspective? Let’s review Giolito’s relevant game data from the 2025 MLB regular season to answer that question.
In 13 starts made this season, Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito has compiled a 6-1 (won-loss record), a 3.36 ERA (Earned Run Average) and a 1.23 WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched) in 2025. It should also be mentioned that Giolito has amassed 64 strikeouts while allowing 21 walks in 72.1 innings pitched this season.
More recently, in the Boston Red Sox 15-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays last month, Boston starting pitcher Luis Giolito certainly pitched at a high level. Giolito pitched seven quality innings while scattering six hits and one walk in the Red Sox victory over Toronto.
In my view, Luis Giolito is the most likely player to post the most Draftkings points in this MLB game. With that said, I am backing Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Luis Giolito 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): Colin Rea, Starting Pitcher (Chicago Cubs) $10,600: Jarren Duran, Outfielder (Boston Red Sox) $7,400: Romy Gonzalez, First Baseman (Boston Red Sox) $6,800.
