Draftkings MLB Showdown Picks: Astros vs. Rays 5/19/25
Houston Astros vs. Tampa Bay Rays
May 18, 2025 7:05 pm EDT
Major League Baseball presents Draftkings baseball fans with an American League matchup featuring the Houston Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays. Let’s take a look at this MLB game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the Houston Astros vs. Tampa Bay Rays 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 tomorrow night’s Houston Astros vs. Tampa Bay Rays matchup.
Draftkings MLB Showdown Picks
Captain-Ryan Pepiot, Starting Pitcher, Tampa Bay Rays $10,800
On Monday night, Major League Baseball presents the opening game of a three-game American League series featuring the Houston Astros and the Tampa Bay Rays.
How are these two teams playing entering tomorrow’s MLB game? The Tampa Bay Rays arrive at the first game of this three-game series with the Houston Astros playing below average baseball. The Rays have lost four of the team’s last seven games played in the 2025 MLB regular season, including a 9-4 loss to the Miami Marlins two days ago.
In direct contrast to the Tampa Bay Rays, the Houston Astros are playing well entering tomorrow night’s American League game. The Astros have won four of the team’s last six games played in the 2025 MLB regular season, including a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals earlier this week.
Now that we have determined how both of these teams are currently playing let’s shift our focus to tomorrow night’s game. Starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot has been a solid contributor for the Tampa Bay Rays starting pitching rotation this season. With that said, how has Pepiot performed from a statistical perspective? Let’s review Pepiot’s relevant game data from the 2025 MLB regular season to answer that question.
In nine starts made this season, Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot has compiled a 2-5 (won-loss record), a 3.93 ERA (Earned Run Average) and a 1.29 WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched) in 2025. It is also noteworthy that Pepiot has tallied 45 strikeouts while allowing 17 walks in 50.1 innings pitched this season.
Last week, in the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Bay starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot pitched rather well. Let me be more specific. Pepiot pitched six quality innings while scattering six hits and one walk in the Blue Jays win over the Rays. Additionally, in the Blue Jays win over Tampa Bay, Pepiot accumulated 17.3 Draftkings points.
In my view, Ryan Pepiot is the most likely player to post the most Draftkings points in tomorrow night’s MLB game. Having stated that, I am backing Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot 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): Josh Lowe, Outfielder (Tampa Bay Rays) $9,800: Isaac Paredes, Third Baseman (Houston Astros) $7,200: Jose Caballero, Outfielder (Tampa Bay Rays) $7,000.
