Marcus acknowledged Lucas Giolito’s wild DFS range—27.2 and 17.3 DK points in two starts, –6.4 and –3.0 in the others—but likes taking the risk at $6,600. The Orioles own the second-highest strikeout rate in baseball over the last month, giving Giolito a realistic shot to land on the profitable end of his boom-bust spectrum in large-field tournaments.

Maher reversed course on Lucas Giolito after the right-hander followed a promising six-inning, one-run debut with a disastrous second outing. Maher said Giolito "doesn’t really have the stuff he used to," noting diminished fastball life, a hanging 0-2 changeup that left the yard, and a complete lack of whiffs the second time through the order. With command spotty and velocity still down from his 2020 peak, Maher no longer views Giolito as a speculative add and would cut him in 12-teamers for hotter waiver-wire arms. He summed it up as "good Giolito, bad Giolito" but added that the bad version now looks far more likely to stick.

Erik Halterman recommended adding Lucas Giolito as he returns from hamstring and internal-brace surgery to a Red Sox organization that has quietly excelled at pitcher development. Giolito’s career has swung wildly—5.48 ERA his first three seasons, 3.47 ERA the next three, then 4.89 the last two years he was healthy—but Halterman views him as a worthwhile gamble given Boston’s track record and the chance that the time off allowed him to reset physically and mechanically. Managers searching for upside innings should see if Giolito is still on the wire.

Kirby called Lucas Giolito a “dangerous” fantasy play but one she still wants on her rosters for the strikeouts. After watching five-plus dominant innings before one bad change-up turned into a Dalton Varsho bomb, she expects a strikeout-per-inning pace to hold because Giolito’s four-seamer and changeup command looked sharper than any point in 2023. She cautioned managers to brace for occasional blow-ups—Fenway’s short left field and Giolito’s fly-ball tendencies (career 45% FB rate) make that inevitable—but argued that a mid-3s ERA is realistic if he continues locating his change below the zone. In roto leagues starved for strikeouts, Kirby would prioritize Giolito over streamer types and views him as a high-variance SP4 with upside.

Chris Welsh said Lucas Giolito should be scooped off waivers and immediately worked into fantasy rotations after the right-hander’s first start back from the IL. Giolito fanned seven Blue Jays over six innings, giving up three earned while touching 96 mph (up two ticks from his April average) and sitting 93. The slider velocity was up a full mile per hour year-over-year, and although he leaned heavily on fastball/change-up in this one, Welsh expects the slider usage to climb as he builds up. Toronto is a top-10 power lineup, so holding them to three runs convinced Welsh Giolito is healthy and the stuff is back. He advised starting Giolito in his next turn unless it comes against an elite power offense, calling the former ace a “pickup everywhere” for managers needing strikeouts and a potential trade chip once the buzz really kicks in.

Chris Welsh said fantasy managers should scoop up Lucas Giolito everywhere after the right-hander’s first start off the IL. Giolito punched out seven over six innings in Toronto, sitting 93 mph and touching 96— his best fastball since 2022 — while his slider velocity was up a full tick year-over-year. Although he leaned heavily on a fastball-changeup mix and produced more called strikes than whiffs, Welsh loved how often he lived in the zone against a tough Blue Jays lineup. With Boston’s rotation searching for stability and the AL East wide open, Welsh expects wins to follow and is comfortable using Giolito immediately unless the matchup is an extreme power offense. He framed Giolito as a back-end SP3 in season-long leagues and a viable mid-tier DFS play in his next turn.

Malcolm Bamford wants the Blue Jays team total over when books finally drop a number because he expects Lucas Giolito to be extremely rusty in his season debut. Giolito strained his hamstring on his very first spring-training outing and has looked shaky during Triple-A rehab: 85 pitches in his last tune-up but only 47 strikes and six walks. Bamford noted that the right-hander’s velocity and slider command both lagged, a bad recipe in Rogers Centre against a lineup that leads the majors in hard-hit rate since April 20. With no Toronto starter announced yet, Bamford is comfortable isolating the Jays’ offense rather than guessing a side or total, projecting four to five runs off Giolito by the sixth. If books open Toronto’s team total at 4.5 or lower, he will fire immediately and still likes a 5.0 flat at plus money.

Mike Maher advised tucking Lucas Giolito onto the injured list now that the veteran is "making his round from return." Giolito is throwing bullpen sessions after a mid-March elbow scare, and Boston still hopes he can reclaim a rotation spot by late May. Maher conceded there is no guarantee Giolito’s velocity rebounds to the 94 mph peak we saw in 2020, but he reminded listeners that the righty logged a 3.47 SIERA and a 28 percent K-rate as recently as 2022 before shoulder fatigue sapped his stuff. With virtually no investment required—Giolito is rostered in fewer than 15 percent of Yahoo leagues—Maher believes the upside of a mid-rotation arm capable of double-digit strikeouts on any given night is worth the bench spot, especially for managers with unlimited IL slots or deep benches.

Chris Welsh expressed skepticism over Lucas Giolito's immediate fantasy appeal despite his brief, scoreless performance returning from a hamstring injury. Welsh mentioned the crowded rotation situation in Boston, listing several other pitchers ahead or competing with him. As a result, Welsh advised managers to avoid aggressively targeting Giolito in the short term, as he is likely to be handled cautiously, lowering immediate fantasy returns. Giolito could be worth consideration in very deep leagues later in the season, but current rotation uncertainty and likely early workload limitations hamper his immediate value.