MLB DFS Picks Today: Daily Fantasy Baseball Strategy and Tips For FanDuel, DraftKings (6/16/25)

June 16, 2025

Jamie's top DraftKings and FanDuel MLB DFS picks for today, Monday, 6/16/25. His favorite daily fantasy baseball lineup sleepers and value picks for DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel.

What a night! It looked like a slow one in the baseball world, and then Rafael Devers was shipped off to San Francisco in an absolute stunner! I'm extremely curious what the Red Sox lineup will look like tonight, and it's possible we'll get some highly relevant DFS value out of it.

From a long-term standpoint, this trade raises more questions than answers. Most notably, if Devers is so bent on staying at third base, why was he traded to a team that's arguably one of the most set at the position? But I digress. Let's get to the meat of the DFS picks for the night. There are only seven games, but some juicy matchups.

This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 6/16/2025, with the slate starting at 6:40 p.m. EDT. The lineup picks will showcase elite players, mid-priced options, and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. Monitoring injury news and today's MLB starting lineups is always essential.

DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Clarke Schmidt, NYY ($8,700 DK/$9,800 FD)

The top two starting pitchers are pretty straightforward today. No true aces are going on this seven-game slate, so it's easy to combine upside pitching and hitting. Clarke Schmidt has been coming on lately, and he gets a very favorable draw at home.

The Angels have struck out by far the most against RHP this season, and that number is gaining. Schmidt has notched seven or more strikeouts in three of his last four outings, and his K rate now sits at 25.6% for the year. His prevention is solid, too, as his 3.60 ERA is backed by a 3.73 FIP. The win probability is also great, as the Yankees have an IRT two runs higher than the Angels.

Clarke Schmidt, Wicked 83mph Sweeper. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/7xQ2gIriiM

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 29, 2025

Lance McCullers Jr., HOU ($8,000 DK/$9,000 FD)

The last time I wrote about Lance McCullers Jr., it looked like the perfect storm. He was fresh off 19 strikeouts in 12 innings and facing the meager White Sox lineup. In true trolling fashion, the Pale Hose beat on McCullers and made him bad chalk.

The takeaway? He still had six Ks in five innings, and his strikeout rate over the past three contests is a shade under 35%. The Athletics have some promising young hitters, but they've still struck out at the eighth-highest rate against RHP. With 102, 96, and 96 pitches in his last three, there are no restrictions on McCullers.

Others To Consider (Cash/GPP):

• Logan Gilbert, SEA ($9,700 DK/$10,400 FD)
• Ryan Pepiot, TB ($7,600 DK/$9,200 FD)

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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

CJ Abrams, WAS ($5,400 DK/$3,400 FD)

Despite only a seven-game slate, there are multiple teams we can attack in both cash and GPP today. The Washington Nationals are surely one of them, as they face off against Carson Palmquist and the league-worst Rockies' bullpen.

Palmquist does not look major-league ready, as evidenced by his 2.8% K-BB ratio, 28% GB rate, and 6.75 FIP. CJ Abrams is not necessarily a strong reverse-split play, but he hits in the middle of a scintillating young group of Nationals' hitters. Any one of them can be played in cash, and they make for an upside GPP stack.

Jeremy Pena, HOU ($4,500 DK/$3,200 FD)

The Astros are hitting the road to take on the Athletics, and they're today's top stack with a 5.6 IRT. JP Sears is on the hill for the A's, and he's having a rough 2025 with a 4.90 FIP, 32% GB rate, and 1,86 HR/9 allowed. Houston is full of strong platoon players, and they get to attack Sears in a Triple-A park.

Jeremy Pena has taken a huge step forward as the leadoff man for Houston, and he's beating lefties for a 145 wRC+. With five potential at-bats on the road, Pena is arguably the most important per-dollar hitter on the slate. His price on FD is especially egregious.

Jose Altuve, HOU ($3,900 DK/$3,000 FD)

Jose Altuve is an absolute lock for me today at his prices. As he's aged, the power/speed upside has predictably dipped, but he should not be as cheap as he is for this matchup. Over the past six games, Altuve is 9 for 21 with a homer, a steal, and six RBIs, and his barrel rate is top ten in the majors in that span.

Altuve has crushed LHP for his illustrious career, and that hasn't stopped this season. He's battered southpaws for a .411 wOBA and 174 wRC+, and is even a good BvP play against Sears (9 for 22, five XBH, two homers).

Altuve is definitely back in the All-Star 2nd Base Convo pic.twitter.com/kc3ZsOBFsg

— ASTROS NATION (@robbins_ja9341) June 14, 2025

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): 

• Cal Raleigh, SEA ($6,000 DK/$4,300 FD)
• Amed Rosario, WAS ($3,600 DK/$2,600 FD)
• Yainer Diaz, HOU ($3,300 DK/$2,700 FD)

DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Aaron Judge, NYY ($6,500 DK/$5,100 FD)

Woof. Aaron Judge finally had a series to forget this past weekend. Against Boston pitching, he had one hit in 12 at-bats (at least it was a homer) and struck out nine times. He's still Aaron Judge, though, and his slumps are not prolonged.

Judge gets to return to the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium tonight and will take on Jose Soriano and the Angels bullpen that ranks 28th in FIP. Soriano is coming off his best outing of the season, but he's been worse against same-handed hitters for his career (.336 wOBA allowed to RHB, .269 allowed to LHB).

Judge is better against lefties, but he's far from a slouch against same-handed pitching. He's beaten them up for a .403 wOBA and .251 ISO this season, and slightly edges out Shohei Ohtani as the top overall hitter.

Kyle Schwarber, PHI ($5,500 DK/$4,400 FD)

Kyle Schwarber just continues to do what he does, with 22 homers and a .923 OPS. Despite that, he's still been a scary proposition for DFS in his career due to his high propensity to strike out.

Don't look now, but "Schwarb" currently has a 26.1% K rate. It's not great, but it's the BEST of his 10-year career. He's also sporting a .297 ISO, which is also his career high for the moment. Sandy Alcantara has had a ton of bumps this season, and Schwarber has smashed RHP for a .257 ISO and a 43.8% HHR this year.

Kyle Schwarber sends career homer No. 3️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ WAY outta here 🤯 pic.twitter.com/lbfRhRw9Px

— MLB (@MLB) May 20, 2025

Jake Meyers, HOU ($3,700 DK/$2,700 FD)

It's all about Houston today, and you can comfortably dip down into the bottom half of their lineup for all formats. Jake Meyers makes more sense as a GPP component than cash, but he's an excellent price play, especially on FD.

Meyers has 29 DK points over his last three games and has a 37% HHR against LHP this season. He generally hits sixth or seventh in this Astros lineup, which should keep his ownership in check. Anytime you can utilize a bottom-of-the-order stack in GPPs, it's a solid strategy.

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): 

• Shohei Ohtani, LAD ($6,300 DK/$4,700 FD)
• James Wood, WAS ($5,700 DK/$3,900 FD)
• Cody Bellinger, NYY ($4,600 DK/$3,300 FD)

DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks

1. Houston Astros vs JP Sears

The Astros have an IRT of 5.6 runs and are packed with solid righty bats at the top of the order. Throw in the fact that they're all affordable, and Sears has allowed 1.86 HR/9 this year, and you have the top stack of the day.

Favorite Combo: Pena, Altuve, Paredes (GTD), Diaz

2. Washington Nationals vs Carson Palmquist

This is a curious stack, as most of Washington's stud hitters are left-handed and don't jump off the page as elite hitters against same-handed pitching. However, I enumerated Palmquist's struggles above, and that applies to ALL batters. Roster Nationals with confidence, and hope that some of their high price tags keep their ownership levels down.

Favorite Combo: Abrams, Rosario, Wood, Call

3. New York Yankees vs Jose Soriano

Soriano has had a good season, plain and simple. His GB rate is elite at 66%, and he's done a great job of keeping the ball in the park (0.34 HR/9 allowed). However, he hasn't pitched in Yankee Stadium yet, and his 4.66 BB/9 can invite trouble from this Yankees lineup.

I would be careful of overdoing this stack, but NY has an IRT of 5.1 runs, and it's also in the realm of possibility that Giancarlo Stanton returns tonight.

Favorite Combo: Rice, Judge, Bellinger, Chisholm (keep an eye on Stanton's status)

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