MLB DFS Picks Today: Daily Fantasy Baseball Strategy and Tips For FanDuel, DraftKings (6/23/25)

Thunder Dan's top DraftKings and FanDuel MLB DFS picks for today, Monday, 6/23/25. His favorite daily fantasy baseball lineup sleepers and value picks for DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Monday brings us an 8-game slate that is loaded with more bats than arms, but you'll have that when you get a lot of end-of-the-rotation pitchers and some elite hitting conditions.

I think we end up seeing a few pitchers become very chalky picks tonight because of the lack of reliable options, but there are several different ways to go with bats to make your lineups stand out from the rest. I'll do my best to give you some ideas on how to vary those lineups for your DFS contests tonight.

This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 6/23/2025, with the slate starting at 7:10 p.m. EDT. The lineup picks 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

Spencer Schwellenbach - ATL at NYM (DK: $9.8K; FD: $9.9K)

Schwelly is my top play on the board, and I think he will garner a good bit of rostership today as the other pitchers close to his caliber (Bryan Woo and Nick Lodolo) both have much tougher matchups.

Spencer Schwellenbach, Filthy Splitters. 😷 pic.twitter.com/OdYdzfDOKf

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 11, 2025

Schwellenbach just tossed six strong innings against the Mets in his last start, striking out eight hitters. He did give up four runs, but we are willing to sacrifice some run production for strikeouts in DFS. No other pitcher on the slate brings the same level of strikeout upside as Schwelly, even against a pretty good Mets team.

Chad Patrick - MIL vs. PIT (DK: $8.6K; FD: $7.9K)

Patrick is another pitcher who is likely to be popular based on his opponent. Patrick has not pitched all that well of late, allowing nine earned runs over his last two starts; however, his overall stats for the season are still pretty solid, and his matchup against the lowly Pirates will make the difference.

I like him more on FanDuel, where his price will allow you to fit in some more expensive hitters. On DraftKings, I may consider paying all the way down at SP2 to this next guy.

Braxton Ashcraft - PIT at MIL (DK: $6K; FD: $5.5K)

The Pirates' rookie is making the first official start of his career. Ashcraft has worked only as a reliever so far this season for the Pirates, even though he has been a starter in the minor leagues.

New Braxton Ashcraft gif just dropped pic.twitter.com/PrHVubL2bf

— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) June 8, 2025

We aren't entirely sure how many pitches or innings Ashcraft will be allowed to cover, but he was stretched out in the minors before moving to the bullpen. He's thrown 40 and 50 pitches in two of his outings and might be allowed to go as many as 60 or 70 today as the Pirates need a spot start.

At just 6k on DK, I think I am okay with even just four innings if he can keep a clean sheet and strike out around a batter per inning. I would not use him on FanDuel, where getting a win and/or a quality start is rewarded with as many as 10 FD points.

Also Consider: Ben Brown at STL, Eduardo Rodriguez at CWS

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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Nolan Schanuel, 1B - LAA vs. Walker Buehler (DK: $3.5K, FD: $2.9K)

The left-handed first baseman is breaking out a bit and showing off some power lately that we haven't seen from him all that often in his short career.

Schanuel went yard again yesterday for his sixth dinger of the season. He finished 3-5 at the plate and drove in four runs. He's been on a tear lately and continues to be too cheap in DFS for his production. Buehler has been poor against LHH this season, which puts Schanuel at the top of my list of Angels hitters to use against him today.

Miguel Vargas, 1B/3B/OF (FD) - CWS vs. Eduardo Rodriguez (DK: $3K, FD: $2.8K)

I don't think I will go as far as stacking the White Sox today, but I think we can certainly consider using their best hitter against lefties for value in our cash game lineups.

Miguel Vargas raised his wRC+ to 114 this season. Looks like the Kopech/Fedde trade is turning out pretty solid pic.twitter.com/L8OnTSb7eW

— Julian (@Julian4948) June 22, 2025

Vargas's game log shows consistent production over the last few weeks, and he has a pretty good matchup here as E-Rod has been pretty mediocre (at best) for the Snakes this season. There's some crazy winds again in Chicago today, though it's more of a crosswind today on the south side as opposed to the winds blowing out we saw at Wrigley over the weekend. Vargas has some pop in his bat, too, with 10 home runs this year, and E-Rod is a fly-ball pitcher who can be prone to giving up homers.

Marcelo Mayer, SS/3B (FD )/3B/2B (DK) - BOS vs. Jack Kochanowicz (DK: $3K, FD: $2.5K)

Boston fans are waiting for their young rookies (Mayer and Anthony) to produce, and tonight could be a great opportunity for them to do so. The Sox face Kochanowicz, who has drastic splits against lefties, allowing a .305/.385/.552 slash line to them so far this season.

Mayer has flashed some power with four home runs already, but is hitting just .197 in his first month as a pro. He's too good a hitter not to pick it up at some point, and he's far too cheap for his potential and matchup tonight.

Also Consider: Cal Raleigh, C (SEA), Manny Machado, 3B (SDP), Brendan Donovan, 2B/3B (FD)/SS (FD)/OF (FD) (STL)

DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Luke Raley, 1B (FD only)/OF - SEA vs. Bailey Ober (DK: $3.5K, FD: $2.8K)

Raley is back off the IL and wasted no time in helping the Mariners' offense this weekend, collecting four hits against the Cubs in the two games that he appeared in during that series.

Luke Raley rips a 109.8 mph double into the right-center gap in his first at-bat since being activated off the IL earlier this morning, pinch-hitting for Dylan Moore here in the 6th inning. pic.twitter.com/ee2hDvfDDl

— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) June 20, 2025

Raley is a nice, cheap piece of the Mariners' stack tonight, or could be used as a one-off if you need value for your cash lineup. He's eligible at first base and in the outfield on FanDuel and has proven that he can rake against RHP.

TJ Friedl, OF - CIN vs. Allan Winans (DK: $4.7K, FD: $3.1K)

Friedl has quietly been one of the most consistent bats in the lineup for the Reds over the last month. It feels like he's always on base and setting the table for Elly De La Cruz and the rest of the Cincy sluggers.

Friedl has turned on the power, too, as he's now up to eight home runs on the year. He will face minor-leaguer Allan Winans today, who struggled at the big league level for the Braves last season. The hitting conditions at Great American Ballpark should favor the offenses here, so don't be surprised if the Reds and/or Yankees put up a crooked number tonight.

James Wood, OF - WAS vs. Stephen Kolek (DK: $5.7K, FD: $3.5K)

I feel like this late game between Washington and San Diego could go overlooked tonight, but I think both offenses are interesting, as neither pitcher in this game is outstanding. Stephen Kolek is outperforming his underlying numbers and is due for regression.

Kolek relies a lot on groundballs, but is not missing many bats with just a 7.6% SwStr%. He better not leave anything out over the plate for Wood, as the big lefty has been punishing pitchers all season long by crushing mistakes.

Wood has quietly put together an All-Star-caliber first half with 21 home runs and 57 RBI. I like his chances of doing some damage tonight against a sub-par pitcher.

Also Consider: Seiya Suzuki (CHC), Wilyer Abreu (BOS), Alec Burleson (STL)

DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks

Seattle Mariners vs. Bailey Ober (MIN)

Ober is reeling right now, and the Mariners' offense is surging after putting up a bunch of runs in Chicago over the weekend. Ober has allowed four or more earned runs in three straight starts and 20 hits in 15 innings. The hitting conditions in Minnesota should continue to favor the offenses, so don't be afraid to stack up the Mariners tonight. It won't be as wild as the Wrigley conditions were in the Cubs series, but I expect the Seattle offense to have another solid day at the plate.

Boston Red Sox vs. Jack Kochanowicz (LAA)

Boston may be without Rafael Devers, but they have a lot of other left-handed hitters who could give Kochanowicz trouble tonight. I would start with leadoff hitter Jarren Duran and add prospects Roman Anthony and Mayer, as well as righty-killer Wilyer Abreu, who is fresh off the IL and back in the middle of the lineup.

Also Consider: L.A. Angels vs. Walker Buehler, NY Yankees vs. Nick Lodolo

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