MLB DFS Picks Today: Daily Fantasy Baseball Strategy and Tips For FanDuel, DraftKings (9/12/25)

Zach's top DraftKings and FanDuel MLB DFS picks for today, Friday, 9/12/25. His favorite daily fantasy baseball lineup sleepers and value picks for DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Welcome Back, RotoBallers! Friday night starts off another great weekend of baseball with a 12-game main slate for DFS fantasy baseball on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Six teams play earlier in the day, but with 24 teams in the player pool and some outstanding matchups, plenty of options to choose from are available in the main player pool. Seven of the 12 games on the main slate are divisional matchups, so teams will have lots of familiarity, and results will have an immediate impact in the standings.

The weather for the evening slate looks pretty solid with clear skies aside from some early rain possible in Minnesota. It's a strong mix of starting pitchers on the mound, with several aces on the board to choose from, along with some sleepers and a few matchups to attack with stacks of offense. Let's dive in and find some strong plays.

This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 9/12/2025, with the slate starting at 7:07 PM EST. 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.

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DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, LAD at SF ($10K DK/$10.6K FD)

Yamamoto and the Dodgers are in San Francisco this weekend to take on their rivals the Giants, who have climbed back into the Wild Card race. After sweeping the Rockies to start the week, the Dodgers are 2.5 games ahead of the Padres coming into this important series and will look to Yamamoto to get them off to a strong start.

The 27-year-old righty is 11-8 on the season with a strong 2.72 ERA and 3.06 FIP. He's coming off back-to-back masterful performances with 10 strikeouts in seven innings against Arizona and 10 more strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings in a near no-hitter in Baltimore. He earned over 30 DraftKings points and over 50 FanDuel points in each of those starts.

The movement on this pitch from Yoshinobu. 😳 pic.twitter.com/KKD636d008

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 7, 2025

His elite strikeout stuff and strong run of results make him my top ace to build around this Friday, even though the Giants' lineup has been much more effective over the last few weeks after struggling much of the season.

Jonah Tong, NYM vs. TEX ($7.9K DK/$9.2K FD)

While Jacob deGrom coming back in New York to face the Mets will get headlines, Tong makes sense as a strong midrange play on the other side of the matchup. The Rangers have surged back into the AL Wild Card race, while the Mets are trying to hold off the Giants and Reds, who are just 1.5 games back after six straight losses for New York. They'll turn to Tong in the series opener, and so far, the 22-year-old rookie has been extremely impressive.

Tong has made two starts in the majors after going 10-5 with a 1.43 ERA, 1.69 FIP, and 14.2 K/9 in his 22 minor league starts. He has carried over his excellent strikeout numbers with six punchouts against the Marlins in his debut and six more against the Reds in his second start. He allowed just one earned run to win his debut, but allowed four earned runs in his second start, taking the loss.

His strikeout upside is sky high, which gives him both a high ceiling and a high floor since he can compensate for any runs allowed by stacking up more strikeouts.

Luis Gil, NYY at BOS ($6.8K DK/$8.8K FD)

The Red Sox and Yankees meet in a huge series at Fenway Park, with the Yankees holding a 0.5-game lead in the standings coming into the three-game set. Gil is a nice bargain play to consider in the matchup, since he has been solid since returning from an extended absence to start the season due to a lat injury.

He has had control issues, handing out 23 walks in his seven starts, but he has also done a good job limiting damage, giving up only two earned runs or fewer in six straight outings. For the season, he's 3-1 with a 3.31 ERA and 4.13 FIP. His control problems have kept him from going deep into games, but he is still averaging just about a strikeout per inning.

He pitched a season-high six innings in his last start against the Blue Jays and matched his season-high with seven strikeouts in his previous start, which was against the White Sox. He is risky due to the matchup against the Sox at Fenway, but he brings a high ceiling for such an affordable starter.

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):

• Tarik Skubal, DET ($12K DK/$11K FD)
• Luis Castillo, SEA ($7.5K DK/$8.6K FD)
• Brandon Pfaadt, ARI ($6.2K DK/$7.2K FD)

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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Nick Kurtz, 1B - ATH ($5.9K DK/$4K FD)

Kurtz continues to put up incredibly impressive numbers in his rookie season, smashing his 30th homer of the season on Wednesday and also boosting his batting average to .302. The 22-year-old was drafted just over a year ago but has already established himself as one of the top young hitters in the game.

Players in MLB history to have a .300+ AVG, .600+ SLG, 12+% walk rate, and 30+ HR as a rookie...

Ted Williams (1939)
Nick Kurtz (So far this season)

That's it.pic.twitter.com/mekF860wpj

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) September 10, 2025

Kurtz has seven of his 30 homers since August 15, and during that 21-game stretch, he hit .310 with a .463 wOBA and a 53.2% hard-hit rate. He has bounced around the batting order a bit, but produced wherever he is in the lineup. He could lead off against Brady Singer on Friday or hit lower in the order, as he did on Wednesday. Lefties have hit 11 of the 14 homers that Singer has allowed this year, while posting a .327 wOBA against him overall and a .380 wOBA against him on the road.

Carlos Correa, 3B on DK, 3B/SS on FD  - HOU ($3.4K DK/$2.9K FD)

Correa has been much better since heading back to Houston in a trade deadline deal, and he is still affordable since his season-long stats are still low overall. Since the trade, he's hitting .295 in 37 games with five doubles, six home runs, and a .350 wOBA.

He has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games with five extra base hits, including three homers. He averaged 9.2 DraftKings points per game over that stretch, with three games of at least 17 DraftKings points in his last six games. The Astros start the weekend tied with the Mariners for the lead in the AL West, so their series in Atlanta will be critical. Correa brings more upside than his affordable salary indicates, and should be a solid value Friday night.

Nick Sogard, 2B/OF on DK, 2B/SS/3B on FD - BOS ($2.7K DK/$2.3K FD)

Sogard has been a very versatile addition to the Red Sox roster and has contributed very solid production when he has been in the lineup. He doesn't typically bring a lot of power but finds ways to contribute and exceed salary-based expectations on a regular basis as a bargain play.

At Triple-A this season, Sogard hit .276 with five homers, 16 stolen bases, and 64 runs scored in 91 games, and he's hit safely in five straight games, going 5-for-17 (.294) with two doubles, two runs scored, and a stolen base. He has at least five DraftKings points in each of his six games since his most recent call-up, averaging 7.2 DraftKings points per game.

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):

• Geraldo Perdomo, SS - ARI ($4.4K DK/3.7K FD)
• Brice Turang, 2B - MIL ($4.7K DK/$3.3K FD)
• Yainer Diaz, C - HOU ($3.3K DK/$2.8K FD)
• Luis Rengifo, 2B on DK, 2B/3B/SS on FD ($3.2K DK/$2.5K FD)
• Thomas Saggese, 2B/SS on DK, 2B/SS/3B on FD ($2.5K DK/$2.3K FD)

DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Byron Buxton, OF - MIN ($6.2K DK/$4.1K FD)

Since he's doing it for the hapless Twins, it's gone a little under the radar, but Buxton has put together a solid season overall this year, and he has been on an absolute heater over the last few weeks. He has double-digit DraftKings points in 11 of his last 12 games, averaging 15.25 DraftKings points per contest.

During that 12-game stretch, Buxton went 15-for-45 (.333) with three singles, three doubles, three triples, and six home runs. He added three stolen bases as well and posted a 62.9% hard-hit rate with an average exit velocity of 96.2 miles per hour, which would be the top number in the majors if sustained for the season.

On the season, Buxton is in the top 10% of Batting Run Value, Basrunning Run Value, xSLG, barrel rate, average exit velocity, and hard-hit rate. He's played 111 games, the second-most of his career, and he has posted a .275/.337/.568 triple-slash. His 31 homers are already a career high, and he'll look to stay hot as the Twins host the Diamondbacks this weekend.

The last seven home runs hit by Byron Buxton have either tied the game or given #MNTwins the lead. pic.twitter.com/y9nw6QikWv

— Twins Dingers (@TwinsDingers) September 11, 2025

Randy Arozarena, OF - SEA ($4.8K DK/$3.5K FD)

Arozarena is another dual-threat with a high ceiling on Friday night. He has a six-game hitting streak coming into the night, and has gone 10-for-24 (.417) with a home run and three stolen bases during that six-game stretch. He is up to 27 homers and 28 stolen bases on the season and could reach 30/30 with a strong finish over the next few weeks.

Four of those home runs and four of those stolen bases have come in his last 18 games, and he's hitting .297 with a .391 wOBA over that span. He's in a great matchup against lefty Yusei Kikuchi and the Angels on Friday. Kikuchi has lost three straight starts, allowing 18 runs on 18 hits in just 11 2/3 innings, and Arozarena is 6-for-25 in his career against Kikuchi with three home runs.

Bryce Teodosio, OF - LAA ($2.4K DK/$2.3K FD)

If you need a bargain basement outfielder to complete your roster build, Teodosio has been contributing solid numbers for the Halos on the other side of that AL West matchup. He hit .330 in the minors this year with a .404 wOBA and 10 stolen bases in just 25 games, so there is some potential production if he can convert that success to the majors.

He has a six-game hitting streak coming into Friday's game, after going 7-for-21 (.333) with a stolen base, two doubles, and two triples during that stretch. He's still only hitting .216 on the season, but there are some very positive signs that the 26-year-old could be a good bargain value on this slate.

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): 

• Fernando Tatis Jr., OF - SD ($5.5K DK/$3.6K FD)
• Yordan Alvarez, OF - HOU ($4.4K DK/$3.8K FD)
• Jackson Merrill, OF - SD ($4.2K DK/$3K FD)
• Mike Trout, OF - LAA ($4.2K DK/$3.3K FD)
• Mike Tauchman, OF - CWS ($3.6K DK/$2.7K FD)
• Angel Martinez, OF on DK, 2B/OF on FD - CLE ($2.9K DK/$2.7K FD)

DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks

1. San Diego Padres (Implied Run Total - 5.3) vs. Colorado Rockies (Tanner Gordon)

The Padres only had two runs on Thursday night, but still got the win in the series opener against the Rockies at Petco Park. They'll look to get the bats going more against Gordon, who they lit up for six runs in 3 2/3 innings last Sunday in a 8-1 win at Coors Field. Gordon is 5-6 with a 6.60 ERA and 4.63 FIP on the season, allowing a .403 wOBA to righties.

Favorite Combo: Tatis, Merrill, Luis Arraez, Ramon Laureano, Jake Cronenworth

2. Mariners (Implied Run Total - 4.6) vs. Los Angeles Angels (Yusei Kikuchi)

Kikuchi hasn't had an awful season overall for the Angels, but he has given up at least four runs in five of his last six starts, going 1-4 with an 8.78 ERA, 5.75 FIP, and a 43.0% hard-hit rate against him during that stretch. The Mariners beat him the only time they faced him earlier this season, and Arozarena isn't the only hitter in Seattle's lineup with success against him in the past. Eugenio Suarez is 5-for-12 with three homers against him, and Jorge Polanco is 6-for-19 (.316) in their past meetings. After their big walk-off win to move into a tie for the division lead, the M's will look to keep riding high in this matchup Friday.

Favorite Combo: Arozarena, Polanco, Suarez, Julio Rodriguez, Josh Naylor,  

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