MLB DFS Picks Today: Daily Fantasy Baseball Strategy and Tips For FanDuel, DraftKings (9/4/25)

September 4, 2025

Zach's top DraftKings and FanDuel MLB DFS picks for today, Thursday, 9/4/25. His favorite daily fantasy baseball lineup sleepers and value picks for DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Welcome back, RotoBallers! While most of the sports world's focus will be on Thursday Night Football, baseball also has some solid matchups this Thursday, with five games on the slate, which gets underway at 6:40 P.M. ET. Both DraftKings and FanDuel start their main slate at that time with the first pitch in Pittsburgh as the Pirates look to finish a sweep of the visiting Dodgers. The weather for the White Sox-Twins matchup doesn't look good, so I won't include them in this post, but feel free to mix those players in from the "other options" sections if the weather cooperates.

That Dodgers-Pirates matchup features two of the top arms on the slate as Paul Skenes takes on Blake Snell. While there are favorable settings like Coors Field or Sutter Health Park in the mix, there should be some good places to find some offense based on matchups and current form. Let's dive into this 10-team player pool and pick out some top options from across the salary spectrum.

This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 9/4/2025, with the slate starting at 6:40 P.M. 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.

DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Paul Skenes, PIT vs. LAD ($10.5K DK/$10.6K FD)

Skenes will face the Dodgers for the second time this season after spinning 6 1/3 shutout innings against them in Los Angeles back in April. He earned the win, 33.25 DraftKings points, and 55.3 FanDuel points for that outing and has been dialed in all season, with a few rare blips. The 23-year-old righty is 9-9 due to a lack of run support but has a sterling 2.05 ERA, 2.47 FIP, and 10.1 K/9.

Coming into this rematch, Skenes has allowed zero or one earned run in seven of his 11 starts since July 1. He's picked up victories in each of his last two outings, and he always brings an extremely high ceiling due to his strikeout potential. If you have the salary to pay up for an ace, he's almost always the best one on the board.

Paul Skenes holds the No. 1 spot on the latest NL Cy Young poll 🤩 pic.twitter.com/BcDS36emER

— MLB (@MLB) September 3, 2025

Noah Cameron, KC vs. LAA ($7.4K DK/$9.2K FD)

The Royals are trying to hang in the AL Wild Card race, but they have dropped the first two games of this series against the Angels and need Noah Cameron to act as a stopper on Thursday night. Cameron will be working on extra rest after dealing with some fatigue in his last start over a week ago. He has thrown 140 2/3 innings this season in the majors and minors combined, setting a new career high after throwing 122 2/3 innings last year.

The fatigue issues impacted his last start, as the White Sox knocked him around for six runs on eight hits with no strikeouts in five innings. While that start does make him higher risk than usual, he should be able to bounce back after the extra rest over the last week. Cameron has had an excellent season overall, going 7-6 with a 2.92 ERA and 3.54 FIP while helping the Royals fill in their injury-riddled rotation.

The rookie southpaw had allowed two earned runs or fewer in four of his previous five outings before his letdown against the White Sox. He'll be a great value play if he bounces back against the Angels, who have the highest K% in the majors and have continued to strike out at a high rate over the last few weeks.

Others To Consider:

• Blake Snell, LAD ($9K DK/ $8.8K FD)
• Cristian Javier, HOU ($6.9K DK/$7K FD)

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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Junior Caminero, 3B - TB ($6K DK/$3.8K FD)

The Rays are rolling, having won six straight games and gotten back over .500. They're just 2.5 games out of the third and final Wild Card spot, and they'll look to keep rolling this weekend as they host the Guardians for a four-game set. Caminero has fueled the Rays' surge, and the 22-year-old is quickly emerging as one of the top hitters in baseball.

He had multiple hits in each of the three games in Tampa's sweep of the Mariners, going 8-for-13 (.615) in the series with three doubles, a home run, and eight RBI. The home run in that series gave him 40 long balls on the season, and he's hitting a blistering .328 at home with a .420 wOBA, and 21 of those home runs.

Youngest players in MLB history to hit their 40th home run in a season.

Mel Ott in 1929 (20 years, 203 days)
Ronald Acuna Jr. in 2019 (21 years, 275 days)
Eddie Matthews in 1953 (21 years, 316 days)
Junior Caminero in 2025 (22 years, 59 days)pic.twitter.com/SX6Egl31Bt

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) September 3, 2025

He and the Rays will face lefty Logan Allen on Thursday, who has given up at least three runs in four straight outings, allowing 20 runs in 20 2/3 innings, including four home runs.

Jeremy Pena, SS - HOU ($4.9K DK/$3.3K FD)

Pena played a considerable part in Houston's comeback win on Wednesday, going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. He has multiple hits in six of his last 12 games, going 15-for-49 (.306) with five doubles, two home runs, and three stolen bases over that stretch. While most of his power has come against righties this season, he's hitting a solid .294 against lefties as well, so he should be in a good spot against Carlos Rodon.

Like Caminero, Pena has excellent home splits, hitting .344 at home this year with eight of his home runs and a .401 wOBA.

Daniel Schneemann, 2B/OF on DK, 2B/3B/SS/OF on FD - CLE ($3.3K DK/$2.5K FD)

Schneemann didn't start the last two games for the Guardians against lefties, but he should be back in the order against righty Ryan Pepiot on Thursday night. He has been hitting second in the batting order against righties, putting him in a prime run production spot.

While he's still only hitting .218 on the season, he had his 11th homer of the season on Sunday and his ninth stolen base of the year on Monday, making him a good DFS value in each contest. He has been a little streaky this season. If he's hitting between Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez in Thursday's matchup in Tampa, he'll have a very high ceiling for a play with such a low salary and so much position versatility, especially on FanDuel.

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): 

• Yandy Diaz, 1B - TB ($4.9K DK/$3.2K FD)
• Lenyn Sosa, 1B/2B on DK, 1B/2B/3B on FD - CWS ($3.6K DK/$2.7K FD)
• Royce Lewis, 3B - MIN ($3.2K DK/$2.9K FD)
• Jared Triolo, SS on DK, 1B/2B/3B/SS on FD - PIT ($3K DK/$2.5K)

DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Yordan Alvarez, OF - HOU ($4.5K DK/$3.6K FD)

Alvarez is still underpriced after missing so much time on the 60-day injured list, but he's starting to find his groove at the plate, making him an excellent potential value. The big lefty has a history of getting hot and carrying the offense, and he's starting to get that kind of look.

He went 1-for-7 with six walks in his first four games off the IL, but since then, he has gone 9-for-16 (.563) with a double and a 78.6% hard-hit rate. He had four hits and 18 fantasy points on Wednesday, and even with a lefty on the mound, I like going back to him again on Thursday since he seems to be locking in at the plate.

Jo Adell, OF - LAA ($3.8K DK/$2.9K FD)

Even though I like Cameron, Jo Adell is too hot to ignore at this price point. He has at least 19 DraftKings points and has hit a home run in three straight games.

Jo Adell clobbers his 32nd home run of the year 454 feet 😳 pic.twitter.com/LLiLq6DUsg

— MLB (@MLB) September 3, 2025

Adell has a .398 wOBA on the season against southpaws like Cameron, and he is 22-for-60 (.367) with eight homers and a .506 wOBA over his last 16 games. He's having a breakout year for the Angels, and realizing the potential that had him near the top of the prospect lists for so many seasons.

Jac Caglianone, OF on DK, 1B/OF on FD - KC ($2.3K DK/$2.4K FD)

Speaking of top prospects, the Royals activated Caglianone from the injured list on Monday, and he returned to the lineup on Wednesday, going 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. Caglianone is only hitting .145 with five homers and a .216 wOBA in the majors this year, so he remains very affordable.

However, he slashed .385/.467/.692 with five home runs in 16 games during his rehab stint, and he has the potential to finish the season strong and lock down his roster spot in the majors next season. Caglianone is one of the top hitting prospects in all of baseball, and I think he'll figure it out and post good numbers the rest of the way, so I'm taking advantage of his low salary so close to his return.

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): 

• Byron Buxton, OF - MIN ($5.8K DK/$4.2K FD)
• Trent Grisham, OF - NYY ($4.3K DK/$3.5K FD)
• Mike Yastrzemski, OF - KC ($3.7K DK/$2.8K FD)
• C.J. Kayfus, 1B/OF - CLE ($3.1K DK/$2.3K FD)

DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks

1. Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Guardians (Logan Allen)

The Rays are hot in a hitter-friendly environment against Allen, who is 7-10 with a 4.42 ERA on the year, but he has a 4.97 road ERA and a 5.28 ERA since the All-Star break. Righties have 14 homers and a .343 wOBA against him.

Favorite Combo: Caminero, Diaz, Brandon Lowe, Carson Williams

2. Kansas City Royals vs. Los Angeles Angels (Kyle Hendricks)

Hendricks has gone 6-9 in his 26 starts for the Halos this season, posting a 4.89 ERA and 4.76 FIP. Righties have hit him harder than lefties, but he has struggled across all splits in his last five starts, going 0-1 with a 6.20 ERA.

Favorite Combo: Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia, Yastrzemski, Caglianone

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