Best MLB DFS Picks Today: Top 5 DraftKings Value Plays for September 1

Tuesday’s MLB slate rolls out a full 15-game main board, and there’s no shortage of intriguing pitching matchups to build around for cash games and GPPs alike. From Gerrit Cole chasing another quality start in Anaheim to a marquee Jesús Luzardo-Eduardo Rodriguez pitching duel in the desert, tonight gives DFS players plenty of paths to construct a winning lineup.

Our approach tonight blends two premium arms who’ve been dominant over their last several outings with a trio of hitters offering strong recent form against shaky opposing pitching. Whether you’re building for cash games or stacking for a GPP, these five MLB DFS picks give you a mix of safety and upside for tonight’s slate.

Gerrit Cole, SP — New York Yankees ($9,500 DK)

Cole has quietly turned his season around, and tonight’s matchup in Anaheim sets up about as well as any start he’s had all year. He carries a 3.19 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP with 105 strikeouts across 98.2 innings into the outing, and over his last 10 starts he’s allowed three earned runs or fewer every single time, good for a 2.66 ERA in that stretch.

The matchup is the real draw here. Grayson Rodriguez’s Angels debut season has been a disaster on the mound, and Los Angeles counters with an offense that ranks toward the bottom of the league in production against right-handed pitching. Cole gets to face a lineup missing consistent thump, and Angel Stadium hasn’t been a haven for opposing power against a pitcher of Cole’s caliber this year.

At $9,500, Cole isn’t cheap, but he represents rare stability at a premium price point. With his strikeout rate ticking back up and a soft matchup on paper, he’s a strong anchor for cash game lineups that need a reliable floor with real strikeout upside built in.

Jesús Luzardo, SP — Philadelphia Phillies ($10,500 DK)

Luzardo enters tonight in the best form of his season, sporting a microscopic 1.40 ERA over his last three starts spanning 19.1 innings. His full-season numbers are already elite — a 3.09 ERA and 1.12 WHIP with 203 strikeouts in 163 innings — and he draws a genuinely difficult assignment tonight opposite Eduardo Rodriguez in a game that projects as one of the lowest-scoring matchups on the entire slate.

The strikeout equity is what separates Luzardo from the pack. He’s racked up 203 punchouts already this season, and Arizona’s lineup, while opportunistic, has shown vulnerability to power left-handed stuff in recent weeks. Both starters have been logging deep innings all year, which should limit the type of bullpen chaos that can wreck an otherwise clean pitching plan.

Yes, $10,500 is the most expensive arm on the board tonight, but Luzardo’s combination of elite recent form and a genuinely favorable matchup makes him worth paying up for in cash games, and a strong pivot off the more popular Cole plays in tournament formats.

Fernando Tatis Jr., OF — San Diego Padres ($4,100 FD)

Tatis has heated back up at the plate in a big way, hitting .286 with 4 home runs, 11 RBI, and 3 stolen bases over his last 15 games. He’s been especially dangerous the last month, batting .265 with 9 homers over his last 30 games, showing the kind of power surge that makes him a legitimate stack centerpiece any night he’s in the lineup.

Tonight’s matchup against Nick Lodolo is exactly the kind of spot to target him in. Lodolo carries an ugly 5.24 ERA on the season, and Cincinnati’s pitching staff overall has been outscored by 24 runs over its last 10 games. San Diego’s lineup, by contrast, has actually outscored opponents by 12 runs in the same stretch, a clear signal that this offense is trending in the right direction against a beatable Reds staff.

Tatis batting near the top of San Diego’s order gives him plenty of plate appearances to capitalize, and at his salary he offers a rare combination of proven power and a legitimately exploitable pitching matchup. He’s a strong building block for both cash lineups and Padres-based stacks in GPPs tonight.

Nico Hoerner, 2B — Chicago Cubs ($4,400 DK)

Hoerner is a classic value play at second base tonight, and he showed signs of breaking out of a recent slump with a home run in Sunday’s game against Milwaukee. He’s not a huge power threat, but his everyday role atop a productive Cubs lineup at Wrigley Field gives him a reliable floor built on contact and stolen base equity, with 22 steals on the season underscoring his all-around fantasy value.

Tonight’s matchup against Robert Gasser is favorable on paper. Gasser is working with a 4.59 ERA this season, and the Cubs’ lineup at home has been one of the more productive units in baseball all year. Hoerner batting near the top of that order means added run-scoring opportunities even on nights when the extra-base hits don’t come.

At his salary, Hoerner offers a safe, affordable option that frees up cap space for the premium arms and bats elsewhere on this slate, while still carrying real weekly upside given his combination of contact skills and speed.

Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B — Kansas City Royals ($3,900 DK)

Pasquantino has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball since returning from a wrist injury, going 14-for-40 (.350) with 3 home runs and 8 RBI in his last 11 games. That kind of surge at a sub-$4,000 salary is exactly the type of value DFS players should be hunting for on a Tuesday slate like this one.

The matchup lines up well too. Tyler Phillips takes the mound for Miami with a 3.59 ERA, and while he’s shown he can limit hard contact at times, Kansas City’s lineup has had success finding holes against righties who live in the zone. Pasquantino’s power has clearly returned, and he’s a threat to change the game with one swing at this price point.

For cash game lineups looking to save salary at first base without sacrificing upside, Pasquantino is about as good a value target as you’ll find on tonight’s board. His recent surge makes him one of the more underpriced bats on the entire slate.

Building Your Lineup

Tonight’s slate rewards a barbell construction: pay up for one of the two premium arms — Cole or Luzardo — and build out the rest of your roster with value plays like Hoerner and Pasquantino who offer legitimate everyday production at a fraction of the salary. That approach leaves enough cap room to also roster a bat like Tatis Jr. in a plus matchup without having to punt at multiple other positions.

If you’re building a Padres stack around Tatis, consider pairing him with teammates lower in the order to capture the full run-scoring upside against a struggling Reds staff. In tournaments, Luzardo profiles as the sharper pivot off the more popular Cole play, since ownership on the Yankees ace tends to run heavy any time he draws a favorable matchup. Before locking your MLB odds and lineup in, double check the final confirmed batting orders closer to first pitch, since even small shifts in lineup spot can change the calculus on a value bat like Hoerner or Pasquantino.

For those newer to the format, pairing a strong pitching plan with a couple of correlated stacks remains the most consistent way to build a competitive MLB DFS lineup on any given night, cash game or GPP alike.