Best MLB DFS Picks Today: Top Value Plays for August 27, 2026

Thursday’s MLB slate isn’t huge, but it’s loaded with useful information for cash games and GPPs alike. Seven games are on the board, headlined by a marquee Dodgers-Braves clash and a Brewers-Mets matchup that offers one of the best pitching mismatches of the week. With the Astros and Yankees also squaring off at Yankee Stadium, there’s plenty to build around on both DraftKings and FanDuel tonight.

Our approach today leans into stacking the Brewers against a struggling Mets pitching staff while pairing that with a premium arm at the top who offers a rare combination of swing-and-miss upside and a soft opposing lineup. We’re targeting a mix of one true stud pitcher, one high-floor secondary arm, and a trio of Milwaukee bats that all point at the same plus matchup.

Jacob Misiorowski, SP — Milwaukee Brewers ($12,000 DK)

Misiorowski has been the best strikeout arm in the National League all season, sitting at a jaw-dropping 216 strikeouts across just 145 innings with a 1.68 ERA and a minuscule 0.76 WHIP. That strikeout total leads the entire NL, and he’s shown zero signs of slowing down as the calendar turns toward September. In his last outing against Atlanta, he tossed six shutout innings, allowing just four hits and two walks while punching out six.

Tonight he draws a Mets club that has scuffled to a 60-73 record and ranks among the league’s weaker offenses against hard-throwing right-handers. New York will counter with Sean Manaea, whose 4.31 ERA gives Milwaukee’s lineup plenty of runway to back Misiorowski with support. At $12,000 he’s the most expensive arm on the board, but the swing-and-miss equity paired with a clearly favorable matchup makes him a legitimate cash-game and GPP anchor.

The volume of strikeouts alone gives him one of the highest fantasy floors of any pitcher in baseball right now, and Citi Field’s spacious dimensions help mitigate the long-ball risk that sometimes comes with a hard-throwing righty working up in the zone.

Gerrit Cole, SP — New York Yankees ($8,500 DK)

Cole has been terrific since the All-Star break, posting a 2.06 ERA with a dominant 53:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio across his last seven starts. He’s coming off a win over Baltimore in which he allowed just one run on four hits over six innings with eight strikeouts, and his overall season line — 3.11 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 9.7 K/9 — places him firmly in the top tier of matchup plays for tonight’s slate.

He gets a favorable spot at home against Houston, a club he’s owned throughout his career, holding the current Astros roster to a .238 wOBA and a .202 batting average in 102 career plate appearances. Houston sends Hayden Wesneski to the mound, who’s carrying a 4.23 ERA, so this isn’t a shootout script working against Cole’s floor.

At $8,500, Cole represents a strong value relative to his recent form and sits comfortably below Misiorowski’s price point, making the two easy to pair in a two-pitcher build without wrecking the rest of your roster construction. His command has been excellent of late — just 20 walks across 92.2 innings on the season — which keeps his floor high even on nights the strikeouts don’t pile up quite as fast.

William Contreras, C — Milwaukee Brewers ($4,300 DK)

Contreras gives DFS players a rare combination at the catcher position: real power upside at a price point where most options offer neither. He’s hitting .271 with 12 home runs, 65 RBI and 34 extra-base hits on the season, numbers that would be strong for an everyday outfielder, let alone a backstop who also handles a full workload behind the plate.

The matchup tonight plays right into his strengths. Manaea is left-handed, and Contreras has posted a .791 OPS against southpaws this season, notably better than his .720 mark versus right-handers. His career splits reinforce the trend — a .790 OPS against lefties since 2024 compared to .774 against righties. Citi Field isn’t the friendliest home run park, but Contreras has enough raw power to work with the gaps and doesn’t need a short porch to do damage.

At $4,300, he’s priced as a mid-range value who anchors the middle of a Brewers stack that projects well against Manaea. For cash games, his volume of extra-base hits provides a reliable points floor even on nights without a home run.

Andrew Vaughn, 1B — Milwaukee Brewers ($3,500 DK)

Vaughn has been one of the most productive hitters in baseball since arriving in Milwaukee, slashing .308 with an .850 OPS and a .396 on-base percentage over 244 at-bats. His underlying Statcast numbers back up the surface stats — a 41.7% hard-hit rate and 89.6 mph average exit velocity point to legitimate, sustainable contact quality rather than a hot streak built on luck.

Slotted into a middle-of-the-order role in a Milwaukee lineup that should see plenty of opportunities against Manaea, Vaughn offers real thump at a price that still qualifies as a value play. His on-base skills also give him extra utility in stacks, since even a walk or single in front of Contreras keeps the scoring chances alive.

At $3,500, Vaughn is a clear value target for anyone building around the Brewers-Mets game, offering premium production for a salary that leaves plenty of cap space to pay up at pitcher.

Joey Ortiz, 3B/SS — Milwaukee Brewers ($2,900 DK)

Ortiz rounds out our Brewers stack as the cheapest piece in the build. He’s hitting .247 with five home runs, 28 walks and a .316 on-base percentage this season, numbers that won’t jump off the page but that come at a salary low enough to make him one of the better volume plays at the position tonight.

His Statcast profile shows a 35.3% hard-hit rate and a barrel rate that’s climbed as the season has progressed, suggesting his underlying quality of contact is trending in the right direction even if the batting average hasn’t fully caught up. Against a Mets pitching staff that’s given up plenty of production against right-handed bats through the middle infield this season, Ortiz gives lineup builders a way to roster four Brewers hitters against Manaea without blowing the budget.

At $2,900, he’s the salary-relief piece that makes fitting Misiorowski and Cole into the same lineup realistic, and his on-base ability means he’s not purely dead money if the Brewers get into extra innings or a big scoring frame.

Building Your Lineup

Tonight’s slate rewards those willing to pay up for pitching while finding volume elsewhere. Pairing Misiorowski with Cole eats a big chunk of the salary cap, but the strikeout equity from both arms gives you a strong floor in cash games, since punchouts are the most predictable way to rack up fantasy points on the mound. If you want to get to just one ace, Cole is the more cap-friendly route, freeing up extra salary to round out your hitting.

The Brewers stack against Manaea is the clear offensive centerpiece of the slate. Rostering Contreras, Vaughn and Ortiz together gives you exposure to the middle of Milwaukee’s order without requiring you to pay premium prices at any one spot, and all three should carry lower projected ownership than obvious plays on bigger, higher-total games like Dodgers-Braves. That makes this trio appealing for GPP builds looking to differentiate from the field while still targeting a legitimately good matchup.

For those grinding cash games, sticking with the higher-floor arms and letting the Brewers bats fill out value slots is the more conservative build. If you’re deeper into DFS strategy and want to sharpen your bankroll management before committing to a lineup, it’s worth reviewing the betting calculator to model out how salary allocation affects your overall risk profile across multiple lineups. Whatever direction you take, prioritize confirmed lineups and lean into pitching matchups where the strikeout upside is real — that combination is usually what separates a cashing lineup from one that just misses.