Best MLB DFS Picks Today: Top Value Plays for June 26

Friday brings a 13-game main slate on DraftKings with first pitches stretching from 6:40 p.m. ET all the way to 10:15 p.m. ET, giving us plenty of roster construction flexibility. There’s a legitimate top-of-market arm checking in at $13,000, a couple of sharp mid-range pitching options, and at least one hitter in the middle of a scorching run that is too hot to ignore. Here’s how I am approaching today’s MLB DFS lineup picks.

Today’s approach leans pitcher-heavy at the top, where the gap in quality between the elite arms and the rest of the field is stark. From there, the goal is to find hitters in favorable matchups who can provide the floor to keep cash-game lineups afloat while also offering enough upside to compete in GPP tournaments.

Jacob Misiorowski, SP — Milwaukee Brewers ($13,000 DraftKings)

Yes, $13,000 is a premium price. But Jacob Misiorowski has done nothing in 2026 to suggest he doesn’t deserve every penny of it. The 24-year-old right-hander is 8-3 with a 1.45 ERA and 138 strikeouts this season, numbers that are simply historic for this stage of a season. His ERA ranks among the lowest in all of baseball and his strikeout total already puts him well above pace for what could be a 200-plus punchout campaign.

Tonight, Misiorowski takes the mound at American Family Field against the Chicago Cubs, a team that is 42-37 and hitting .244 as a unit. The Cubs have a solid lineup, but they are not a club that kills right-handed pitching — and Misiorowski is the type of arm who makes good offenses look average. When a pitcher carries a sub-1.50 ERA this deep into a season, you play him regardless of salary. For GPP lineups, Misiorowski will draw heavy ownership, which is warranted. You may need to be creative elsewhere in your roster to fit him in, but the ceiling he provides justifies the sacrifice.

In DFS, the fundamental question when considering an expensive pitcher is whether the expected production is worth the salary compression it forces in the rest of the lineup. With Misiorowski, the answer is yes — his floor is 25-plus DraftKings points in almost any matchup.

Taj Bradley, SP — Minnesota Twins ($7,600 DraftKings)

For players looking to pair Misiorowski with a secondary pitcher who won’t break the bank, Taj Bradley at $7,600 is the chalk play on this Friday slate. Bradley is 6-3 with a 4.11 ERA and 84 strikeouts on the season, but those numbers are somewhat surface-level — his home numbers paint a more encouraging picture for tonight’s matchup.

At Target Field in 2026, Bradley has posted a 3.82 ERA with a 10.0 K/9 rate, compared to a 4.30 ERA on the road. He is pitching at home tonight against the Colorado Rockies, who are 31-49 and one of the worst offensive teams in the National League. The Rockies have been particularly limited away from Coors Field, where the thin air inflates their numbers artificially. Without the altitude advantage, Colorado’s lineup struggles to generate consistent production, making them a near-ideal opponent for a strikeout pitcher at a manageable salary.

Bradley struck out four over five innings in his last start on June 20 against Arizona, earning the win. His ability to pile up strikeouts at home — averaging double digits per nine innings in his own park — makes the upside real for tournaments. At $7,600, he provides legitimate value compared to other arms in the $7,000 range who have far worse matchups tonight.

Walbert Ureña, SP — Los Angeles Angels ($8,300 DraftKings)

Walbert Ureña has been one of the quieter success stories in baseball this season, and he remains underowned relative to his numbers. The 25-year-old right-hander is 5-5 with a 2.41 ERA and 64 strikeouts across 67.1 innings this season, making him one of the more efficient arms in the American League by ERA. Over his last seven games, Ureña has been even better, posting a 1.80 ERA over 40 innings with 38 strikeouts during that stretch.

His most recent start on June 20 against the Athletics was a gem: five innings, four hits, zero runs, and six strikeouts in a 7-0 Angels victory. Tonight he faces that same Oakland club at Angel Stadium, a favorable repeat matchup. The Athletics are 38-41 on the season and have a lineup that tends to generate soft contact and swing-and-miss opportunities for pitchers with good command. Ureña’s high swinging-strike rate has translated into improving strikeout numbers as the season has progressed, and his recent form suggests he’s hitting a new gear.

At $8,300 on DraftKings, Ureña sits between the premium and mid-tier price brackets, offering a genuine floor-and-ceiling combination that makes him worth rostering in both cash and tournament formats tonight. He’s the type of pitcher who wins you DFS nights quietly and efficiently.

Otto Lopez, SS — Miami Marlins

Otto Lopez is hitting .336 this season — the best batting average in the National League — and he has turned into one of the most dangerous contact hitters in baseball. The 26-year-old shortstop is slashing .336/.369/.841 with five home runs, 33 RBI, and 16 stolen bases across 307 at-bats. He is in the midst of a six-game hitting streak heading into Friday, a continuation of what has been a remarkably consistent season at the plate.

Tonight, Lopez and the Marlins travel to Busch Stadium to face the St. Louis Cardinals and starter Dustin May, a right-hander who is 5-6 with a 4.30 ERA and a .250 opponent average on the season. May has allowed 40 earned runs across 83.2 innings pitched, and he is facing a Miami lineup that is not short on contact hitters. Lopez specifically has made a career of finding holes in right-handed pitching, and at a manageable price point on both DraftKings and FanDuel, he provides one of the better value floors on the entire slate.

The stolen base upside is an added bonus in DFS formats that reward speed, and Lopez has demonstrated a willingness to run all season, ranking sixth in the National League in steals. He is one of those players who can put up 20-plus DraftKings points with a 3-for-4 night and a stolen base, which at his salary is exactly the kind of production you need from a mid-tier roster slot.

Jordan Walker, OF — St. Louis Cardinals

Jordan Walker is in the midst of one of the hottest stretches any hitter in baseball has experienced this month. Over his last seven games, the 24-year-old Cardinals outfielder is hitting .364 with a 1.061 OPS, and he enters Friday riding a nine-game hitting streak. On the season, Walker is batting .290 with 18 home runs, 58 RBI, and a .866 OPS across 300 at-bats — a significant breakout campaign for a player who had previously been inconsistent at the major-league level.

Yes, he faces Miami’s Max Meyer tonight — a right-hander who is a remarkable 8-0 with a 2.80 ERA and 102 strikeouts. That’s a tough matchup on paper. But in DFS, recent form matters as much as matchup, and Walker has been absolutely locked in at the plate. His 2026 splits against right-handers show an .826 OPS, and players who are genuinely hot can outperform matchup metrics on any given night. Walker hit .296 with 15 home runs and 42 RBI across just 53 games in one stretch this season, demonstrating the kind of accelerated production that makes him a legitimate DFS option even against elite arms. Check the live MLB odds tonight to see how the Cardinals are being priced in this matchup — it may offer additional lineup-building context.

Walker’s power upside (18 HR in 77 games) means any ball he makes solid contact with has a chance to leave the park, turning a mediocre DFS night into a big one. He’s worth the risk in tournament formats where ceiling matters.

Building Your Lineup

This slate rewards a pitcher-forward approach at the top. Misiorowski and Bradley form the chalk pairing that most lineups will run, and given the quality of both matchups, that ownership level is deserved. For tournament differentiation, swapping Bradley for Ureña — who draws less attention despite better recent numbers — is worth considering.

On the hitter side, the Marlins have a good implied total against Dustin May tonight, making them a stackable team. If you’re going deep into the Cardinals-Marlins game, building around Lopez and pairing him with a second or third Marlin at a lower price point is a viable GPP path. The Cardinals’ lineup faces a difficult night against Max Meyer, so roster them cautiously. Explore DFS platform reviews to find the best site for tournament structures that suit your style, and check DFS promotions if you’re looking to maximize deposit value heading into the weekend.

Ownership on Misiorowski will be heavy — expect north of 30 to 35 percent in GPP fields — which means his inclusion is essentially table stakes for anyone who wants a shot at the top of a tournament. The differentiation will come from the mid-range pitching and hitter combinations you choose to surround him with. A lineup pairing Misiorowski with Ureña and a Marlins mini-stack against Dustin May checks the boxes of both tournament upside and reasonable salary management. Lock in your DraftKings lineups before the 6:40 p.m. ET first game and stay on top of late lineup news — confirmed batting orders will only sharpen these picks further.