Best MLB DFS Picks Today: Top Value Plays for June 9, 2026

Tuesday’s MLB slate brings a full nine-game card with first pitch at 7:07 PM ET on DraftKings and FanDuel, and there is plenty to work with for DFS players looking to cash in on favorable matchups and favorable weather conditions. A handful of elite pitching matchups top the card, but the real story tonight is an Athletics offense loaded with value against a vulnerable left-handed starter in a hitter-friendly park.

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Tonight’s approach leans into one dominant ace, an underrated stack in Las Vegas, and a pair of Cubs hitters facing a pitcher in Coors Field who has been leaking runs. Here are five MLB DFS picks targeting the best combinations of floor, ceiling, and salary efficiency across both DraftKings and FanDuel for today’s slate.

Chase Burns, SP — Cincinnati Reds ($10,500 DK / $11,200 FD)

There is no more compelling DFS pitcher on the board tonight than Chase Burns. The 23-year-old right-hander for the Cincinnati Reds enters this start having put together one of the best stretches of pitching in baseball, posting a 3.19 xFIP with a 29.7 percent strikeout rate, a 15.4 percent swinging-strike rate, and a 0.95 WHIP across the season. Over his last two starts, those numbers have only gotten better — a 37.0 percent strikeout rate and a 0.97 WHIP represent historically elite production for a pitcher his age.

Tonight Burns faces the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, and the matchup is as favorable as any on the slate. The Padres have been one of the weaker offensive units in baseball recently, carrying a 23.3 percent strikeout rate, a .651 OPS, and just an 87 wRC+ against right-handed pitching on the season. Over the last two weeks, things have gotten markedly worse — their wRC+ against righties has dropped to 53 and their OPS against that split has cratered to just .512. In that context, Burns is projected for a 36.2 percent strikeout rate in this matchup specifically, with a projected output of 6.74 strikeouts according to advanced models.

Petco Park plays as a slight pitcher’s park, which helps Burns avoid the home run risk that comes with pitching in the Great American Ball Park. At $10,500 on DraftKings, the salary is not cheap, but for GPP players looking for a high-floor, high-ceiling pitcher to anchor their lineup, Burns is the safest path to a winning score tonight. He is the top DFS pick on this slate and should be in every serious lineup build for today’s MLB DFS contests.

Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF — Chicago Cubs ($5,600 DK / $4,300 FD)

Pete Crow-Armstrong has been among the most productive outfielders in the National League this season, and tonight’s matchup with Colorado’s Tomoyuki Sugano in Coors Field makes him one of the top DFS value plays on the board. PCA enters this game having posted a .492 wOBA, a .366 ISO, and a 1.154 OPS over his last 45 at-bats against right-handed pitching. Those are monster numbers that put him in the conversation with the best hitters in the league against same-side splits.

Sugano, meanwhile, has allowed a .562 wOBA, a .529 ISO, and a staggering 1.500 OPS against left-handed hitters during a comparable span. Crow-Armstrong is a left-handed bat, making this a textbook elite matchup from a statistical standpoint. Coors Field amplifies everything — the thin air at elevation means pitches break later and exit velocities carry further, and a struggling starter facing one of the game’s better young hitters in that park is a recipe for big DFS production.

At $5,600 on DraftKings and just $4,300 on FanDuel, PCA is priced well below what his recent production suggests he should cost. He is not only a strong cash game pick but a GPP ceiling play who can lead a Cubs stack that includes teammates like Ian Happ, who brings similar left-handed value against Sugano at $4,100 DK and $3,300 FD. The Cubs as a unit are projected for strong run totals in this matchup, making the Coors stack one of the best DFS stacks tonight.

Nick Kurtz, 1B — Athletics ($4,800 DK)

Nick Kurtz is the centerpiece of what should be one of the most popular stacks on tonight’s slate. The 23-year-old first baseman has turned in a remarkable season for the Athletics, hitting .276 with 12 home runs and 45 RBIs through 64 games, adding a .431 on-base percentage and a .927 OPS that ranks among the best at his position in the league. His Statcast profile is even more impressive — a 57.6 percent hard-hit rate and an average exit velocity of 94.2 mph that leads to consistent barreled contact regardless of the matchup.

Tonight the Athletics host the Milwaukee Brewers’ Robert Gasser at the Las Vegas Ballpark, and the conditions could not be more favorable. Gasser is a left-handed pitcher who has posted a 4.73 ERA, a 1.43 WHIP, a 35.0 percent hard-hit rate allowed, and a 52.5 percent fly-ball rate across his three MLB starts this season. He has also allowed 1.35 home runs per nine innings in those outings. The Las Vegas Ballpark sits in the Pacific Coast League circuit and is among the most hitter-friendly venues in professional baseball, with temperatures expected in the mid-80s and winds blowing out at over 10 mph. Fly balls become souvenirs in those conditions, and Kurtz — who hits the ball harder than almost anyone in the lineup — is positioned perfectly to take advantage.

The Athletics carry an implied run total of 5.7 in tonight’s contest according to projection models, the highest team total on the slate. Kurtz bats in the heart of that lineup and is the anchor of the Athletics stack. His last 10 games show a .290 average with four home runs and a 1.146 OPS — he has been scorching hot, and the matchup tonight makes him one of the best DFS value plays at first base.

Shea Langeliers, C — Athletics ($5,200 DK)

As long as you are investing in the Athletics stack tonight, Shea Langeliers is the natural pairing at catcher. He is one of the most explosive bats in the lineup and has turned in a breakout season, hitting .285 with 13 home runs across 51 games and posting a .912 OPS that puts him in the top tier of catchers in daily fantasy baseball. His .543 slugging percentage leads all Athletics regulars and ranks ninth in MLB overall this season.

Langeliers enters tonight’s game carrying a three-game hit streak and has homered three times across his last five games, adding five RBIs during that stretch. Against left-handed pitching — which is exactly what Gasser is — Langeliers has produced at a particularly high rate throughout his career. The combination of his recent hot streak, the Gasser matchup, and the hitter-friendly Las Vegas environment makes him one of the top catcher targets in daily fantasy baseball tonight. At $5,200 on DraftKings, the salary is manageable for a player who realistically projects for 15-plus DraftKings points in this matchup, making the value proposition strong for both cash games and GPP lineups.

Grant Holmes, SP — Atlanta Braves ($7,700 DK / $8,800 FD)

Grant Holmes has been quietly one of the better mid-range pitching values on DraftKings all season, and tonight’s matchup against the Chicago White Sox makes him an attractive DFS salary play at $7,700. Holmes enters this start at 4-2 with a 3.86 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, and 57 strikeouts across 63.0 innings, numbers that reflect a pitcher pitching to his stuff and generating soft contact at a sustainable rate. His 2.11 strikeout-to-walk ratio shows improved command compared to earlier in his career.

The White Sox come into tonight’s game as one of the weaker offensive teams in the American League. They are hitting .238 as a team with a .729 OPS through 59 games, and their 536 strikeouts as a unit are a testament to how often they go down swinging. The Braves are strong road favorites in this matchup, and the Guaranteed Rate Field park factors do not significantly boost offense, meaning Holmes should be able to execute his game plan with minimal concern about the long ball. Holmes has allowed just 12 home runs across 63 innings, and facing a White Sox lineup with limited power upside keeps that number sustainable tonight.

For DFS players looking to save salary at pitcher after paying up for Burns, Holmes represents the ideal second-pitcher option on DraftKings. He gives you a legitimate shot at five or six innings of work with a strikeout upside that projects in the seven-to-nine range against this White Sox lineup, and $7,700 leaves enough cap room to load up on the Athletics stack and the Cubs hitters in Coors Field. That is exactly the kind of DFS salary construction that wins in GPP tournaments tonight.

Building Your Lineup

The clearest path to a winning DraftKings or FanDuel lineup tonight runs through two core stacks. The Athletics group against Gasser — anchored by Kurtz and Langeliers, with supporting pieces like Tyler Soderstrom, Henry Bolte, or Jonah Heim to round out three or four hitters from that lineup — gives you the highest team run total on the slate in an environment engineered to produce offense. The Cubs at Coors Field offer a complementary stack, with Crow-Armstrong and Ian Happ as the primary targets against Sugano, who has been shredded by left-handed hitters recently. On salary, the Burns plus Holmes two-pitcher construction on DraftKings makes sense if you want two legitimate starting pitcher plays without sacrificing your stack budget. If you want to go single pitcher on the cheaper end, Holmes frees up enough salary to roster four Athletics hitters and two Cubs bats in an aggressive GPP lineup. For cash games, Burns at the top of a lineup featuring Crow-Armstrong and a two- or three-man Athletics stack gives you enough floor to survive the inevitable cold nights on a nine-game slate. Whichever direction you go, targeting DFS promotions on DraftKings and FanDuel before locking in can add extra value to your entry before first pitch. Ownership tonight will likely concentrate on the Athletics stack given the projections, so differentiation within that group via Bolte or Thomas at lower prices can be the deciding factor in a big GPP finish. The Cubs stack against Sugano, meanwhile, figures to be moderately owned — enough to be a reasonable play without being a chalk call that costs you tournament equity.