Best MLB DFS Picks Today: Top Value Plays for May 25, 2026

Memorial Day brings one of the bigger MLB slates of the month, with 13 games spread across the afternoon and evening. That kind of volume means options at every position, but it also means more noise to cut through when building your DraftKings or FanDuel lineup. The marquee matchups today include the Yankees visiting Kansas City, the Dodgers hosting Colorado, and a Cardinals-Brewers NL Central clash that should draw plenty of DFS attention. With a full slate to work with, finding the right mix of premium plays and salary saves will be critical.

Today’s approach leans on pitchers in favorable matchups, hitters with hot recent form against beatable opposing starters, and a couple of salary-saving options that give you flexibility to pay up elsewhere. We are targeting confirmed lineup spots, favorable ballpark environments, and pitchers who have been generating strikeouts consistently. Here are the five MLB DFS picks worth building around on May 25, 2026.

Tanner Bibee, SP — Cleveland Guardians ($8,200 DK)

Tanner Bibee gets one of the most appealing pitcher matchups on today’s slate, drawing the Washington Nationals at Progressive Field. Washington comes in with a 27-27 record and carries one of the weaker offenses in the American League, and Bibee has been a reliable innings-eater for the Guardians rotation this season. His last outing on May 20 against Detroit resulted in 8.0 innings pitched while allowing just four hits and one earned run, striking out five. That kind of workload and efficiency is exactly what you need from a DFS starter.

The Guardians have gone 8-2 over their last ten games and are the first-place team in the AL Central with a 32-23 record. Bibee pitches at home at Progressive Field, which plays as a slight pitcher’s park, and he is matching up against a Nationals offense that has struggled against right-handed starters, posting a 15-21 record against RHP heading into today. With a matchup this favorable and recent form this strong, Bibee is the top pitcher option on the board for today’s DraftKings lineup. If you are in cash games looking for a high-floor arm, this is the play.

Steven Kwan, OF — Cleveland Guardians ($5,100 DK)

If you are going to stack with Bibee, Steven Kwan is the first Guardians hitter to lock in. The leadoff outfielder went 3-for-4 with an RBI in Sunday’s win over Philadelphia and has been one of the most consistent contact hitters in the league. Over his last five games, Kwan is hitting out of the top of Cleveland’s order and providing the kind of runs-scored upside that makes leadoff hitters so valuable in DFS formats that reward runs and RBI equally.

Kwan’s value today comes from a combination of lineup position, contact quality, and matchup. The Guardians are facing Washington, and Kwan’s ability to work counts and get on base frequently makes him a strong candidate to score multiple runs in a game where Cleveland is a clear favorite. At $5,100 on DraftKings, he gives you access to one of the best teams on the slate without breaking the salary cap. He is an ideal cash game play and a sensible GPP option given how heavily the Guardians figure to be owned after Bibee drew the slate’s best pitching matchup.

Ketel Marte, 2B — Arizona Diamondbacks ($6,400 DK)

Ketel Marte has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the past week, and today he faces the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in a game that tips off at 5:05 PM ET. Marte went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBI, and two runs scored in Sunday’s 9-1 win over Colorado, and his last five games have been nothing short of spectacular. Over that stretch he has recorded multiple hits in four of five contests, including a pair of two-hit, multi-RBI efforts against the Rockies. He also went 3-for-3 with a homer and two RBI on May 20 against San Francisco.

The Diamondbacks are a legitimate stack target today with Arizona’s offense carrying momentum. Marte batting near the top of the order means he is in line for four or five plate appearances, and Oracle Park is not a particularly hitter-hostile environment for left-center pull hitters with his profile. At $6,400 on DraftKings, Marte represents strong value given his recent production and confirmed spot in a potent Arizona lineup. He is the kind of mid-salary play that wins DFS contests when he runs hot, and right now he is running as hot as anyone in the league.

Emmet Sheehan, SP — Los Angeles Dodgers ($8,600 DK)

Emmet Sheehan is the premium pitcher play of the day, drawing a Colorado Rockies lineup at Dodger Stadium for a 9:10 PM ET first pitch. The Rockies sit at 20-34, good for last place in the NL West, and they have gone just 3-7 over their last ten games. They rank among the worst offenses in the majors against right-handed pitching, posting a 16-25 record versus RHP. Sheehan, meanwhile, has been extremely effective when he is on, with a strong showing on May 14 against San Francisco — 6.0 innings, two hits, two earned runs, and six strikeouts — demonstrating his ceiling is very high.

Dodger Stadium plays as one of the more neutral parks in the NL, but against a Rockies lineup that has shown minimal ability to generate consistent offense on the road, it leans heavily toward pitchers tonight. The Dodgers are 33-20 and lead the NL West, and Sheehan is making his start with full bullpen support behind him. He is the most expensive pitcher play here, but the upside justifies the salary in GPP formats. If you are looking to differentiate in larger tournaments, Sheehan late at night gives you a high-strikeout arm facing a team that opposing pitchers have dominated this season. Pair him with Dodgers hitters for a complete stack.

Salvador Perez, C — Kansas City Royals ($4,800 DK)

Salvador Perez is the value play of the day at catcher, a position where it is almost always difficult to find affordable production. The Royals host the Yankees in a 3:40 PM ET Memorial Day afternoon game at Kauffman Stadium, and while Kansas City has struggled at 22-31 on the season, Perez has remained one of the most reliable veteran hitters in their lineup. He went 1-for-4 with a solo home run against the Angels on Sunday and has shown the power upside that makes him dangerous against right-handed starters. The Royals are expected to send a right-handed arm to the mound for the Yankees, and Perez historically performs well in home games at Kauffman.

At $4,800 on DraftKings, Perez is one of the cheapest viable catchers on today’s full slate, and catcher is notoriously the hardest position to get production from in MLB DFS. Even a modest 2-for-4 day with a run scored or an RBI from Perez frees up significant salary elsewhere in your lineup to pay up for Sheehan, Bibee, or Marte. He is a classic cash game anchor at the C position — low ownership, consistent contact, and home run equity whenever he connects. If the Royals get anything going offensively against New York, Perez batting in the middle of the order gives him RBI opportunities that could easily return 3-4x his salary.

Building Your Lineup

Today’s 13-game slate offers tremendous flexibility, and the lineup construction strategy depends heavily on whether you are building for cash games or GPP tournaments. In cash games, the Bibee-Kwan Cleveland stack is your backbone. Cleveland is heavily favored at home against Washington, and stacking two Guardians at a reasonable combined salary gives you a stable floor while freeing up budget for a premium bat or pitcher. Pair Bibee with Kwan and plug in Perez at catcher to save money for the rest of the build.

For GPP lineups where you need differentiation, the Sheehan-Dodgers stack is the path to a big score. Colorado’s bullpen has been stretched lately, which means even if Sheehan comes out early, the offense behind him at Dodger Stadium should keep the run total moving. Ketel Marte is the kind of multi-position, multi-category producer who can single-handedly win a tournament with the form he is in right now. If you want to use the DraftKings lineup builder efficiently, consider using the DraftKings promo code for new users to grab a bonus before locking in your picks. Also worth checking are the live MLB odds to understand implied run totals as lineups get confirmed closer to first pitch, which will help you finalize any last-minute pivots in your DFS stacks.