Best MLB DFS Picks Today: Top Value Plays for Wednesday, June 24

Wednesday’s MLB slate is packed with 15 games, and it has the feel of a GPP-heavy day with one of the most dominant pitchers on the planet toeing the rubber and a Coors Field matchup that DFS players will be lining up to exploit. There is also genuine value scattered up and down the pricing tiers for players willing to look beyond the obvious headlines.

Today’s approach leans into two premium pitching spots — one elite, one mid-range value — and stacks the most favorable run environment on the board. Here are five players worth strong consideration for your DraftKings and FanDuel lineups for Wednesday, June 25.

Shohei Ohtani, SP — Los Angeles Dodgers ($11,500 DraftKings)

There is no need to overthink this one. Shohei Ohtani carries a 7-2 record and a 1.47 ERA through 73.2 innings in 2026, and he enters tonight’s start at Target Field pitching as well as anyone in baseball. He has struck out 78 batters this season against just 22 walks, and his groundball rate of 94 per 289 total batters faced reflects how effectively he is generating weak contact. Last time out against Tampa Bay on June 17, Ohtani went six innings and allowed four earned runs, a rare hiccup in an otherwise stunning season — and those kinds of bounce-back spots historically produce his best outings.

The matchup gets even better. Minnesota’s scheduled starter Joe Ryan was scratched with an illness and moved to Thursday’s lineup, meaning the Twins will likely deploy an emergency arm tonight. Facing a replacement starter and an opponent that has shuffled its rotation dramatically changes the game script — the Dodgers are set up to score runs early and often, which is precisely the game script Ohtani needs to pile up innings and strikeouts. At $11,500 on DraftKings, he is the obvious top pitcher on the slate and the cornerstone around which you should build your GPP and cash lineups alike. Those looking to get started on DraftKings will find him near the top of every optimizer projection today.

Trey Yesavage, SP — Toronto Blue Jays ($8,400 DraftKings)

If you are spending up at pitcher with Ohtani, Trey Yesavage gives you a strong secondary option at a lower price point — and one that comes with a matchup that is nearly impossible to ignore. The Blue Jays right-hander is 3-3 with a 3.76 ERA and 53 strikeouts at home against the Houston Astros tonight at Rogers Centre, where he gets to face a Houston rotation sending out Mike Burrows: 3-8 on the year with a 5.79 ERA.

This game has the feel of a pitcher’s park duel in terms of the game total, but Yesavage has put together a genuinely solid season profile. He has been sharp in his home starts, the Astros are sitting at 38-43 and have not hit their stride offensively, and at $8,400 he provides real salary relief to build around premium hitters. In tournaments, he is a solid pivot off the higher-owned Ohtani. In cash games, his floor is underpinned by a favorable matchup and the home-field advantage. Check out the latest MLB odds to see how sharps are pricing this total before locking in.

Braxton Ashcraft, SP — Pittsburgh Pirates

Braxton Ashcraft has developed into one of the more quietly impressive starting pitchers in the National League this season, and tonight’s home start against the Seattle Mariners at PNC Park gives him an excellent shot to continue that trend. The 26-year-old carries a 6-3 record, a 3.18 ERA, and a 97:22 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 90.2 innings pitched. His 1.10 WHIP reflects consistent command, and with a 9.6 K/9 rate he has the ceiling to rack up double-digit strikeout totals on a big night.

Seattle counters with Bryan Woo, who is 6-5 with a 3.94 ERA. In terms of run environment, neither team is expected to put up a basketball score, which actually works in Ashcraft’s favor from a DFS perspective — longer outings and cleaner win-probability scenarios lead to more quality-start bonuses. PNC Park plays as a slight pitcher’s park and Ashcraft has been more dominant at home. He sits in the mid-range pricing tier and is well worth rostering in tournaments where differentiation from the chalk matters. For those building multi-lineup strategies, the DFS platforms guide breaks down which sites offer the best lineup-entry options for slates like this one.

Jarren Duran, OF — Boston Red Sox

Kyle Freeland is a nightmare for pitchers to face — in the sense that he is a nightmare for fantasy owners who roster him. Freeland is 1-7 with a 7.36 ERA this season, and he is being asked to take the ball at Coors Field against a Boston lineup that has real power throughout the order. That combination makes Red Sox hitters the most logical stack on the entire Wednesday slate, and Jarren Duran is the headliner of that stack.

Duran is hitting .200/.259/.369 with 12 home runs and 37 RBI through 72 games, and while his batting average is down, his power output at Coors could easily look like a different hitter given the altitude boost. His combination of speed and pop at the top of the Red Sox lineup means he scores runs even when he is not the one knocking them in, and fantasy scores compound quickly in that context. Against a pitcher with a 7.36 ERA at altitude, Duran has legitimate ceiling as a GPP play and enough floor for cash games. He is the type of value bat that makes your lineup stand out when the chalkiest builds whiff. The FanDuel promo is worth grabbing if you want to run multiple lineups across platforms tonight.

Roman Anthony, OF — Boston Red Sox

While you are stacking the Red Sox at Coors, Roman Anthony makes an excellent pairing with Duran at a reduced price point. The 22-year-old outfielder has appeared in 30 games and accumulated 109 at-bats this season, hitting .229/.354/.321. The batting average and slugging are modest, but Anthony’s .354 on-base percentage signals a patient hitter who draws walks and gets on base — exactly the type of high-OBP player who benefits most in a high-scoring environment like Coors Field.

Anthony is still finding his footing at the big league level, and his season-long numbers undersell what the underlying tools suggest. In a game where Kyle Freeland figures to get tagged early and the Red Sox bullpen gets a turn, the lineup is likely to see elevated run totals regardless of who drives them in. Anthony’s youth premium and lower ownership make him a legitimate GPP dart with a strong matchup argument. He is the type of cheap exposure that helps you save salary for premium players like Ohtani at the top of the lineup. Check out the latest DFS reviews to find the platform that offers the best deposit match for multi-entry tournaments tonight.

Building Your Lineup

Today’s construction leans toward a two-pitcher approach with Ohtani anchoring the top and Yesavage or Ashcraft filling the second spot depending on your salary needs. Either option leaves room to stack three or four Red Sox hitters at Coors, which is where the real differentiation happens tonight.

In cash games, simplicity wins: Ohtani, Duran, and Anthony form the core, with the remaining spots filled by confirmed starters and players in strong matchups. In tournaments, consider running Yesavage in the pitcher slot to differentiate from the Ohtani-heavy field — his ownership will be lower, and a strong performance from a Blue Jays starter nobody rostered is exactly the type of leverage that wins large-field GPPs. Avoid over-rostering the Coors stack in single-entry; instead, use it as your primary stack in multi-entry formats where you want wide exposure. Keep an eye on the Phillies side of their game in Washington — with Aaron Nola at a 5.71 ERA and Miles Mikolas countering at 5.47 ERA for the Nationals, both lineups offer secondary stacking opportunities if the Red Sox slate gets too chalky by lock.