MLB DFS Picks Today: Daily Fantasy Baseball Strategy and Tips For FanDuel, DraftKings (6/19/25)

Zach Thompson's top DraftKings and FanDuel MLB DFS picks for today, Thursday, 6/19/25. His favorite daily fantasy baseball lineup sleepers and value picks for DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Happy Thursday, RotoBallers! Major League Baseball has a split schedule this Thursday with some afternoon action to allow teams to travel before their weekend series. The fantasy baseball action continues on Thursday night, with five great matchups under the lights on the main slate on both DraftKings and FanDuel. The five-game evening slate that is the focus of this post begins at 6:40 p.m. ET to include the Phillies and Marlins matchup in Miami. All five of the games under the lights on this slate are divisional matchups, making them even more compelling since they'll impact the standings in those divisions.

The slate includes some elite arms and a few good matchups for hitters as well. Hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park will be in play as the Astros and A's meet in Sacramento. The weather looks very favorable for offense in that matchup, and we'll need to keep an eye on the rain in Tampa Bay to see if options from that game must be avoided due to the risk of delay or postponement. As always, watch lineups and weather reports before the first pitch.

This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 6/19/2025, with the slate starting at 6:40 p.m. EDT. The lineup picks will showcase elite players, mid-priced options, and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. Monitoring injury news and today's MLB starting lineups is always essential.

DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Spencer Strider - ATL vs. NYM (DK: $10.6K; FD: $8.6K)

Strider has been sidelined with multiple injuries this season, which is why he's still so affordable on FanDuel. DraftKings has returned him to the top of the salary structure after his impressive start last week against the Rockies. After going 0-5 with a 5.40 ERA and 5.54 FIP in his first five starts of the season, he dazzled the Rockies with six shutout innings, allowing just three hits and racking up 13 strikeouts for 41.1 DraftKings points and 67 FanDuel points.

One word to describe Spencer Strider's stuff today: FILTHY

(MLB x @CitizenWatchUS) pic.twitter.com/6irEo1pFv5

— MLB (@MLB) June 14, 2025

Strider will look to build on that momentum and keep the Mets slumping. The Mets have lost five straight, including a pair of shutout losses. Chris Sale was masterful against them on Wednesday in the Braves' 5-0 win, and Strider will look to have a similar outing on Thursday. The Mets don't typically strike out nearly as much as the Rockies, but Strider still brings a high enough ceiling in this matchup to be a top arm to build around Thursday night, especially on FanDuel, where he's so affordable.

Cristopher Sanchez - PHI at MIA (DK: $9K; FD: $9.7K)

Sanchez has been very consistent this season for the Phillies and his fantasy managers. He has at least 17.9 DraftKings points and 33 FanDuel points in seven of his last nine starts, including each of his last three. On the year, he is 5-2 with a 3.05 ERA, 3.24 FIP, and 9.9 K/9. His increased strikeout rate gives him a higher ceiling in every start, and he has still done a great job limiting damage.

He has allowed two earned runs or fewer in 11 of his 14 games this season, including each of his last four. Sanchez's strikeout numbers have been slightly better at home, but his road ERA is better, so he remains a solid, steady play in this road matchup in Miami.

Charlie Morton - BAL at TB (DK: $6.5K; FD: $7.1K)

Morton has turned his season around after a brutal start, and he'll look to continue his recent surge as he faces his former team in Tampa Bay. After signing with the Orioles as a free agent this offseason, he got off to a disastrous 0-5 start in his first five starts with a 10.89 ERA and 6.50 FIP. He was sent to the bullpen for a while, but has returned to the rotation with much better results over the last month. In his last seven games, Morton has gone 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA, 2.52 FIP, and 39 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings.

He had one disappointing start against the Athletics, but has posted over 19 DraftKings points in the other three of his last four starts. He bounced back from that rough outing in Sacramento with a season-high 10 strikeouts in five innings against the Angels in his last start. Since turning things around, he has shown a high enough ceiling to be a great value play.

Also Consider: Drew Rasmussen - TB vs. BAL (DK: $7.8K; FD: $8.3K)

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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Gunnar Henderson - BAL vs. TB - SS - (DK: $4.6K; FD: $3.2K)

Henderson has been heating up this month for the Orioles after starting the season on the injured list and taking some time to ramp up. He has hit safely in 14 of his 15 starts since June 1, while hitting .373 (22-for-59) with three doubles, a home run, seven RBI, and three stolen bases. In those 15 games, he has produced 8.8 DraftKings points per game and has at least 12 DraftKings points in three of his last four.

He and the Orioles lefties will be on the strong side of the splits against Drew Rasmussen, who has allowed a .299 wOBA to lefties this season. Henderson brings elite upside from his mid-range salary on Thursday's slate

Jose Altuve - HOU at ATH - 2B/OF - (DK: $4.5K; FD: $3.3K)

Altuve and the Astros will look to keep mashing in Sacramento, where the warm weather, winds blowing out, and matchup against the Athletics have helped their offense go off for 24 runs on 35 hits, including eight home runs in their last two games. Altuve homered on Wednesday night while going 3-for-4 with three RBI.

"They keep booing, he keeps hitting."

Jose Altuve extends the Astros lead with a 3-run home run! 💫

(via @astros)pic.twitter.com/U0BrU9hosb

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 19, 2025

Over his last 24 games, Altuve has been red hot, hitting .355 with four doubles, eight home runs, and a .436 wOBA. He has a 188 wRC+ over that span and has been fueling the Astros' offense like he did at his peak a few years ago. He and the Astros will face young lefty Jacob Lopez on Thursday, who has struggled with giving up home runs and should be a favorable matchup (more below).

Nick Kurtz - ATH vs. HOU - 1B - (DK: $3.4K; FD: $2.9K)

On the other side of that late AL West contest, Kurtz is a great bargain play at 1B. The 22-year-old's raw power has been impressive, and the 22-year-old prospect seemed to be just finding his rhythm when he was forced to the IL with a hip injury. He went 0-for-4 in his return but has gone 9-for-29 (.310) in his seven games since, including three home runs in his last four games.

On Wednesday, he went 3-for-4 with a double and a home run on his way to 26 fantasy points. Even though he's facing a lefty in Colton Gordon on Thursday night, I love his value upside on this slate.

Nick Kurtz, certified BEAST.#Athletics pic.twitter.com/SfRrdrkIzx

— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) June 19, 2025

Also Consider: Matt Olson - ATL - 1B (DK: $5.5K; FD: $3.4K), Connor Norby - MIA - 3B/2B (FD only) (DK: $3.7K; FD: $2.6K), Jeremy Pena - HOU - SS (DK: $4.7K; FD: $3.4K)

DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Ronald Acuna Jr. - ATL vs. NYM (DK: $6.4K; FD: $4.4K)

Acuna hit a leadoff homer on Wednesday to set the tone against Paul Blackburn, and he continues to be red hot since returning from his knee injury.

First pitch.

Ronald Acuña Jr. was ready 😤 pic.twitter.com/bOFdUk70pY

— MLB (@MLB) June 18, 2025

In just 23 games, he already has eight home runs and is hitting .390 with a .510 wOBA, a 59.3% hard-hit rate, and a 20.3% barrel rate. At home, he's hitting .408 with 20 hits in 14 games, including six homers. He hasn't been as aggressive on the bases yet, with just one stolen base, but he still brings a high enough ceiling to be a good pay-up play based on his power potential. He'll face Clay Holmes as the Braves look to close out a series sweep of the Mets.

Brent Rooker - ATH vs. HOU (DK: $4.9K; FD: $3.4K)

Rooker is hitting .328 this season against lefties with four homers and a .459 wOBA. He gets a good matchup against Astros' young lefty Gordon and makes a great mid-range outfield option. Rooker is hitting a solid .338 over his last 20 games with three homers, 14 RBI, a .430 wOBA, and a 55.6% hard-hit rate. That hard-hit rate is a big improvement from his 44.0% hard-hit rate over his first 56 games of the season. He is thriving in the heart of the improved Athletics' batting order and has also thrived while playing at Sutter Health Park, where hitting conditions will be ideal on Thursday.

Mauricio Dubon - 2B/OF/3B (FD only) - HOU at ATH (DK: $2.8K; FD: $2.4K)

Dubon has started each of the last six games for the Astros and has gone 6-for-11 in the first three games of this series with a pair of home runs and a pair of doubles. On the season, he's hitting .258 with a .300 wOBA, but he is hitting .421 in his limited chances against lefties with a .497 wOBA in the split. With Jacob Melton (ankle) out, Dubon should have a clear path to playing time for the next few weeks, especially if he keeps hitting like this. He's a great bargain value to round out your roster on Thursday night against Lopez.

Also Consider: Shohei Ohtani - LAD - OF/1B (DK only) (DK: $6.5K; FD: 4.8K), Andy Pages - LAD - OF (DK: $4.2K; FD: $3.3K), Cam Smith - HOU - OF (DK: $3.5K; FD: 2.7K)

DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks

Houston Astros vs. ATH (Jacob Lopez)

Lopez has a 4.80 ERA and 4.70 FIP in his first nine games this season. He has served up six homers in just 30 innings, and right-handed hitters have five of those home runs along with a .376 wOBA. Given how excellent the Astros have looked in the last two games at Sutter Health Park, they're my top stack of the night. Altuve and Pena are strong places to start with Dubon as a wraparound value play from the bottom of the order. Christian Walker, Yainer Diaz, and Smith are strong middle-of-the-order producers with high ceilings as well.

Los Angeles Dodgers vs. SD (Ryan Bergert)

Bergert has only thrown 19 1/3 innings in the majors this season, but he has a solid 2.33 ERA. However, his 4.15 FIP, 4.46 SIERA, and 3.99 xERA indicate some regression could be coming. He has been outstanding against lefties, who are just 3-for-32 against him this season, but righties have a .351 wOBA against him in his small sample size. While Ohtani and Freddie Freeman are high-upside plays in any matchup, righties like Pages, Mookie Betts, Will Smith, and Teoscar Hernandez can be the core of the Dodgers' stack on Thursday night as they look to close out a four-game sweep of the visiting Padres.

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