MLB DFS Picks Today: DraftKings Main Slate Picks for September 11

Friday, September 11, 2026. DraftKings gives us a 12-game MLB main slate starting at 7:05 p.m. ET. We have enough pitching to be selective, a few obvious offenses in strong spots and several values that can make expensive stacks work.

Our plan tonight is straightforward: pay for a pitcher we trust, use salary relief where it actually helps the lineup, and build around the best hitting environment on the board rather than chasing every expensive name.

Pitchers

Top ceiling: Chris Sale — $11,000

Sale is the pitcher we trust most at the top. He enters tonight with a 2.10 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 184 strikeouts in 150 innings, and he just handled this same Phillies lineup last week with six innings, two earned runs and seven strikeouts.

The matchup is tougher than some of the other aces have, but Sale gives us the combination we want in DFS: strikeout ceiling, length and very little volatility. He is expensive, but this is not a slate where we feel forced to fade the top arm to make the bats work.

Best value: Sonny Gray — $9,000

Gray is our favorite way to save $2,000 from Sale without taking on a major pitching downgrade. He is 17-4 with a 2.69 ERA and gets a Kansas City team that enters 65-82. Boston is also a strong home favorite, which gives Gray one of the better win paths on the slate.

At $9,000, he does not need to match Sale strikeout for strikeout. If Gray gives us six good innings, a handful of Ks and the win, the salary difference becomes valuable when we start paying for Seattle or one of the premium one-offs.

GPP pitcher: Drew Rasmussen — $9,200

Rasmussen is our tournament arm. He owns a 2.88 ERA with 156 strikeouts and has been rolling, with Tampa Bay winning each of his last nine starts. Houston is dangerous enough to keep him from becoming the obvious cash-game play, but that is exactly what gives him GPP appeal.

The upside is simple: if Rasmussen navigates the top of the Astros order, he has the stuff and workload to produce a score that can beat the more popular pitchers around him.

Favorite stack: Seattle Mariners

Seattle is our favorite stack against Jeffrey Springs, who brings a 6.02 ERA and 1.45 WHIP into a game with one of the highest totals on the slate. Springs actually shut Seattle out over seven innings less than a week ago, so this is not a blind attack. We are betting that the larger sample and the run environment matter more than one excellent outing.

• Randy Arozarena — $5,900
• Cal Raleigh — $5,400
• Julio Rodríguez — $5,000
• Dominic Canzone — $4,400
• Josh Naylor — $4,000
• J.P. Crawford — $3,500

Best core: Julio + Raleigh + Arozarena. If we need salary relief, Crawford and Naylor are the easiest ways to keep the stack intact without forcing a punt elsewhere.

Best one-off hitters

• Shohei Ohtani — $5,500: Ryan Gusto has a 4.23 ERA, and Ohtani gives us elite power without having to commit to a full Dodgers stack.
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — $4,300: Chris Bassitt enters with a 4.96 ERA, and Vlad is priced low enough to fit alongside an expensive stack.
• Ketel Marte — $4,400: Arizona gets Kumar Rocker at home, and Marte gives us switch-hitting power at a salary that feels light for his ceiling.
• Junior Caminero — $6,400: The price is massive, but Tampa Bay gets rookie Miguel Ullola and Caminero is one of our favorite pure home-run bets on the slate.

Best value hitters

• Trevor Story — $3,100: This is one of the best salary-saving spots on the board against Seth Lugo, especially if Story stays in the middle of the Boston order.
• Kyle Tucker — $3,800: The price is too cheap for his talent in a matchup with Ryan Gusto. If he is starting, he is one of our favorite values.
• Nolan Arenado — $3,400: Affordable exposure to Arizona against Kumar Rocker without needing to stack the entire lineup.
• J.P. Crawford — $3,500: He fits naturally with our favorite Seattle stack and becomes even more valuable if he lands near the top of the order.

These value plays are lineup-dependent. We are not forcing anyone who gets scratched or drops into a poor batting-order spot. Recheck the confirmed lineups before lock.

GPP stacks

Boston: Roman Anthony ($5,000), Wilyer Abreu ($5,500) and Trevor Story ($3,100) against Seth Lugo.

Tampa Bay: Junior Caminero ($6,400), Yandy Díaz ($4,900) and Jonathan Aranda ($4,400) against Miguel Ullola.

Arizona: Ketel Marte ($4,400), Nolan Arenado ($3,400) and Geraldo Perdomo ($3,700) against Kumar Rocker.

Toronto: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($4,300), George Springer ($4,500) and Kazuma Okamoto ($4,000) against Chris Bassitt.

CTS short list

• Ceiling SP: Chris Sale — $11,000
• Value SP: Sonny Gray — $9,000
• GPP SP: Drew Rasmussen — $9,200
• Favorite stack: Seattle Mariners
• Favorite one-off: Shohei Ohtani — $5,500
• Favorite value: Trevor Story — $3,100

DraftKings salaries are from the September 11 main-slate player pool. Most batting orders were not yet confirmed when this article was prepared. Confirm every hitter is starting and check the final batting order before the 7:05 p.m. ET lock.