MLB DFS Picks & Playbook For Today’s Games: Tuesday, June 18th
Published: Jun 18, 2024
Happy Tuesday, everyone! We are coming off of a strong Monday of baseball. Yet another Paul Skenes day, which is always fun; he lifted himself to 4-0 with a 7-strikeout performance against the Cincinnati Reds. James Paxton proved he can still be dominant after throwing 7 innings in Coors, giving up only 1 run off two hits while striking out 8 and, most amazingly, only walking 1. We will see what is in store for us today, but hopefully, it includes some more winning MLB DFS lineups.
We have a solid 10-game slate in store for today, starting at 7:05 PM ET on DraftKings and FanDuel. Let’s jump right into today’s playbook and all of my favorite MLB DFS picks for the day.
MLB DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, June 18
MLB Weather Today, 6/18
- Minnesota Twins vs. Tampa Bay Rays
There is a good chance of postponement; keep a close eye on it if you are looking to play it.
MLB DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts
We have some good pitchers taking the mound today, but even the top guys feel like they come with a lot of risk, as a lot of them have had some bad outings this season. I love Tanner Houck being the top-priced guy, and I am willing to pay for him, but I like some of the cheaper options slightly better today; alongside Tanner Houck, some of my other honorable mentions today include Logan Webb, Chris Bassitt, Justin Steele, Michael Lorenzen, and Walker Buehler.
On the offensive side, some of my favorite lineups to target today include the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, and New York Yankees.
Recommended MLB DFS Starting Pitchers
Top Options For Strikeouts
- Pablo Lopez vs. Tampa Bay Rays
- Alec Marsh vs. Oakland Athletics
- Framber Valdez vs. Chicago White Sox
- Chris Bassitt vs. Boston Red Sox
Best Odds For A Win
- Framber Valdez vs. Chicago White Sox
- Alec Marsh vs. Oakland Athletics
- Luis Severino vs. Texas Rangers
- Walker Buehler vs. Colorado Rockies
Core MLB DFS Pitchers
Framber Valdez, Houston Astros
Framber Valdez is coming off a rough outing against the San Francisco Giants, but before that, he threw a complete game against the Angels with 8 strikeouts, which was his 3rd straight quality start.
Today, he plays the Chicago White Sox, which should be a good matchup for him to bounce back with some solid strikeout potential and a great chance at a win. The ceiling may be lower than Tanner Houck's, but I think the upside is potentially higher for $1,000 cheaper, so I am willing to take the chance with Framber in this good matchup.
Pablo Lopez, Minnesota Twins
Pablo Lopez’s season hasn’t been great so far, with a 5.33 ERA. He had a decent outing in Coors last time up, though it was still only 5 strikeouts. That is now 6 straight games with 6 strikeouts or less, but before that, he had 7 or more strikeouts in 6 of his 8 starts to begin the season.
I think we will see Pablo Lopez return to the form he started the season in and start piling up strikeouts before we know it. He has a solid matchup here against the Tampa Bay Rays, and I am happy to take the discount on him after this stretch of worse performances. I am betting he can return to form today.
Potential PPD for Twins vs. Rays
Alec Marsh, Kansas City Royals
Alec Marsh just keeps on delivering solid outings. He just threw 7 shutout innings against the Yankees, allowing only 1 hit and striking out 7. That is now 7 or more strikeouts in 5 of his last 7 starts.
Considering his outing against the Yankees, I don’t see why he shouldn’t be able to deliver another solid start against the Athletics today. For this price, he provides great strikeout upside and win potential.
Recommended MLB DFS Hitters
Highest Expected Run Totals
- Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Austin Gomber
- Houston Astros vs. Jonathan Cannon
- Atlanta Braves vs. Casey Mize
- Chicago Cubs vs. Logan Webb
Core MLB DFS Hitters
*Note: Will Be Updated As Official Starting Lineups Are Released
Matt Olson, 1B Atlanta Braves
I really like the Braves in this matchup today. I am worried about Casey Mize’s ability to get them out and think they could potentially score many runs today. On top of the good matchup, Matt Olson has been hitting the ball great for a while now.
Olson just saw his 10-game hitting streak come to an end. Over that streak, he had a 1.157 OPS, 2 homers, and 5 multi-hit games. The Dodgers in Coors are going to be tempting as well, but if you can’t afford their steep price, Matt Olson is a great bat to turn to.
Royce Lewis, 3B Minnesota Twins
I don’t care if you are tired of me talking about Royce Lewis. What he is doing right now is amazing, and you need to be trying to get him in your lineups. He now has 7 homers in 11 games after hitting a homer in each of their two games on Sunday, along with a 1.398 OPS.
Aaron Civale looks to have righted the ship a bit in his last start against the Cubs, but I am not ready to trust him again yet. He has had a real problem giving up homers this season, so I am not going to be surprised if we see number 8 from Lewis today.
Potential PPD for Twins vs. Rays
Carlos Correa, SS Minnesota Twins
I am also sticking with the Twins for this one because Carlos Correa is on an absolute tear right now. Over his last 11 games, Carlos Correa has 4 homers, 8 multi-hit games, 12 runs, 13 RBIs, and a 1.326 OPS.
Over the month of June Correa has a higher OPS than Bobby Witt and Gunnar Henderson (and every other shortstop in the league). Getting him at this price makes it hard not to continue riding this hot streak.
Potential PPD for Twins vs. Rays
Jarren Duran, OF Boston Red Sox
There is no shortage of amazing options in the outfield today. You’ve got the two best hitters in the league right now on the Yankees in Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, the Dodgers in Coors, the Astros facing Jonathan Gannon, and the Braves facing Casey Mize, but I think Jarren Duran is someone who could be overlooked amongst all those options.
Duran has a 1.046 OPS in the month of June, he is on an 8-game hitting streak, and Chris Bassitt has a pretty large inability to get left-handers out. It could be a good matchup for stacking several left-handed Boston bats, but Duran especially seems like a great option in the outfield today.
Player Pool
Stacks
| Dodgers | Teoscar Hernández | Shohei Ohtani | Miguel Rojas | Andy Pages | Freddie Freeman |
 DraftKings | 6000 | 6900 | 4000 | 4300 | 6300 |
 Fanduel | 4500 | 5200 | 3100 | 3400 | 4100 |
| Twins | Ryan Jeffers | Royce Lewis | Trevor Larnach | Carlos Correa | Max Kepler |
| DraftKings | 4400 | 6200 | 3900 | 4600 | 4200 |
| Fanduel | 2900 | 4300 | 2900 | 3600 | 3100 |
| Red Sox | Ceddanne Rafaela | Enmanuel Valdez | David Hamilton | Tyler O'Neill | Jarren Duran | Rafael Devers |
| DraftKings | 3300 | 3400 | 4000 | 4800 | 5200 | 5500 |
| Fanduel | 2800 | 2600 | 2800 | 3000 | 3600 | 3800 |
| Braves | Ozzie Albies | Austin Riley | Marcell Ozuna | Matt Olson | Jarred Kelenic |
| DraftKings | 5500 | 5200 | 5900 | 5300 | 3200 |
| Fanduel | 3500 | 3200 | 4200 | 3500 | 2700 |
| Astros | Jose Altuve | Alex Bregman | Jeremy Peña | Yainer Diaz | Yordan Alvarez |
| DraftKings | 5300 | 4100 | 3900 | 3900 | 5400 |
| Fanduel | 3900 | 3000 | 2900 | 2800 | 3900 |
Player News
Daulton Varsho picked up three hits, three RBI and a homer in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Varsho has only played in seven games this year, but they’ve been seven good ones. He’s homered three times already, and his slugging percentage is a remarkable — and entirely unsustainable — .727 over 22 at-bats. Varsho has been a mediocre offensive player in his two seasons with the Blue Jays, but it’s possible at the age of 28 he’s having a breakout campaign. Far from a guarantee, but possible.
Taylor Ward hit a two-run homer in a loss to the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Ward, 31, gave the Angels a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer off Chris Bassitt in the first inning. He’s now gone deep in two of his last three games, and it ‘improves’ his slash to .181/.224/.391. Ward has been one of the most hot/cold players players in the sport over the last few years, so fantasy managers who can afford to make some roster moves may want to look at Ward while the going is good.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up three hits and scored twice in an 8-5 win over the Angels on Thursday.
Guerrero also drew a walk. It gives the first baseman multiple hits in back-to-back games, and it’s the third time in May that he’s reached that mark. That’s helped raise his average from .268 to .295, and the only thing fantasy managers can be disappointed with is his .432 slugging percentage. That number should continue to climb as the season unfolds, but Vladdy Jr. has had some inconsistent seasons when it comes to power production.
Chad Green picked up his first save of 2025 with a scoreless ninth against the Angels on Thursday.
Green got the save after Jeff Hoffman worked in back-to-back games — and struggled — in the first two contests against the Angels. He struck out two and looked the part while needing just nine pitches to get through the inning. Hoffman should remain the closer, but Green is on his tail if the struggles were to continue.
Chris Bassitt allowed five runs — four earned — while working six-plus innings against the Angels on Thursday while picking up a win.
Bassitt allowed three runs over the first two innings on a pair of homers, but settled down over his next four frames. He came out to work the seventh, but ended up being charged for two more runs after leaving the contest. The 36-year-old veteran has forged a 3.35 ERA and outstanding 49/8 K/BB ratio over the first quarter of the season, but this wasn’t him at his best. He’ll get the Rays next week if the rotation order stays the same for Toronto.
José Soriano allowed three runs over five innings while not factoring in the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays.
Soriano left with a 4-3 lead, but it was erased quickly after his departure. The 26-year-old was not exactly dominant in his outing with eight hits allowed and four free passes, but he did strike out six to help balance things out a smidgen. Soriano takes an even ERA of 4.00 into a scheduled start against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday. There should be better options for that one.