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

Best Odds For A Win

 

 

 

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 

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.

 

 

 

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