Happy Father’s Day and welcome to the MLB DFS Playbook for June 18! We have a medium-sized 9-game slate on DK and 10-game slate on FD on our hands tonight. We have a 1:05 pm ET start time, so make sure to get those lineups made! Make sure to check out all of our amazing MLB DFS tools as they are always worth going through before building your lineups as are the Vegas Odds. However, as I am sure you have figured out by now, the new playbook will be a one-stop shop that includes everything from easy-to-read player write-ups and suggestions to MLB Weather Reports to lineup construction tips to our best value plays for DraftKings and FanDuel. You will be given core plays around which to build your lineups, DFS stacks to consider for GPP tournaments and key statistics to help you in your DFS research. Let’s dive in! 

 

MLB DFS Playbook June 18

MLB Weather Updates

Detroit Tigers vs. Minnesota Twins (possible rain)

Games that appear to have a decent wind blowing out:

None.

Games that appear to have a decent wind blowing in:

None.

DFS Lineup Construction Thoughts

We have a nice medium-sized slate tonight, which are always interesting as there are still enough different directions to go, but also you’ll see players with high roster percentages. Charlie Morton and Jon Gray check in as the top two priced pitchers on both sites. We do not have Coors Field on the slate, so you don’t have to worry about that when setting lineups.

Recommended DFS Starting Pitchers

Top Options for Strikeouts

Charlie Morton, Atlanta Braves

Louie Varland, Minnesota Twins

Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers

Ronel Blanco, Houston Astros

Best Odds for a Win

Charlie Morton (Atlanta Braves -314)

Louie Varland (Minnesota Twins -227)

Freddy Peralta (Milwaukee Brewers -160)

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Favorite Starters to Use for DFS Lineups

Charlie Morton, Atlanta Braves

Morton is coming off a strong game in which he scored 24.6 dk points. He enters this game with a 3.60 ERA and 85 Ks across 75 innings of work. The Colorado Rockies offense is terrible, especially when they’re on the road, so Morton shouldn’t have any issue posting another strong outing here today. The Braves are the heaviest favorites on the slate too, which doesn’t hurt. 

Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers

Peralta has struggled this season and he is my least favorite option of the three listed here, but he still carries upside. He has 75 Ks across 70.1 innings this season. He has been WAY better at home this season with a 3.86 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 17.7 dk ppg average, compared to a 6.04 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, and 10.6 dk ppg average on the road. The Brewers are the third biggest favorites on the slate today. 

Louie Varland, Minnesota Twins

Varland has been a mixed bag thus far through nine starts, with three games of at least 19.3 dk points, but also four games with single-digit point totals. He has had a ton of tough matchups though, so it’s hard to fault him for not being lights-out. However, today he gets to face the worst offense in baseball, so he makes for a very strong mid-tier option. The Twins are the second biggest favorites on the slate today too. 

Recommended DFS Hitters

Highest Expected Run Totals 

5.32 – Atlanta Braves vs. Chase Anderson

5.17 – Boston Red Sox vs. Clarke Schmidt

5.17 – Los Angeles Angels vs. Zack Greinke

5.16 – New York Mets vs. Matthew Liberatore

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Favorite Hitters to Use for DFS Lineups

Nathaniel Lowe, 1B, Texas Rangers

Lowe isn’t scorching hot right now, but he does have two games with 14 and 22 dk points in his last four games. He is having a nice season, hitting .276 with eight home runs and 40 RBI. He has been a different player at home this year, hitting .294 with an .878 OPS, compared to a .259 average and .712 OPS on the road. Today he faces Chris Bassitt, who has been torn apart by lefties this season as they have slashed .280/.366/.615 against him, compared to the .169/.230/.250 line righties have produced. 

Samad Taylor, 2B/OF, Kansas City Royals

At the minimum price, I am finding it difficult to not play Taylor today. He performed well in his MLB debut yesterday, going 1-3 with two walks, a RBI, and two runs scored to finish with 13 DK points without swiping a bag, which is what gives him the most upside to his game. Tyler Anderson has been a dumpster fire this season with a 5.80 ERA and 1.60 WHIP. I like a few other cheap Royals bats like MJ Melendez and Maikel Garcia too, but Taylor is at the top of the list. 

Gunnar Henderson, 3B/SS, Baltimore Orioles

Henderson has turned his season around and he has been swinging a hot bat lately, hitting .385 with four home runs and two steals over his last 10 games. He now has 10 home runs and four steals on the year. Today he faces Jameson Taillon, who has been abysmal this season with a 6.70 ERA and 1.51 WHIP. He’s been worse at home with a 7.25 ERA and 1.66 WHIP than on the road (6.23 ERA and 1.39 WHIP). Lefties have a 1.032 OPS against Taillon this year, compared to the .662 mark righties have produced.

Francisco Lindor, SS, New York Mets

It’s Father’s Day and today is Lindor’s first game since becoming a father yesterday, so what better way to celebrate that than having a big game today. Of course, that’s not the only reason to play him though, he’s been far better against lefties this season with an .871 OPS, compared to a .632 OPS against righties. Righties have CRUSHED Matthew Liberatore thus far, slashing a ridiculous .318/.405/.429 against him, compared to the .150/.250/.300 line lefties have produced. A Lindor, Tommy Pham mini stack will be a play for me today. 

Kyle Tucker, OF, Houston Astros

Tucker has scored at least 11 DK points in four of his past five and is hitting .289 with four steals over his last 10 games. He has an .850 OPS at home this season, compared to a .743 OPS on the road. Today he faces Luke Weaver, who has been absolute garbage this season with a 6.23 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. I like the Astros a lot today, and you can pair Tucker with cheaper players like Jose Abreu, Corey Julks, and Yainer Diaz. 

Player Pool

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Stacks

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