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The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 6/18/21. Euan Leith's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Friday, RotoBallers! We are kicking off the weekend with a massive 15-game slate. That's right: 30 teams, 30 pitchers, and a myriad of avenues to construct a DFS lineup. Four games on the East Coast kick it off at 7:05 pm ET, and we go through the entire night until the Reds-Padres, and Rays-Mariners games throw out their firsts pitches at 10:10 pm ET. It's almost summer, and the good weather is coming in thick and fast, literally. We only have to watch out for some wind tonight in Pittsburgh, Colorado, and New York.
Corbin Burnes, Trevor Bauer, and Carlos Rodon headline the pitchers on the slate as many aces threw earlier in the week. Burnes and Bauer are in the middle of some spin rate concerns, but Rodon is going in the opposite direction and continuing to throw faster and harder as the season rolls along. Unfortunately, Burnes is in Coors Field, and Rodon faces a formidable Astros lineup. Outside of those three arms, I will be looking at Luis Garcia, Joey Lucchesi, Robbie Ray, and possibly James Kaprielian. All four have upside, but Garcia (White Sox) and Kaprielian (Yankees) will see extremely tough lineups.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 6/18/2021. The lineup will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also check out today's FanDuel MLB DFS lineup picks and read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports too. It’s also important to monitor injury news and today's MLB starting lineups. If you have any questions or comments, find me on Twitter and ask away.
DraftKings DFS Starting Pitchers
Yusei Kikuchi - P, SEA vs. TB ($8,600)
Happy Birthday one day late to Yusei Kikuchi. Yesterday, he turned 30, but he's already a part of another particular club in 2021. Kikuchi is one of 13 pitchers this season to score at least 15 DraftKings points in eight consecutive starts. The streak started on Apr. 29, and, during these eight starts, the southpaw is throwing a 2.70 ERA and 0.90 WHIP with 55 strikeouts in 50 innings. He's also averaging 22.2 fantasy points per game and has secured seven quality starts in this stretch. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay is striking out 28.35 percent of the time versus left-handers and, as a team, have a 90 wRC+ on the year. Of course, we want Kikuchi to score more than 15 points for us tonight, but knowing that's his floor makes him an easy SP2 candidate.
Jose Berrios - P, MIN at TEX ($8,500)
The Twins are in the midst of a disappointing 2021 campaign, but Jose Berrios is one of the few bright spots on the roster. The 27-year old is 7-2 with a 3.49 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and career-high 26 percent strikeout rate. Over his last five starts, Berrios has scored at least 20 DraftKings points in four games and averaged 21.9 fantasy points per game. Tonight, he'll head to the Dallas area to take on a Rangers team who strike out 26 percent of the time versus righties and slash .226/.304/.373 against them on the season. While there are plenty of high-priced arms on the slate tonight, I like these two sub-$9,000 arms to maintain some flexibility for the bats.
Other options: Robbie Ray at BAL ($9,300) Luis Garcia vs. CHW ($8,900), Joey Lucchesi at WAS ($7,000) Carlos Martinez at ATL ($6,700)
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DraftKings DFS Infielders
Max Stassi - C, LAA vs. Jose Urena ($4,000)
I don't think anyone was predicting a massive Max Stassi breakout even after his impressive 2020, but here we are on June 18th, and he's continuing to smash the baseball on the West Coast. The backstop is setting career highs in all your standard batting categories and backing it up with impressive numbers in the advanced metrics categories. After 23 games, Stassi has a .296 expected Batting Average and a .566 expected Slugging Percentage. He's splitting time with Kurt Suzuki behind the plate, but he's hit third in the lineup during his last three starts. It's well deserved because over his previous 34 at-bats, Stassi owns a 1.256 OPS with 13 runs, seven extra-base hits (four homers), and 10 RBI. No one should be afraid of Jose Urena and his 4.98 xFIP. The Angels will probably be a less popular stack than some of the big guns on Friday and offer some opportunity to differentiate your lineups from the rest of the field.
C.J. Cron - 1B, COL vs. Corbin Burnes ($4,200)
An in-form hitter playing at Coors Field for $4,200? Sign me up. While Cron's eight homers and .813 OPS are not what we hoped for in season-long drafts back in March, he is en fuego right now, and it's time to pounce. Since returning to Denver on Monday, the first baseman is 5-for-15 with four runs, a double, three home runs, and seven RBI. Just last night, he cracked a grand slam against Brandon Woodruff, and now he'll try to repeat against another Brewers ace, Corbin Burnes. While a grand slam is a lofty expectation, there's no reason Cron can't continue his power barrage. The weather is heating up, and we are getting Cron at an incredible price for Coors Field.
Jose Altuve - 2B, HOU vs. Carlos Rodon ($5,600)
It's always a dangerous game to invest heavily in one bat, but Jose Altuve may be an exception. Since the calendar flipped to June, Altuve is slashing .283/.384/.733 with 15 runs, nine home runs, 15 RBI, and one stolen base. The 2017 MVP has four home runs in his last three games and became the first player in MLB history to hit a walk-off grand slam and then a leadoff home run the next day. He's averaging 15 fantasy points per game over his last 10 contests, and, against southpaws, he's hitting .344 with a .877 OPS.
Abraham Toro - 3B, HOU vs. Carlos Rodon ($2,400)
To fit in some big bats, we will need to find value, and Toro is a perfect candidate. Houston recalled the 24-year old from Triple-A after Alex Bregman (quad) landed on the IL. There aren't a ton of contenders to fill Bregman's spot with Aledmys Diaz (hand) also on the IL, so there will be plenty of opportunities for Toro for the foreseeable future. The switch-hitter returned to the Astros starting lineup last night against the White Sox and quickly went 2-for-4 with two runs, a home run, and four RBI. I had success with Myles Straw on Wednesday, and I'm going back to the discount Astros bin tonight.
Amed Rosario - SS, CLE at Chad Kuhl ($3,600)
For the first time in his major-league career, Rosario is an above-average hitter according to his 104 wRC+. While he may never live up to his prospect hype, the shortstop shows that Cleveland didn't totally lose their offseason Lindor trade. This year, Rosario is hitting .284, but he's found his stride over the last couple of weeks. Since June 6, the right-hander is rocking a .945 OPS with 11 runs, a triple, a home run, six RBI, and two stolen bases. He's locked and loaded into the two-hole of Cleveland's lineup, and DraftKings has set him up with a fair salary at $3,600.
DraftKings DFS Outfielders
Shohei Ohtani - 1B/OF, LAA vs. Jose Urena ($5,800)
The following has nothing to do with DFS analysis, but I thoroughly enjoyed it to showcase how strange baseball can be at times.
With Shohei Ohtani making his 10th start on the mound today, he’ll become just the third player in Major League history with double-digit homers, steals, and starts in a season:
1922 Bullet Rogan
2018 Shohei Ohtani
2021 Shohei Ohtani— Jeremy Frank (@MLBRandomStats) June 17, 2021
I'm not sure Ohtani is from this planet, but I'll gladly play him in DFS any time I can fit him into my lineup. Strange and wonderful stats aside, he has been a tremendous asset to anyone who gets him on their roster each night. Through 67 games, the two-way phenom has a .969 OPS with 44 runs, 19 home runs, 47 RBI, and 10 steals. Ohtani has been in the two-hole all season and flourishing in his everyday role. As I mentioned with Max Stassi, Jose Urena isn't scaring anyone and could be the pitcher to give up home run No. 20 to Ohtani.
Cedric Mullins - OF, BAL vs. Robbie Ray ($4,100)
Calling Mullins versus Robbie Ray an unstoppable force meets an immovable object is a slight exaggeration. However, both players are playing fantastic baseball in June, and I'm looking forward to them battling it out in Baltimore. I'm giving the advantage to Mullins in his home ballpark as he's been crushing at Camden. In 31 home games, the outfielder slashes .350/.423/.625 with 22 runs, 19 extra-base hits (six homers), 10 RBI, and four stolen bases. At $4,100 and hitting leadoff for a not-so-miserable offense, I like Mullins to add another extra-base hit to his 2021 total.
Tyler O'Neill - OF, STL at Max Fried ($3,800)
If you know any fantasy baseball players waiting for O'Neill to stop his season-long production, they may not want to hold their breath much longer. The outfielder has a .933 OPS on the season, and over his last 10 games, he's slashing .286/.359/.600 with six runs, three home runs, and six RBI. The Cardinals are moving him in their lineup from third to fifth in the batting order, but he's producing wherever he hits. O'Neill's opponent, Max Fried, is bouncing back a bit, yet he allowed two home runs in six innings against Miami. O'Neill has the power, and the teammates, to provide a reasonable amount of fantasy points on Friday in what could be a high-scoring affair.
DraftKings DFS Stacks
- Toronto Blue Jays at Baltimore Orioles (Bruce Zimmermann, LHP)
- Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox (Carlos Rodon, LHP)
- Sneaky stack: Los Angeles Angels vs. Detroit Tigers (Jose Urena, RHP)
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