DraftKings, FanDuel Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (9/18/23): Today's Top MLB DFS Lineups

September 18, 2023

The top daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on September 18, 2023. Casey Wilson's MLB DFS analysis and sleepers for building optimal DFS rosters.

We're back at it on a Monday after a great football weekend. With the playoff race heating up and only two divisions clinched at the moment, we are in for a heck of a final stretch of the season. If you have been focusing on Football for the past two weeks, we have been grinding out baseball. Don’t you worry. We will have baseball covered here at RotoBaller all the way through the World Series. Let’s keep the momentum rolling from last week.

I will cover the eight-game slate starting at 7:05 p.m. in this article. We have two premier options on the slate on the bump in Freddy Peralta and Michael Wacha. Peralta is in tremendous form, and Wacha gets an elite matchup against the Rockies outside Coors Field. We also have Adam Wainwright pitching, meaning the Brewers will be chalky immediately. The Mariners and Astros face a lefty tonight, and the major league home run king Lance Lynn toes the rubber tonight. Let's dig in and see where we land without plays tonight.

This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 9/18/2023 and the slate locking at 7:05 p.m. ET. The lineup picks will range from some elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS advice and lineup picks for other sports here. Monitoring injury news and today's MLB starting lineups is also essential. Now that we got all that out of the way, it's onto the picks! Follow me on Twitter @CaseyW22 for more free betting and DFS advice.

DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

I have decided to post my charts throughout the article that I have been using for DFS. I want to quickly explain the color coding and bolding so you can understand better. That is an elite play if you see bold capital letters and green. Bold letters with green are a great play. Bold letters with yellow is a good play. Bold letters with white are to be used to round out lineups. Letters that are not bold are to be used in MME only for player pools or to round out stacks in a single entry.

Freddy Peralta, MIL at STL ($11,300 DK, $10,800 FD)

The red-hot Freddy Peralta will square off against the St. Louis Cardinals evening. He is the best high-priced play on the board tonight. Since the break, Peralta has been the best arm in the big leagues. He has a 2.66 SIERA, 38.3% K%, and 16.7% SwStr%. Peralta has five outings since the break with double-digit strikeouts. He has scored over 20 DraftKings points in all but two starts in that span.

Since August 1, the Cardinals own 104 wRC+ and a 21.2% K% against right-hand pitching. Over the last 30 days, Peralta has a 50.0% K% against right-handed bats, and as always, this Cardinals team is full of righties. Look for Peralta to continue his second-half dominance tonight.

Michael Wacha, SD vs. COL ($8,900 DK, $9,300 FD)

Michael Wacha gets a premier matchup tonight against the Rockies outside of Coors Field. Wacha has struggled a bit over his last four starts, but he has faced the Dodgers, Phillies, and Brewers in the starts he has struggled. The Rockies, on the other hand, have been the worst team in the big leagues against right-hand pitching. They own a 79 wRC+ and a 27.2% K%. On the season, Wacha owns a 4.58 SIERA, 21.9% K%, 10.2% SwStr%, and a 1.21 WHIP. The matchup is elite, so that ownership will be there, but it’s hard to stray away from Wacha tonight under $9,000 on DraftKings.

Also consider: Mike Clevinger, Bryan Woo, Eduardo Rodriguez (GPP), Lance Lynn

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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Josh Donaldson - 3B, MIL vs. Adam Wainwright ($4,000 DK, $2,600 FD)

How freaking gross is this? I'm writing up Josh Donaldson against Adam Wainwright in 2023. Waino is only pitching for the Cardinals to get him to the career 200-win plateau. Since the change in scenery, Donaldson has been excellent in his limited time for the Brewers. Waino has a .406 wOBA, .218 ISO, and a 39.9% hard hit against right-handed batters this season. In his last 15 plate appearances since his call-up with Milwaukee, Donaldson has a 251 wRC+, .546 wOBA, and a .800 SLG. He's too cheap for this matchup and that production, especially on FanDuel.

J.P. Crawford - SS, SEA vs. JP Sears ($4,200 DK, $3,100 FD)

I am siding with Crawford in the battle of the JP's tonight as the Mariners head into Oakland to battle the Athletics. Sears has always shown reverse splits, and this season is no different. Lefties have hit him to a .386 wOBA, .227 ISO, and a 34.0% hard hit this season. In his last 50 plate appearances against left-hand pitching, Crawford has a 165 wRC+, .404 wOBA, and a .463 SLG. He will be one of the lowest-owned shortstops tonight and is my favorite play in that position. 

Matthew Batten - 2B/3B, SD vs. Ty Blach ($2,700 DK, $2,300 FD)

Matthew Batten and the San Diego Padres will square off against Ty Blach and the Rockies. The Padres are one of my favorite stacks, although I will like it better if my guy Ha-Seong Kim breaks the lineup tonight. Batten will get the split advantage with Blach, who has a .421 wOBA, .186 ISO, and a 52.1% hard hit against right-handed bats over his last 30 days. Since the break, Batten has a 191 wRC+, a .448 wOBA, and a .571 SLG against lefties in 32 plate appearances. We are looking to play up for pitching tonight, so Batten makes sense at his price as a top value for us.

DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Kyle Schwarber - OF, PHI vs. Kyle Wright ($5,600 DK, $3,800 FD)

Kyle Schwarber and the Philadelphia Phillies are heating up again at the right time. Schwarber gets a juicy matchup with Kyle Wright in his second start back from the IL. Wright has been hit by lefties his whole career, and his first outing was no change from that trend. In his first start, he allowed a .461 wOBA, .286 ISO, and a 60.0% hard hit against lefties. Schwarber, over the last 30 days, has a 238 wRC+, .527 wOBA, and a .875 SLG.

Mark Canha - 1B/OF, MIL vs. Adam Wainwright ($3,200 DK, $2,900 FD)

Mark Canha is my favorite value on the slate tonight. He has been on a tear and will hit in the middle of the lineup in a tremendous matchup against Adam Wainwright. Waino has a .406 wOBA, .218 ISO, and a 39.9% hard hit against right-handed batters this season. Mark Canha, over his last 30 days, has a 160 wRC+, .410 wOBA, and a .470 SLG against right-hand pitching. He is way too cheap for this spot, and if not stacking the Brewers, I would recommend Canaha as a one-off on both sites. 

Julio Rodriguez - OF, SEA vs. JP Sears ($6,500 DK, $4,500 FD)

Julio Rodriguez will square off tonight against JP Sears. I love the Mariners tonight and think they are the stack on the board that can come in under-owned. J Rod has a 288 wRC+, .582 wOBA, and a .842 SLG against left-hand pitching since August 1. The Mariners are first in baseball against the split over the last 30 days with a 138 wRC+. Stack them up tonight.

DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks

1. Milwaukee Brewers vs. Adam Wainwright

Favorite Plays: Mark Canha, Christian Yelich, Josh Donaldson, Carlos Santana, Willy Adames, William Contreras

2. Seattle Mariners vs. JP Sears

Favorite Plays: J.P. Crawford, Julio Rodriguez, Dylan Moore, Eugenio Suarez, Ty France, Teoscar Hernandez

3. San Diego Padres vs. Ty Blach

Favorite Plays: Ha-Seong Kim, Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Matthew Batten, Garrett Cooper