FanDuel DFS – MLB Lineup Picks, Sleepers & Advice for 6/18/15

June 18, 2015

Tom Bellucco analyzes some MLB DFS lineup picks & sleepers for 6/18/15 on FanDuel fantasy baseball daily leagues. His DFS advice and value picks help you win on FanDuel.

I just recently had my most successful overall MLB FanDuel night. I only profited about eight bucks, simply because my bankroll is a little low right now, but it was cool to see all three of my lineups cash in tournaments. I took Wednesday night off, as I had to work two hours prior to lineups locking. I wasn’t planning on pushing my luck with late weather/lineup shifts after a good night. So I’m fresh for Thursday to give some stellar advice.

It’s an unusual Thursday, June 18th in baseball because every team is scheduled to play. Because of the unanimous home-and-home series’ that are going on, every team is finishing up against a team they’ve played three times prior. We’ll have five afternoon games and 10 night games. I’m going to do something unique with this piece. I’m going to give my regular advice for the night slate (as usual), but I’m also going to provide some tournament advice for those who want to participate in the five-game afternoon slate. There are some fun games involved in that bunch, so I encourage everyone to give it a shot. And hey, if you’re team is out of the race by three o’clock, you can redeem yourself with the night slate. Let’s get started!

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Offenses to Target for FanDuel DFS

Early: Houston Astros (vs. David Hale, RHP)

It was tempting for me to go with the Orioles offense, as they very well might shell a Phillies pitcher again on Thursday, but the Astros have looked to hot and, well, Coors Field. Actually a nice four-and-four Orioles Astros stack might work out pretty well in a tournament. Right-handed starter David Hale gets the tall task of keeping players like George Springer, Carlos Correia, Luis Valbuena, and Evan Gattis from leaving the yard. Take your pick here and hope the afternoon air carries a few fly balls into the bleachers.

Los Angeles Dodgers (vs. Anthony Ranaudo, RHP)

At this point in the season I hope that everyone’s aware how lethal the Dodgers are against right-handed opponenets. They face-up against a young righty in Anthony Ranaudo, who has very limited experience in the majors. He pitched seven games with the Red Sox last year and owned a 4.81 ERA. That’s about the area I would expect is current 32.40 ERA to eventually fall to, but it might not fall on Thursday. Hitters like Joc Pederson, Adrian Gonzalez, Howie Kendrick, Jimmy Rollins, and Yasmani Grandal are just a handful of the possible Dodger options on Thursday.

Toronto Blue Jays (vs. Bartolo Colon, RHP)

Shocker. I chose the Dodgers and the Blue Jays as my two stacks. It may seem unoriginal, but why change it if it has worked so many times? Kevin Pillar had a great game Wednesday, and he has slowly become a run-producing presence at the bottom of that lineup. Match with players like Chris Colabello and Danny Valencia, and that gives you a pretty cheap stack with a high upside. Of course, there’s always Jose Reyes, Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, and E5 too if you don’t want to get creative. Take your pick here.

Honorable Mentions: Baltimore Orioles (Early), Miami Marlins

DFS Starting Pitchers to Target for FanDuel

Early: Ian Kennedy (SP, SD) - $7,200

It was tough for me to steer away from Jaime Garcia in the early slate, but if you’re playing in a tournament you’re going to want a lesser-owned pitcher. Enter Ian Kennedy. He won’t be the sub-five percentage that is idea for a tournament pitcher, but I do think a good chunk of players will go with Garcia. Meanwhile, Kennedy has only let up three earned runs in his last three starts while owning a K/9 rate of 9.00. He only walked three batters in that span, and Kennedy battled through an opposing BABIP of .340 in that span. He gets a mediocre offense in the Oakland A’s who have certainly been shut down before. If Kennedy can continue his rebound from his poor start to the season, he could be a major cog in a cash-winning lineup.

Zack Greinke (SP, LAD) - $10,400

Zack Greinke is my choice for the safest option on the board tonight. Many will argue Chris Archer (and use him), and that’s fine. Many will also argue Gerrit Cole, and that’s fine too. But if there’s a team out there that can figure Archer out and hammer him, it’s probably Bryce Harper and the Nats. Cole is having a tremendous season, but he’s do for a regression game, and the White Sox are due for a game full of hits. Greinke is no sure thing either, however, because the Texas bats hit righties farely well. Not to mention, they won’t want to deal with another Kershaw-like outing against them again. However, Greinke’s stuff has been incredible this year. His 1.95 ERA is no joke, but his five wins certainly are. As long as he can get a little run support from the boys on the other end facing Colby Lewis and can keep the ball in the yard, Greinke is capable of having a fine night. With that being said, I can't argue with any of the three options mentioned above. The prices are close enough where it becomes personal preference.

Danny Salazar (SP, CLE) - $9,100

OK, so I didn’t get too risky with my tournament pitcher on Thursday, but I don’t think you have too. I saw too much risk in all of the lower guys, so I think Salazar is your best bet if you’re fading Greinke. Trever Bauer showed us how to handle the Cubs bats on Tuesday night, and Salazar is more than capable of doing the same thing. Chicago is known for putting together a big inning in the blink of an eye, but they are also very strikeout prone. If Salazar’s stuff is on and his team can get him a few runs, FanDuel players could be very happy with double-digit K’s and a win when all is said and done.

DFS Infielders to Target for FanDuel

Russell Martin (C, TOR) - $3,600

He certainly is expensive, but Martin has all the signs pointing in his direction on Thursday. Martin gets his hitter-friendly park, his better split in a righty, and the homer-prone Bartolo Colon.

Adrian Gonzalez (1B, LAD) - $3,200

Gonzalez is a steal at this price. The young righty Ranaudo is begging to be taken yard, and the Dodgers first baseman is as good a candidate as anyone. Gonzalez still has a .404 wOBA and .950 OPS against righties. Take advantage of his low price tag while you can.

Neil Walker (2B, PIT) - $2,500

While Walker’s bat has quieted down a bit, it hasn’t done so enough to warrant this steep of a price drop. The string of four lefties gave him plenty of rest early in the week, so I expect Walker to take advantage of a hittable righty in Jeff Samardzija on Thursday.

Brock Holt (3B, BOS) - $3,100

I was very surprised when I heard about Holt's cycle. However, it didn’t come out of nowhere, as Holt has been hitting the ball very well this year. He gets a fine matchup against righty Shelby Miller on Thursday. Although his righty splits are less impressive than his left, he still owns a .367 wOBA and a lower strikeout rate against right-handed pitchers.

Francisco Lindor (SS, CLE) - $2,400

Make sure you check the starting lineup on this one. Although he was not known for his bat in the prospect world, Lindor has batted second in the order as of late. A player batting at the top of the order for a great team at this price is a great bargain play.

Early: Kolten Wong (2B, STL) - $3,000

At a very deflated price, Wong’s matchup against righty Mike Pelfrey is too good to be overlooked. He’s still batting leadoff and the Cardinals should still be able to drive him in despite their growing number of injuries. Wong owns a .367 wOBA against right-handed pitchers.

Early: Luis Valbuena (3B, HOU) - $3,700

Although his average has been consistently under the Mendoza Line (.185), Valbuena has supplied considerable power from the third base position. 12 of his 16 home runs in 2015 have come off of righties like Hale. This tournament play could turn into a plus five or more FanDuel Points just as easily as a negative points.

DFS Outfielders to Target for FanDuel

Giancarlo Stanton (OF, MIA) - $5,400

I shouldn’t even have to say it, but Stanton mashes lefties. He’s very pricey, yes. But if you can save on other positions he makes for a very safe and high-upside play on Thursday.

Andre Ethier (OF, LOS) - $3,000

I love playing Ethier against righties. The aforementioned Ranaudo is the victim on Thursday, and Ethier should be able to continue stroking the ball well against mediocre right-handed pitching.

Will Venable (OF, SDP) - $2,500

Since Wil Myers headed back to the DL, Venable finds himself in an everyday role in the Padres outfield. He hasn’t been hitting the cover off of the ball, but Venable is a very solid bargain option with good splits against righty pitchers like Kendall Graveman

Travis Snider (OF, BAL) - $2,600

Snider has quickly jumped back onto the scene with multiple RBI in each of his past two games. The Orioles are hitting the Phillies left and right, and that doesn’t seem like it will change soon with O’Sullivan braving the tall task of pitching for Philly on Thursday. Snider should provide some solid production at the top of this red hot Orioles lineup.

Good luck with your FanDuel and DFS lineups RotoBallers!

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