MLB DFS Picks Today: Daily Fantasy Baseball Strategy and Tips For FanDuel, DraftKings (8/18/25)

Zach's top DraftKings and FanDuel MLB DFS picks for today, Sunday, 8/18/25. His favorite daily fantasy baseball lineup sleepers and value picks for DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Welcome back, RotoBallers! It's time to start the new work week with a full slate of new series as Major League Baseball continues a busy month of August. Both FanDuel and DraftKings split the 12 games on the schedule for under the lights into two slates. Four games are on the early slate, starting just before 7:00 p.m. ET, while the main slate on both sites begins at 7:10 p.m. ET and includes the eight games that start throughout the evening after that. With 16 teams in the player pool, plenty of strong options emerge at each position and price point.

Half of the games on the board are divisional contests, including the Dodgers and Rockies meeting at Coors Field in the game with the highest run total on the board. On the mound, Spencer Strider is the biggest ace on the schedule with some strong secondary options and value plays to consider as well.

This article will provide my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 8/18/2025, with the slate starting at 7:10 PM EST. The lineup picks will showcase elite players, 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 always essential.

DraftKings, FanDuel Pitchers - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, SP - LAD ($9.4K DK/$10.3K FD)

So the Dodgers are ok now? The Dodgers had been struggling since the All-Star break and fallen behind the San Diego Padres in the NL West before a convincing sweep of San Diego re-established their lead in the division. They head to Colorado with a two-game lead and will give the ball to Yamamoto to keep things trending in the right direction.

Yamamoto has been excellent in his second season in the majors, going 10-8 with a 2.84 ERA, 3.07 FIP, and 145 strikeouts in 126 2/3 innings. He struggled in his last outing against the Angels, giving up six runs in 4 2/3 innings, but before that, he had over 21 DraftKings points and over 35 FanDuel points in six of his previous seven outings. He allowed zero or one earned runs in each of those six outings and picked up four victories.

He faced the Rockies in Colorado in one of those starts, throwing five scoreless innings at Coors Field with six strikeouts to earn 26.05 DraftKings points and 39 FanDuel points. The offense-friendly environment raises the risk in building around Yamamoto, but the Rockies are a favorable matchup overall with a young lineup that brings lots of strikeout potential and the second-highest K% in the majors this season.

Brady Singer, SP - CIN ($8K DK/$9.2K FD)

Singer has been volatile over his last few outings, with two very rough outings in Pittsburgh and Washington mixed in with dominant home starts against the Phillies, Braves, and Rays. He threw six shutout innings with six strikeouts and no walks against the Phillies in his last start.

Brady Singer, Filthy 84mph Slider. 😷 pic.twitter.com/AxVxnlMFKD

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 12, 2025

Singer gets a good matchup against the Angels, who lead the majors in K% this season and over the last 30 days. Singer isn't as steady as elite options, but when he is at his best, he piles up enough strikeouts to give him a very high ceiling, even though this matchup is on the road in Anaheim.

Nestor Cortes, SP - SD ($6.5K DK/$7.6K FD)

Cortes will have the task of getting the Padres back on track after their tough sweep in Los Angeles. He'll be making his first home start for the Padres since joining them from Milwaukee in a trade deadline deal. The veteran lefty has pitched 4 2/3 innings in each of his two starts since the trade, with a total of nine strikeouts, nine hits, and three earned runs in his 9 1/3 innings. The Padres won both of his starts, but he didn't pitch enough innings to qualify for the victory.

He has a good chance to get a victory this Monday, though, if he can get through five innings at Petco Park against the struggling Giants. San Francisco's offense has the fifth-highest K% and the fourth-lowest wRC+ in the majors over the last two weeks, averaging just 3.0 runs per game with a .271 wOBA that is the lowest in the National League over that span. Cortes faced them during that stretch in his most recent outing and picked up 16.3 DraftKings points with six strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings last Tuesday.

Others To Consider (Cash/GPP):

• Trevor Rogers, SP - BAL ($9K DK/$10.5K FD) 
• Dustin May, SP - BOS ($6.9K DK/$8.5K FD)

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DraftKings, FanDuel Infielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Ketel Marte, 2B - ARI ($5.8K DK/$4K FD)

Marte didn't homer in the Diamondbacks' four-game series in Colorado, but he'll look to get back on track as he and the Dbacks come home to take on the Guardians and righty Gavin Williams. The switch-hitting Marte is hitting .319 on the season against righties with 17 of his 23 homers and a .433 wOBA.

Marte had nine multi-hit games in his last 19 contests with a .343 batting average, six doubles, three homers, and a .416 wOBA. He headlines a position without a lot of depth options, and is a great pay-up play Monday night if you have the salary.

Geraldo Perdomo, SS - ARI ($4.8K DK/$3.7K FD)

Perdomo has been thriving in the Dbacks' lineup just ahead of Marte and can form a nice 1-2 punch as a mini-stack with his double-play partner. Over his last 15 games, Perdomo is 20-for-56 (.357) with four doubles, two homers, and six stolen bases for an average of 12.1 fantasy points per game.

His salary hasn't quite caught up to his recent success, and the 25-year-old switch-hitter has put together a breakout season for the Diamondbacks as one of their few bright spots in a tough season overall.

Samuel Basallo, C - BAL ($3K DK/$2.3K FD)

The Orioles called up top prospect Samuel Basallo on Sunday, and in his debut, he went 1-for-4 with a pair of RBI and nine fantasy points.

Samuel Basallo's first MLB hit for the @Orioles!

At 21 years and 4 days old, baseball's No. 8 prospect is the youngest position player to appear in a big league game this season. pic.twitter.com/zKkDdwLRdh

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 17, 2025

MLB Pipeline ranked Basallo as the No. 8 prospect in all of baseball and is still a work in progress as a catcher, but he definitely has a bat to believe in. He hit .270 with 17 doubles, 23 home runs, 67 RBI, and a .413 wOBA in 76 games for the Norfolk Tides and was especially hot in 20 games from July 4 until his promotion, going 26-for-84 (.310) with nine doubles, seven homers, 29 RBI, and a .447 wOBA.

After making his debut in Houston, he'll face Dustin May and the Red Sox in Fenway on Monday. He brings huge power potential from the minimal salary at a tricky position to fill behind the plate. I love his upside at this price.

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP):

• Alex Bregman, 3B - BOS ($5.2K DK/$3.4K FD) 
• Marcus Semien, 2B - TEX ($3.5K DK/$2.9K FD)
• Spencer Steer, 1B on DK, OF/1B/2B on FD - CIN ($3.8K DK/$3K FD)
• Ryan Ritter, 2B/SS on DK, SS on FD - COL ($2.8K DK/$2.8K FD)

DraftKings, FanDuel Outfielders - MLB DFS Lineup Picks

Shohei Ohtani, 1B/OF on DK, OF on FD - LAD ($7K DK/$5.2K FD)

Ohtani is extremely expensive as the Dodgers head to Denver to take on the Rockies at elevation. Ohtani has hit .391 with six homers in his 17 career games at Coors, including going 3-for-10 with two homers earlier this year in Colorado. Ohtani went only 2-for-9 with three walks and three runs scored in the Dodgers' sweep of the Padres, but he's still hitting a robust .389 in his 15 games in August with three doubles, a triple, five home runs, and four stolen bases. Over those 15 games, Ohtani is averaging 13.9 DraftKings points per contest.

He's set up in a good spot on Monday since he is 4-for-6 with a pair of homers in his career against Rockies starter Kyle Freeland, and he brings an extremely high ceiling if you can fit his hefty price tag under your salary cap.

Noelvi Marte, OF on DK, 3B/OF on FD - CIN ($4.7K DK/$3.2K FD)

Marte comes into the Reds' series in Anaheim on a heater after hitting safely in each of his last eight games. He has gone 15-for-34 (.441) with five doubles, nine RBI, and two home runs over that stretch, including this smash on Saturday.

Noelvi Marte - Cincinnati Reds (9)
pic.twitter.com/Nqq3U7wn5P

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) August 17, 2025

Marte has been very productive overall since the All-Star break, and he gets a good matchup in Anaheim against Victor Mederos. Especially on FanDuel, where he's underpriced, Marte is a great way to get elite upside at a less-than-elite salary.

John Rave, OF  - KC ($2.9K DK/$2.5K FD)

Rave is a good value play in the outfield as he and the Royals host Jack Leiter and the Rangers. The 27-year-old rookie hit .301 with nine homers and 17 stolen bases in 44 games at Triple-A this year and has picked up his recent production in the majors.

He has gone 9-for-20 (.450) over his last seven games with a double, a home run, two stolen bases, and an average of 8.9 fantasy points per contest. His dual-threat ability gives him a high ceiling and multiple ways to post a big game at such a bargain price.

Others To Consider (CASH/GPP): 

• Ronald Acuna Jr., OF - ATL ($5.5K DK/$4.1K FD) 
• Sal Frelick, OF - MIL ($4.2K DK/$3.1K FD) 
• Dylan Beavers, OF - BAL ($2K DK/$2.3K FD) 

DraftKings, FanDuel MLB DFS Stacks

1. Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Kyle Freeland

Freeland is 3-12 in his 22 starts this season with a 5.18 ERA and 4.43 FIP. He was excellent in his last outing in St. Louis, but at home this season, he has a 6.52 ERA, 1.86 WHIP, and has allowed a .348 batting average. In addition to Ohtani's past success against Freeland, Miguel Rojas has gone 5-for-16 with a home run, and Will Smith has gone 6-for-20 with a home run. The Rockies' bullpen will also be a great matchup for the Dodgers to keep rolling against after gathering momentum over the weekend.

Favorite Combo: Ohtani, Smith, Rojas, Mookie Betts

2. Cincinnati Reds at Victor Mederos

Mederos gave up three runs on three hits and three walks in four innings in his first start of the season last Tuesday, but will get another turn through the rotation against the Reds on Monday night. He went 7-7 with a 3.41 ERA in his 19 starts in Triple-A, but he had a 4.59 FIP during that span and has allowed a 47.4% hard-hit rate in his limited work in the majors this year. His advanced metrics indicate he's gotten a little lucky to this point, and the Reds will look to build on Sunday's extra-inning win over the Brewers as they start their road trip to the West.

Favorite Combo: Marte, Steer, Elly De La Cruz, Miguel Andujar

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