DraftKings and FanDuel MLB Picks for Saturday 6/18/22

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Pitchers

Justin Verlander FD 10900 DK 10600
Opponent - CHW (Johnny Cueto) Park - CHW
FD - 38.64 DK - 21.45

Not often do we see a pitcher who is legit in the running for the Cy Young(current odds leader) and also in line for the Comeback Player of the Year award. It is pretty incredible what Verlander is doing at the age of 39 let alone after returning from a year and a half absence due to injury. The control has been tremendous as he has only walked 15 batters(5% BB rate) on the season and that has helped him to an elite .81 WHIP and 1.94 ERA. The upside may be somewhat limited as his K rate(26%) isn't what it once was and the White Sox don't K much(19%) but they have been below-average against right-handed pitching(87 wRC+) and Verlander is no average righty. All things considered, he is our top pitching option on this slate.

Jeffrey Springs FD 8700 DK 8000
Opponent - BAL (Kyle Bradish) Park - BAL
FD - 31.32 DK - 17.04

Springs is just another example of the Rays finding a player for practically nothing and turning him into a solid major leaguer. Since being converted to a starter in early May, he has posted an eye-popping 1.72 ERA across seven starts with a 25.5% K rate that has room to grow as he also has an elite 13% swinging-strike rate in that time. Today, he gets a great matchup to add to his numbers as a -170 favourite against a below-average Orioles offence that strikes out over 25% of the time. Springs is my top SP2 to pair with Verlander and a solid option in all formats on FanDuel to help get more bats in your lienup.

Catcher/First Base

Ji-Man Choi FD 3400 DK 4200
Opponent - BAL (Kyle Bradish) Park - BAL
FD - 9.81 DK - 7.32

With Verlander being the top pitching option we will be looking for a solid PTS/$ team to stack with him and the Rays check all the boxes. It starts with the matchup against Kyle Bradish who has been better than his 6.86 ERA but does give up a ton of baserunners(1.67 WHIP) and opponents have tallied an ugly .400 wOBA against him on the season. For Choi, he has been a very consistent PTS/$ option all season hitting .284 with a .369 wOBA and 150 wRC+. He is in play in all formats tonight.

Jared Walsh FD 3100 DK 3300
Opponent - SEA (Chris Flexen) Park - SEA
FD - 9.41 DK - 7.09

With Verlander and a loaded outfield position on this slate, we most likely will be looking for value elsewhere and Walsh fits that build perfectly. Getting exposure to Trout/Ohtani at their prices is going to be tough but Walsh hits cleanup right behind them and is massively undervalued, especially on DraftKings. He hasn't been as consistent as we saw a year ago with a K rate(29%) that is running high but he has a ton of extra-base power(23 XBH) and more importantly a ton of opportunity hitting behind two of the best hitters in the game. I will have exposure in all formats.

Second Base

Vidal Bruján FD 2400 DK 2500
Opponent - BAL (Kyle Bradish) Park - BAL
FD - 10.48 DK - 8.12

This is one we will have to watch closely as lineups come out as Brujan has been filling in at the leadoff spot over the last couple of games with Kevin Kiermaier sidelined. It looks like he will be out once again and that will give us some elite PTS/$ value on a team we are already targeting. Brujan fits the leadoff hitter mold as he boasts a ton of speed and tallied an elite .400 OBP at AAA over 70 games to start this season. Stay tuned for lineups but Brujan is back up top, he is a top value in all formats.

Tony Kemp FD 2300 DK 3000
Opponent - KC (Brad Keller) Park - KC
FD - 9.43 DK - 7.27

I won't be full stacking the A's again today but will turn to them again for some value to help get us to Verlander and the plethora of top outfielders on this slate. Kemp doesn't provide much upside but does offer some opportunity hitting leadoff and has been a bit better as of late with hits in eight of his last 10 starts. He and the A's also get a plus matchup against a struggling brad Keller who has given up 30 earned runs(7.23 ERA) and eight home runs(19.5% HR/FB) over his last seven starts. Kemp is best used in cash games today.

Shortstop

Corey Seager FD 3100 DK 5400
Opponent - DET (Rony García) Park - DET
FD - 11.47 DK - 8.71

With Seager struggling to a .228 average after signing a massive contract in the offseason, I won't be a buyer on DraftKings at that price but I am very interested on FanDuel where the price is much more in line. We know the upside is there as he sits with a career .290 average, .363 wOBA, and 130 wRC+ and the good news is that he may be starting to heat up with hits in six of his last eight games with two doubles and two home runs. We don't need to force him today but this is a tough position to fill and he gets a plus matchup and the PTS/$ value is there on FanDuel.

Kyle Farmer FD 3400 DK 4100
Opponent - MIL (Jason Alexander) Park - MIL
FD - 9.35 DK - 7.18

While Seager is the play at shortstop on FanDuel, I am going another direction on DraftKings and it once again comes down to finding value to pay up elsewhere. The Reds are in a good spot today against Jason Alexander who may sit with a 2.16 ERA but has given up seven hits and at least seven hard-hit balls in all three starts so I am fully expecting regression to smack him in the face soon. For Farmer, he is off to a career-best start hitting .289 and ha already tallied 37 RBI which is impressive as he routinely hits 5th/6th in the lineup. He is my top PTS.$ value at shortstop on DraftKings today.

Third Base

Yandy Díaz FD 2900 DK 4200
Opponent - BAL (Kyle Bradish) Park - BAL
FD - 9.04 DK - 6.89

The Rays' offence is average-at-best when looking at the overall numbers so we really have to pick and choose our spots wisely with them. This is one of those spots as they face a struggling arm in Kyle Bradish who has given up a .400 wOBA and .536 SLG to opponents through nine starts. The right-handed bats stand out even more as he has given up a .488 wOBA and 30% HR/FB rate in the split. Enter Diaz who hits in the top half of the lineup, holds his own against righties(.128 wRC+), and has been consistent lately with hits in 12 of his last 15 games. At these prices, he is in play in all formats.

Also Consider: Wilmer Flores/Evan Longoria(SFG) who both have good track records against lefties and face  below-average on in Jose Quintana

Outfield

Kyle Schwarber FD 4100 DK 5100
Opponent - WSH (Josiah Gray) Park - WSH
FD - 1.36 DK - 1.01

I am going to try my best to get Harper and Schwarber tonight as Josiah Gray who has been terrible against lefties with a 5.32 ERA/5.93 XFIP while giving up an ugly .424 wOBA. Harper's pricing makes that tough if you are trying to fit Verlander so at least for cash games, I will be focusing on Schwarber. The average(.213) is nothing to write home about but he did pick up hits in both games of the double header yesterday and now has hits in eight of his last 11. I am willing to give up the average as he more than makes up for it with power as he enters with 18 home runs and 37 RBI on the season. Fire up Schwarber in all formats.

Michael Brantley FD 3100 DK 4800
Opponent - CHW (Johnny Cueto) Park - CHW
FD - 9.79 DK - 7.57
Kyle Tucker FD 3700 DK 5800
Opponent - CHW (Johnny Cueto) Park - CHW
FD - 11.73 DK - 8.9

Remember when the Astros were still a fairly affordable team to stack on DraftKings? Those were the days. While the prices have skyrocketed, and for good reason, there is still some value left on FanDuel and it starts in the outfield with Michael Brantley who checks nearly every box still even at age 35. He hits in the two-hole and once again, in his 14th season, is hitting over .300 and getting on base at an elite rate(.384 OBP). For Tucker, his slow start is in the rearview as he enters the night with a 15-game hit streak which includes three doubles, five home runs and an insane .468 wOBA and 217 wRC+. Brantley would be my top choice hitting higher in the lineup and cheap but both are in good spots tonight and in play in all formats.

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