Daily Fantasy Baseball: DraftKings Picks for June 18
By Rich Pelesky
Jun 17, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda (35) is taken out of the game during the seventh inning of the against the Miami Marlins game at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Daily Fantasy Baseball: DraftKings Picks for June 18
Welcome back to the best place to get expert fantasy baseball picks for DraftKings. This was evident again last night as our picks were highly successful. The results for our picks in the contests on June 17th were as follows: Michael Pineda ($8,600, 32.45 FP, 3.8 FP/$1K), Tommy Millone ($5,300, 24.75 FP, 4.7 FP/$1K), Clayton Kershaw ($12,900, 23.9 FP, 1.9 FP/$1K), and Madison Bumgarner ($10,700, 29 FP, 2.7 FP/$1K). Plus, the teams we recommended you to build stacks on faired well offensively: HOU (8 R, 13 H), COL (4 R, 9 H), and TOR (8 R, 10 H).
If you haven’t joined DraftKings yet and want to play in their exciting contests, use this link to sign up and you will earn a bonus with a minimum deposit of just $5. DraftKings will even match your initial deposit up to $600.
My selections are tailored toward DraftKings scoring system but these picks can also be helpful in H2H formats with daily rosters where some of my recommended players may be available to pick up off the Waiver Wire. Also, a majority of these selections would also be recommended for FanDuel, but you should first understand the differences between each baseball scoring system before plugging players in both.
Here are my best picks for DraftKings lineups in the full slate of MLB Games on Thursday, June 18th. The early slate (5 MLB games) and all day DraftKings contests start at 1:05 p.m. The evening slate (10 games) starts at 7:05 p.m. with various other late contests using a smaller pool of MLB games at 8:10 p.m. and 10:10 p,m.
Next: Early Pitchers
Jun 13, 2015; Anaheim, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Kendall Graveman (31) in the first inning of the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Early Pitchers
Kendall Graveman (OAK) home vs. SD for $6,600: Graveman (3-3, 4.22 ERA, 1.49 WHIP) has been great after being recalled from the minors with a 2.20 ERA and a 24:8 K:BB ratio over 5 starts and 32 2/3 IP. He’s coming off an impressive performance (8 IP, 1 ER, 7 K, 27.7 FP) at $5,300 vs. the Angels on 6/13. He takes the mound for the -145 favorite Oakland As, winners of 4 straight. Also, he faces the Padres (21st in ML with a .245 BA vs. RHP) at home in O.co coliseum where it has been pitcher friendly in 2015. At $6,600 and with the potential of 20+ FP, he’s hard to pass up at this price.
Danny Salazar (CLE) home vs. CHC for $9,400: Salazar is putting together a great season for the Indians, going 6-2 with a 3.54 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and an eye-popping 87 Ks in 68 2/3 IP so far in 2015. He faces the Cubs for the first time in his career as a -160 favorite for the Tribe. He has been especially good at home this year with a 3-0 mark and 3.16 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in 4 starts.
Next: Late Pitchers
Jun 7, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Zack Greinke (21) in the first inning of the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Late Pitchers
Live Feed
Around the Foghorn
Gerrit Cole (PIT) at CWS for $10,200: Cole (10-2, 1.71 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 93 Ks in 84 IP) is having a great season and is on quite a role, with at least 26.3 FP in his last 5 starts. As his salaries are often over $10,000 now, the most important thing about Cole is his consistency – only once in his last 10 starts has he put up less than 20.7 FP. The Pirates have won seven in a row and are a decent -140 road favorite on the road vs. the White Sox. Cole, who leads the league in ERA, has been dominant all year and there is no reason to think that will stop today against Chicago who are 28th in the league in scoring with a paltry 3.48 runs per game.
Zack Greinke (LAD) home vs. TEX for $9,600: Grienke has had a stellar campaign this year with a 5-2 record, 1.95 ERA and .097 WHIP. Although he has only given up more than 3 runs just once, he has been plagued by poor run support. He takes the mound tonight in Dodger Stadium against the Rangers as a healthy -210 favorite. Expect Greinke to get at least 25 FP here at a relatively reasonable price tag.
Next: Early Hitters
Jun 5, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard (6) hits a two run home run against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Early Hitters
Live Feed
Call to the Pen
IB Ryan Howard (PHI) home vs. BAL (Norris) for $3,400: Howard is having a decent season with 11 HR and 28 RBI. He faces Bud Norris (2-4, 8.29 ERA, 1.71 WHIP) at Citizens Bank Park which is 6th in the league in Park Factor HRs at 1.17. Plus, Howard is hitting .308 with a homer in 13 ABs lifetime vs. Norris.
OF Preston Tucker (HOU) at COL (Hale) for $4,100: The young 24 year-old Astro is fairing well in the bigs with a .263 AVG, 3 HR, and 12 RBIs in 100 ABs while playing mostly against righties. He faces RHP David Hale (4.56 ERA) at Coors Field, which is good news for any hitter. Tucker should be back in the middle of the lineup today – his $4,100 salary is a bargain in Denver.
Next: Late Hitters
Jun 17, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) hits a RBI single against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at U.S Cellular Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Late Hitters
SS Jose Reyes (TOR) home vs. NYM (Colon) for $4,600: The Blue Jay lead-off hitter is playing well after coming off the DL. In 2015, Reyes has hit .289 with 18 R, 21 RBI, and 9 SBs in just 37 games. He is 4 for 6 against Colon and will be playing in Rogers Centre which is hitter friendly. Reyes’ penchant for SBs and runs scored (especially at the top of the lineup) make him a smart play in the DK scoring system that favors speed and does not penalize outs.
OF Andrew McCutchen (PIT) at CWS (Samardzjia) for $4,800: McCutchen (.293, 8 HR, 35 R, 41 RBI, 3 SB) has put his early season woes far behind him and is now red-hot, currently on a five game hitting streak (10 for 24) with RBIs in his last 3 games. He faces Jeff Samardjzia tonight against whom he is an unignorable 12 for 29 with 4 SBs. Cutch and the Pirates are on fire, so spend the money on him and expect a minimum of 10 FP here.
Good Luck!
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