X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (5/18/18): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice

I feel like we deserve this big, beautiful slate tonight with all the rain-outs and mediocre options we've dealt with throughout the week. All 15 games tonight are in the Main slate, so there is much to discuss. Unfortunately, we are not without weather concerns, but at least there will be other options to fall back on. I'd advise checking weather as close to lineup lock (or game lock) as much as possible, just to be safe. A lot of people got burned by the Chicago-Atlanta matchup last night.

What are the oddsmakers in Vegas feeling for tonight? Well, they certainly see some runs being scored, as six teams have run projections of five or greater and a handful of teams are not far behind. It's quite the spectrum today, as we also have quite a few at 3.5 or lower. The teams above five - Yankees, Red Sox, Braves, Blue Jays and Cubs - are good stack targets and a few more may emerge throughout the day. On the moneyline, the Nationals are the biggest favorites at -200, followed by the Braves at -188, the Cubs at -170 and Yankees right at -170 as well.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 5/18/18. The lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays. You can also read more DFS lineup picks for DraftKings and other sports too. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me up on Twitter @kpLuch.

 

FanDuel DFS Pitchers

Max Scherzer - SP, vs LAD ($11,600)

I flirted long and hard with making Jacob deGrom my top option to use the extra $1,600 on batters, but it's hard to trust a guy who was pulled in his last start after just 45 pitches. deGrom has a good matchup, but 10k is a steep price to pay with that uncertainty. And, of course, this is Max Max - rostering him gives us a real strurdy floor and a high, high ceiling. He has been on a tear on the diamond and from a DFS perspective, too. He's surpassed his price implied value in eight of his nine starts this season - including seven in a row. Scherzer also has the highest SwStr% in the league at 17.6% and the second highest K rate at 40%. He's been dominant in all facets of the game, as shown in his 2.11 SIERA. This Dodgers lineup got a little stronger with the return of Justin Turner, but they've still been pretty abysmal when you consider the talent they have. The Dodgers are implied for a slate-low 2.9 runs and the Nationals are -200 favorites on the moneyline. You can use Max in all formats tonight.

Jake Arrieta - SP, at STL ($8,200)

I'll be deploying Max Max in a few GPP lineups tonight, but there's no doubt having him at the top of your lineup is going for force you to miss on some of your favorite bats. Searching for something cheaper, I landed on my old friend Jake. I like Arrieta for tournaments tonight, and he's an arm that I think will go overlooked, despite the upside. After a few shaky performances, Arrieta looked pretty damn good in his last performance. He topped 100 pitches (after back to back starts with that count in the 70s), his fastball velocity was up, and he is inducing a lot of soft contact and ground balls. Tonight, he gets a park upgrade and faces an offense with a lot of right-handed hitters, which should work to his advantage in limiting potential damage (right-handed batters against Arrieta in 2017-18: .259 wOBA, .122 ISO). And last, but certainly not least, the Cardinals projected lineup has a 26% K rate against right-handed pitching this season. There's certainly some risk here, but the reward could be great.

Also Consider: Sean Newcomb - SP, vs MIA ($9,200)

FanDuel DFS Infielders

Jose Abreu - 1B, vs TEX ($3,400)

First base is absolutely loaded with goodness today, and not just because we have all teams in action. Jose Abreu is the best value of my favorites in that group, as he's a bargain for the upside he brings. He also has a strong matchup against a pitcher that has allowed a .440 wOBA to his opponents over his last two starts. Moore should have trouble with Abreu, who hits southpaws very well, posting a .419 wOBA and .287 ISO splits over the past year.

Brian Dozier - 2B, vs MIL ($3,700)

A matchup at home against a southpaw is the perfect spot for Dozier to break out of this mini production slump he's in. I call out production as he is still making good contact during this time, but he's run into some bad batted ball luck and the DFS results have been uninspiring in that stretch. Dozier is fantastic against lefties, too, posting a .448 wOBA and .301 ISO over the past 12 months.

Kris Bryant - 3B, at CIN ($4,800)

Homer Bailey in Cincinnati is, without question, my favorite pitcher to pick on. Kris Bryant is going to pick on him quite a bit today with his bat and his .408 wOBA split. Bryant's price is lofty, but the ceiling is really high today and he has great lineup context, too. Over the past 11 games, he's been crushing the ball with a 52% hard hit rate and an average exit velocity of 94 mph.

Trevor Story - SS, at SFG ($3,800)

Trevor Story against a soft-tossing lefty - it's lock and load time! Using the Rockies away from Coors isn't as glamorous, sure, but Derek Holland is a pitcher who tends to get lit up and Story's numbers against southpaws are fantastic. Over the course of the 2017-18 seasons, Story owns a .390 wOBA and .295 ISO split against lefties. On top of that, his recent hard hit rate of 38% is pretty good, and the 50% fly ball rate is attractive as we're rostering him here for the potential home run(s).

Also Consider: Didi Gregorious - SS, at KCR ($3,800)

FanDuel DFS Outfielders

Joey Gallo - OF, at CWS ($3,400)

Let's try this again, Mr. Gallo. The big lefty was popular last night and disapointed, but he's in a prime spot for a bounce back against the young right-hander. Gallo has massive home run upside, highlighted by his .328 ISO and .537 slugging percentage. He also does a great job with his launch angle contact and has an average batted ball distance of 233 feet.

Kyle Schwarber - OF, at CIN ($3,800)

Hopefully Schwarber is sitting dead-red tonight because he's likely to see a lot of fastballs from Homer Bailey and he has an expected wOBA over .400 against that pitch type and a .312 ISO split against right-handers dating back to the start of the 2017 season. Over the last three Cubs' series, Kyle posted a 42% hard hit rate.

Also Consider: Matt Joyce - OF, at TOR ($2,800)

MLB DFS News and Injury Alerts

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Roki Sasaki2 hours ago

Officially Added To 40-Man Roster
Jacob Wilson2 hours ago

Belts Two Home Runs, Collects Five RBI On Monday
San Francisco 49ers2 hours ago

Siran Neal Signing With 49ers
Javier Assad2 hours ago

Officially Placed On 15-Day Injured List
Daylen Lile3 hours ago

Highlights Trio Of Reassignments For Nationals
Matt Shaw3 hours ago

Added To Major-League Roster
Randal Grichuk3 hours ago

Leaves Game With Ankle Soreness
Clayton Kershaw3 hours ago

Tony Gonsolin, Michael Kopech Placed On 15-Day Injured List
Edgar Quero3 hours ago

Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero Reassigned To Minor-League Camp
Angel Perdomo3 hours ago

Traded To The Angels
Spencer Strider4 hours ago

Shines In First Spring Training Start
Cleveland Browns4 hours ago

Browns Could Be Desperate Enough To Trade Up For Cam Ward
Noah Murdock4 hours ago

Earns Opening Day Roster Spot
Raheem Mostert4 hours ago

Expected To Be No. 2 Back In Vegas
Stefon Diggs4 hours ago

Raiders Could Target Stefon Diggs
Michael Gallup4 hours ago

To Visit With Seahawks
Rui Hachimura4 hours ago

Has Progressed To Three-On-Three Work
Pittsburgh Steelers4 hours ago

Isaiahh Loudermilk Returning To Steelers
Dorian Finney-Smith5 hours ago

Ready To Face Spurs
Houston Texans5 hours ago

Ronald Darby Signs One-Year Deal With Texans
Luka Dončić5 hours ago

Luka Doncic Officially Available Monday
Travis Homer5 hours ago

Re-Signs With Bears
Toumani Camara5 hours ago

Ruled Out Monday
Esteury Ruiz5 hours ago

A's Option Esteury Ruiz, J.T. Ginn To Triple-A
Patrick Sandoval5 hours ago

Steadily Progressing In His Rehab
Santi Aldama5 hours ago

Misses Sixth Consecutive Game
David Hamilton5 hours ago

The Front-Runner For Second Base Job?
Aaron Gordon5 hours ago

Upgraded To Available
Scotty Pippen Jr.5 hours ago

Out Against Kings
Sean Newcomb5 hours ago

A Candidate For Rotation Spot
Quinten Post5 hours ago

Available Monday Night
Spencer Torkelson5 hours ago

Could Play Regularly As DH
Christian Braun5 hours ago

Misses Monday's Game
Joey Gallo5 hours ago

Trying His Hand At Pitching
Josh Rojas5 hours ago

Dealing With Hairline Fracture In His Big Toe
Stephen Curry5 hours ago

Good To Go Against Nuggets
Michael King6 hours ago

Named Padres' Opening Day Starter
Jamal Murray6 hours ago

Sits Out Monday's Action
Nikola Jokić6 hours ago

Nikola Jokic Out Against Warriors
Brice Turang6 hours ago

Down 3-5 Days After Throwing Session Doesn't Go Well
James McCann6 hours ago

Signs Minor-League Deal With Braves
Corey Kispert6 hours ago

Leaves Road Trip Due To Thumb Injury
Marcus Smart6 hours ago

Not Healthy Enough To Play On Monday
Jordan Clarkson6 hours ago

Active On Monday
Keyonte George6 hours ago

Returns From Four-Game Absence Monday
Collin Sexton6 hours ago

Will Not Play Monday Night
Lauri Markkanen6 hours ago

Available Against Bulls
Coby White7 hours ago

Cleared For Action Monday
Josh Giddey7 hours ago

Remains Out On Monday
Grayson Allen7 hours ago

Sits Out Fourth Straight Game
Philadelphia Eagles7 hours ago

Azeez Ojulari Heading To Philadelphia
Pittsburgh Steelers7 hours ago

Juan Thornhill Heading To Steel City
Minnesota Vikings7 hours ago

Garrett Bradbury Released By Vikings
Philadelphia Eagles8 hours ago

Eagles Rework Lane Johnson's Contract
Andrei Svechnikov9 hours ago

Could Return To Action Thursday
Dustin Wolf9 hours ago

Faces Maple Leafs Monday
Jake Allen9 hours ago

Searches For Third Consecutive Victory Monday
Jet Greaves9 hours ago

Receives Starting Nod Monday
Ivan Fedotov9 hours ago

Starts Against Lightning
Joonas Korpisalo10 hours ago

Starts For Bruins Monday
Roman Dolidze10 hours ago

Extends His Win Streak To Three
Marvin Vettori10 hours ago

Suffers Back-To-Back Losses
Will Zalatoris10 hours ago

Has Been Consistent At Least In 2025
Carson Young10 hours ago

Makes The Cut In Second Straight Tournament
Xander Schauffele10 hours ago

Struggles At The PLAYERS Championship
Nicolai Hojgaard10 hours ago

Misses First Cut In 2025
Lucas Glover10 hours ago

Produces Another Strong Showing At The PLAYERS Championship
Joel Dahmen10 hours ago

Finding Stride Heading To Valspar Championship
Corey Conners10 hours ago

Finishes Tied For Sixth At The PLAYERS Championship
Luke Clanton10 hours ago

Secures PGA Tour Card At Cognizant Classic
Blades Brown10 hours ago

Set To Make Fourth PGA Tour Start In 2025
Cameron Young10 hours ago

A Loose Cannon On Florida Swing
Akshay Bhatia10 hours ago

Secures Third Top-10 Finish
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos10 hours ago

Suffers Second-Round TKO
Sahith Theegala11 hours ago

Seeking Elusive Consistency In Florida
Kyler Murray11 hours ago

Excited For 2025
Joe Highsmith11 hours ago

An Intriguing Option At The Valspar
Chidi Njokuani11 hours ago

Scores TKO Win At UFC Vegas 104
New York Jets11 hours ago

Byron Cowart Inks Deal With Jets
Kurt Holobaugh11 hours ago

Drops Decision At UFC Vegas 104
Alexander Hernandez11 hours ago

Wins Decision At UFC Vegas 104
PGA11 hours ago

Nico Echavarria Just Attempting To Get To The Weekend
Bud Cauley11 hours ago

Trying To Keep Good Times Rolling
11 hours ago

Tetairoa McMillan Increasing His Draft Stock
Christiaan Bezuidenhout12 hours ago

Needs His Putter At The Valspar
PGA12 hours ago

Byeong Hun An Attempts To Get Off To Faster Start
Joseph Woll12 hours ago

Starting On Monday
Nick Jensen12 hours ago

Not Expected To Play On Tuesday
Dylan Strome12 hours ago

Battling Illness
Jonas Brodin12 hours ago

Not Playing On Monday, Viewed As Day-To-Day
Cody Gibson12 hours ago

Submitted At UFC Vegas 104
Josh Norris12 hours ago

Not Playing On Monday
Da'Mon Blackshear12 hours ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
JJ Peterka12 hours ago

Ruled Out For Monday's Contest
Brendson Ribeiro13 hours ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC Vegas 104
Diyar Nurgozhay13 hours ago

Suffers His First Loss
MMA13 hours ago

Seung Woo Choi Suffers First-Round TKO Loss At UFC Vegas 104
Kevin Vallejos13 hours ago

Finishes Seung Woo Choi In Debut
Jameis Winston13 hours ago

To Visit With Giants On Tuesday
Cincinnati Bengals13 hours ago

Bengals Still Hoping To Sign Trey Hendrickson To An Extension
Houston Texans14 hours ago

Texans Make Derek Stingley Jr. The Highest-Paid Defensive Back
Tyler Reddick15 hours ago

Solid Performance Is Derailed By Late Pit-Road Issues At Las Vegas
Ryan Blaney15 hours ago

Struggles End In A Disappointing Exit Late At Las Vegas
Josh Berry16 hours ago

Impressively Earns First Cup Series Win At Las Vegas
AJ Allmendinger16 hours ago

Scores First Top-10 Finish Of Season At Las Vegas
Kyle Larson16 hours ago

Leads The Most Laps, But Settles For A Top-10 Finish At Las Vegas
Ross Chastain16 hours ago

Obtains A Hard-Fought Top-Five Finish At Las Vegas
Daniel Suarez16 hours ago

Scores Career-Best Finish At Las Vegas, But Falls Short Of Winning
Cole Perfetti19 hours ago

Tallies Goal, Assist In Victory
Karel Vejmelka19 hours ago

Earns Victory On Sunday
Jordan Kyrou20 hours ago

Tallies Three Points On Sunday
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins20 hours ago

Dishes Out Three Helpers
Cale Makar20 hours ago

Tallies Three Points On Sunday
Dmitry Kulikov20 hours ago

Injured On Sunday
NASCAR22 hours ago

Bubba Wallace Wrecks At Las Vegas But Shows Promising Speed
Alex Bowman22 hours ago

Recovers From Loose Wheel To Finish Seventh
Austin Cindric22 hours ago

Wins Stage 1, But Loose Wheel Foils Victory Bid
William Byron22 hours ago

Loses Las Vegas Race On Strategy But Expands Points Lead
Ryan Preece22 hours ago

Earns Best Career Non-Drafting Oval Finish At Las Vegas
Tee Higgins1 day ago

Becomes Highest-Paid WR2 In NFL History
Ja'Marr Chase1 day ago

Bengals Make Ja'Marr Chase The Highest-Paid Non-QB In NFL History
Miami Dolphins1 day ago

Ryan Stonehouse Signs With Dolphins
Igor Shesterkin1 day ago

Remains In Rangers Crease Sunday
John Gibson1 day ago

Still Out On Sunday
Nick Bjugstad1 day ago

Returns For Utah Sunday
Christopher Bell2 days ago

Quest For Four Wins In A Row Just Got More Difficult
Kyle Larson2 days ago

Should Contend For Another Win At Las Vegas
Ryan Blaney2 days ago

Once Again The Chalk DFS Pick At Las Vegas
Ross Chastain2 days ago

Fastest In Practice At Las Vegas
Chris Buescher2 days ago

Has Sneaky Upside This Weekend
Chase Elliott2 days ago

May Be A Sneaky DFS Option For Las Vegas Lineups
William Byron2 days ago

Expect William Byron To Compete For The Win At Las Vegas
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Is One Of The Top DFS Options For Las Vegas
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Could Denny Hamlin Be A Quality Driver For DFS At Las Vegas?
Roman Dolidze4 days ago

Set For A Rematch
Marvin Vettori4 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Chidi Njokuani4 days ago

Looks For His Third Win In A Row
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos4 days ago

Looks For His 12th UFC Win
Kurt Holobaugh4 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 104
Alexander Hernandez4 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Cody Gibson4 days ago

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Da'Mon Blackshear4 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 104
Brendson Ribeiro4 days ago

Searching For Second UFC Win On Saturday
Jacob Bridgeman6 days ago

Use Caution For Jacob Bridgeman At TPC Sawgrass
Nicolai Hojgaard6 days ago

Looks To Stay Consistent Heading Into PLAYERS Championship
Karl Vilips6 days ago

Makes PLAYERS Championship Debut After First PGA Tour Win
Taylor Pendrith6 days ago

A Sneaky Play At TPC Sawgrass
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Davante Adams - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL Free Agency Tracker - Updates On Every Free Agent Signing (2025)

The NFL offseason is starting to heat up, and the league's legal tampering period is set to begin on March 10 at noon Eastern. Free agents cannot officially sign until the new league year begins on March 12 at 4 p.m. Eastern, but deals will be agreed to, and news will be coming in quickly […]


Kaleb Johnson - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Drafts: Best, Worst Picks In Rounds 1-4

You don't want to draft the below players, trust me. There are busts in every year's rookie class, and while some of them are tough to predict, others show clear signs that they aren't worth their capital. Many players have great fortune in college, playing on great teams that elevate their production and thus the […]


Matthew Golden - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks, NFL Draft

2025 NFL Draft Wide Receiver Rankings: Top 5 Rookies

Last year’s wide receiver class was one of the best in recent history, totaling three top-10 picks and seven prospects coming off the board in the first round. Many have called this year’s class a massive downgrade compared to last year’s unit. Yet, the 2025 wide receiver draft class has several impressive prospects. There might […]


Brenton Strange - Fantasy Football Rankings, Waiver Wire, TE Streamers, NFL DFS

Winners and Losers of 2025 NFL Free Agency in Fantasy Football

NFL Free Agency has been quite the frenzy. At RotoBaller, we track it all for you right here! It might not always feel like it, but there have been a ton of impactful moves. And with every move comes a fantasy football impact, right? This article takes a look at some of the top winners […]


Jaylen Wright - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Fantasy Football Breakouts: Running Back Sleepers For 2025

The running back position is in constant flux in Dynasty fantasy football, as depth charts are constantly shuffled around, teams often decide to move on from productive players and replace them with cheaper or younger options, and players have their first good seasons in their careers. We're mostly concerned with that last point -- RBs […]


Albert Haynesworth - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Worst NFL Free Agent Signings Of All Time

With the free agency period for the 2025 NFL season now underway, many big-name players will find new homes as teams compete to sign anyone and everyone they think they need to help their squad. While many signings end up being good moves, or at least help their teams fill holes at certain positions on […]


Cole Kmet - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL injury News

Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Targets and Avoids: Tight Ends to Buy or Sell (2025)

It's tough to find good tight ends in dynasty fantasy football. Unfortunately, it's also very easy to be stuck with one that sticks around in the doldrums of low production. Such is the case for many TEs, and even those who have good seasons here and there often lack consistency year over year. It's not […]


D'Andre Swift - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injuries

Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Targets and Avoids: Running Backs to Buy or Sell (2025)

Running back volume and production is highly mercurial in the NFL. It can thus be difficult to know when to trade away and when to trade for tailbacks. There is constant competition for roles in certain backfields, and red-herring situations are abound due to injuries and plain luck. While some RBs are certainly safe in […]


Josh Downs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News Updates

2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Third-Year Breakouts

Patience can be tough, especially in fantasy football. We want instant production from rookies, but these players often take a while to get going. These youngsters need to adjust to the speed of the NFL and learn from their early struggles to break out fully. The third year in the NFL is oftentimes when things […]


Justin Fields - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

NFL Free Agency Winners and Losers - Fantasy Football Outlooks from Florio

Free Agency is the most fun week of the NFL offseason. Even when it is not the strongest class, there is never a shortage of excitement. Players changing teams at a rapid rate. It is a week filled with hope that your favorite team will add stars and that those under-the-radar players you love will […]


Josh Downs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News Updates

Josh Downs Fantasy Football Dynasty Outlook (2025)

The 2025 NFL Draft is quickly approaching. For the last few months, dynasty fantasy football gamers have been meticulously studying the incoming rookie class to gain any edge they can on their league mates. While we should be anxiously awaiting our rookie drafts, we must also take time and analyze how veteran players are valued […]


Tyron Smith Top Landing Spots: 2025 NFL Free Agency Outlook

New York Jets and former long-time Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyron Smith was one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL for an extended period of time. He's made five All-Pro teams, two with the first team and two with the second team, been selected to eight Pro Bowls, and earned a spot on […]


Bills Defense - Von Miller IDP Rankings, D/ST Streamers, Fantasy Football Team Defense

Von Miller Top Landing Spots: 2025 NFL Free Agency Outlook

Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller, one of the greatest pass-rushers in NFL history, was released by his team on March 9, 2025. He had signed a six-year, $120 million deal with the team in 2022, but the soon-to-be 36-year-old wasn't able to make it to the end of that contract, so he's now looking for […]