Astros pitcher Framber Valdez is set to start against the Athletics, a team he’s dominated throughout his career, as that previous success is something daily Fantasy baseball players should consider when forming a Wednesday MLB DFS strategy. The 31-year-old left-handed pitcher hasn’t thrown against the Athletics yet this season, but he allowed just one earned run in 13.1 innings against them last year, lowering his career ERA to 2.64 in 15 appearances (13 starts) against the A’s.
Should you avoid using many Athletics options from the MLB DFS player pool when making Thursday MLB DFS lineups? Although he won’t be cheap, should you slot Valdez in as the starting pitcher on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings? There are several other highly priced pitchers in the Wednesday MLB DFS player pool, including Chris Sale, Kris Bubic and Ranger Suarez. Before locking in any MLB DFS picks for Wednesday, be sure to check out the MLB DFS advice, strategy and projections from SportsLine’s daily Fantasy expert Mike McClure.
McClure is a daily Fantasy pro who has won more than $2 million in his career. And when it comes to daily Fantasy baseball, McClure is at his best. Recognized in the book “Fantasy Football (and Baseball) for Smart People: How to Turn Your Hobby into a Fortune” as a top MLB DFS player, McClure’s proprietary projection model simulates each game 10,000 times, taking factors such as matchups and recent results into account. This allows him to find the best values on every site.
On Tuesday, McClure highlighted Mariners pitcher Bryan Woo as his top-ranked starting pitcher and one of his top MLB DFS picks on both sites. The result: Woo tossed seven shutout innings, surrendering one hit with two walks and six strikeouts, returning 29.4 points on DraftKings and 49 points on FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups could have been well on the way to a profitable day.
Now, with the 2025 MLB season continuing on Wednesday, McClure has locked in his top MLB daily Fantasy picks for June 18. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
McClure’s top MLB DFS picks for Wednesday, June 18
One of McClure’s top MLB DFS picks for Wednesday is Astros second baseman/outfielder Jose Altuve, who is $4,200 on DraftKings and $3,200 on FanDuel for MLB DFS lineups. Altuve went 0-for-4 on Tuesday after hitting a home run on Monday, his 11th home run of the season as he already has more than half his home run total from last year (20) despite playing fewer than half the number of games he played last year. Altuve is a career .305 hitter, and although his age is beginning to show at 35 years old and a .270 batting average, he can still be an asset while coming at a significantly lower price.
Altuve should feel comfortable against Athletics probable starter Luis Severino, against whom he has 40 career at-bats. He is batting .275 with a home run over his career against the veteran RHP. Severino has a 6.63 ERA over three starts in June, and he’s 0-6 with a 7.10 ERA at home this season in a smaller ballpark as the Athletics host the Astros on Wednesday.
McClure is also rostering Twins shortstop Carlos Correa ($3,700 on DraftKings and $2,800 on FanDuel). Similar to Altuve, Correa’s best days could be behind him, but the three-time All-Star has at least one hit in seven of his last nine games. The 30-year-old is batting .241 with a .645 OPS this year after hitting .310 with a .905 OPS over 86 games last year. His results this year have lowered his price for MLB DFS lineups, but McClure views this as a matchup to bring out Correa’s stronger performances.
The Reds are starting LHP Nick Lodolo, who allowed six runs over 3.1 innings in his last start. Correa is hitting .269 against LHPs with an OPS more than 250 points higher at .854 versus southpaws this season. Correa is nearly matching his career OPS against LHPs (.866), but you can roster him at a cheaper price than the majority of his career with a matchup like this. See McClure’s full MLB DFS player pool right here.
How to set your MLB DFS lineups for June 18, 2025
McClure is also targeting an undervalued player who is set to explode for huge numbers on Wednesday. The stars are aligning for him to return tournament-winning value and he comes at a price that won’t break the bank. You can only see who it is, and get the rest of McClure’s MLB DFS picks, here.
So what are the top MLB DFS picks for Wednesday? Visit SportsLine now to see DFS millionaire Mike McClure’s complete player pool and picks for FanDuel and DraftKings, all from the DFS expert who has won more than $2 million.
Add Comment