MLB DFS Picks, Spotlight Pitchers & Top Stacks: SPs Julio Urias and Tyler Wells Lead The Way (May 18)

Thursday once more is featuring split-slate action, though there are only six matchups in total. That means the MLB DFS action will be a little thinner with the available player pool on DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo. Before you build lineups, several Stokastic tools can help identify daily MLB DFS Top Stacks, key pitchers and MLB DFS picks. Let’s dig into the player projections and popularity for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups, including starting pitchers Julio Urias, Tyler Wells and more.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published at 8:00 a.m. CT

MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers and Top Stacks

Main Slate Primary Pitching Targets Both For and Against – First Pitch: 7:07 p.m. ET

1. Julio Urias at St. Louis Cardinals — 4.0 implied runs: The stories about St. Louis being on the precipice of disaster are somewhat overblown. Yes, the Cardinals have the fourth-worst record in all of the land; however, they have scored the ninth-most runs, and their +9 run differential is better than 10 teams ahead of them in wins but in the red for overall net scoring. The point is that while Urias is the best pitcher among the four options tonight, this matchup is not exactly a walk in the park. Plus, he will be facing a mostly right-handed lineup and Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado are two of the best in the game against southpaws.
2. Jose Berrios vs. New York Yankees — 4.4 implied runs: Berrios has been consistently inconsistent over the last couple of seasons. While his talent level rivals that of Urias when he is on, when he is off — well, it looks like he is tossing batting practice. The hope here is that the soon-to-be 29-year-old produces positive fantasy points. That could be enough to hold off the next two options.
3. Nestor Cortes at Toronto Blue Jays — 4.8 implied runs: Nasty Nestor is a fun pitcher to watch, with all of his funky timing, arm slots and release points. However, that does not play well against above average offenses and in his last four starts, he allowed six runs to Tampa Bay, seven in Texas and four in Minnesota. Toronto will be rolling out a phalanx of right-handed hitters who have power and are disciplined enough to handle any of Cortes’ offerings tonight.
4. Adam Wainwright vs. Los Angeles Dodgers — 4.7 implied runs: Keep in mind that Wainwright will be turning 42 in August, and he had this start pushed back a day after he struggled last Friday in the second start of the season. While he still has his outstanding curveball, guile and veteran tricks can only get him so far. He has been written off many times before, though tonight posting positive fantasy numbers against a loaded Dodgers squad is going to be a tall order.

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Early Slate Primary Pitching Targets Both For and Against – First Pitch: 12:35 p.m. ET

1. Tyler Wells vs. Los Angeles Angels — 4.3 implied runs: Though it is never fun taking pitchers against Los Angeles, the Angels will be without Anthony Rendon who is once again on the injured list. The top of the order is no picnic with Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani, Hunter Renfroe and Taylor Ward, but there are strikeouts to be had and the back of the lineup is lacking pop. It is still early in the season, but though 47 innings it does look like Wells is setting a new baseline expectation. The 28-year-old won’t wow anyone with his strikeouts, but he does induce enough poorly hit balls that he can survive a 46% fly ball rate. Temperatures will be in the low-60s for this early start, and with the changes in the Camden Yard fences, this venue favors pitchers — until the mercury approaches 100 this summer.
2. Eury Perez vs. Washington Nationals — 3.7 implied runs: This will be the second career start for Perez, who is just 20 years old but stands 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds. In his debut against Cincinnati, he ceded a pair of solo home runs which accounted for all the scoring. Today he gets another home matchup against a lackluster offense in the Nationals. This is just enough when combined with his appealing salary across the DFS sites to have him slotted in as the second-best option of the slate.
3. Dylan Cease vs. Cleveland Guardians — 3.8 implied runs: Cease had a strong start to the season allowing just seven earned runs in five appearances spanning 26.1 innings. Things went off the rails in his next three starts as he ceded a combined 14 runs in just 13 innings. On Saturday he held the Astros scoreless across six innings, so he may have righted the ship. Today he will be facing the Guardians who will be without Jose Ramirez (bereavement list) and potentially slugger Josh Naylor who was not available on Wednesday after being pulled early from Tuesday’s action with soreness in his left leg. Even if Naylor is available, the latter half of this lineup is barely replacement level.
4. Logan Allen at Chicago White Sox — 4.4 implied runs: In each stop down on the farm, Allen posted an 11-plus strikeouts per nine innings. So far in The Show, he has been impressive, with 10.3 across his four starts spanning 21 innings. Most projection systems have him settling in this season just below a strikeout per inning. The Guardians will send out a righty-heavy lineup, but one that does have strikeout candidates in Jake Burger, Seby Zavala, Jake Marisnick and Romy Gonzalez. If Allen is able to neutralize Tim Anderson, Louis Robert and Andrew Vaughn, he has a chance to outperform his salary expectations on the afternoon slate.
5. Taj Bradley at New York Mets — 4.4 implied runs: If this matchup was in Tropicana Field, Bradley would likely get the nod over Allen. The Rays got three strong outings from their prized pitching prospect, before tucking him back in Triple-A for some extra experience. He was semi-unlucky in his nine innings with the Durham Bulls, allowing 16 of his 20 baserunners to cross home plate. It will be interesting to see how The Masses approach this matchup, but Bradley is certainly a viable option in tournaments — as well as an inviting pitcher to run a few Mets stacks against.
6. Tyler Anderson at Baltimore Orioles — 5.0 implied runs: Outside of his magical run with the Dodgers last year that resulted in an All-Star appearances, Anderson has been a pedestrian pitcher at best. The Angels are his sixth team in the last five seasons, and though the 33-year-old likely has a couple more campaigns left in the tank, we know at this point in his career that he is an innings-eater at best. Switch-hitters Anthony Santander and catcher Adley Rutschman do their best work from the right side of the plate, and they can be combined with Austin Hays and Ryan Mountcastle for a potent stack. If Jorge Mateo is healthy enough to be in the lineup, he is a nice DFS option, with his potential pop and proclivity for swiping bags. Leadoff man Cedric Mullins could be a differentiation play as long as he is not picking up too much steam. The Angels have only one fresh lefty reliever, so it is likely that a right-handed hurler will be coming into the game when Anderson hits the showers.

Final Thoughts for Thursday, May 18 | MLB DFS Picks

Speaking of showers, there should not be any in the forecast for the six venues hosting action on Thursday.

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