Sunday, June 20, brings a nine-game main slate and five games in the late afternoon. Let’s get into the top MLB DFS picks for pitchers and stacks for Yahoo, DraftKings and FanDuel.
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MLB DFS Picks: Spotlight Pitchers and Top Stacks, Sunday, June 20
Yahoo Stack of the Day: Toronto Blue Jays at RHP Matt Harvey — 6.0 implied runs
The Yahoo salaries for the Blue Jays are ridiculously high, particularly when compared to the hitters playing at Coors Field later this afternoon. However, that should push their popularity well down the overall stacking options for the less savvy gamers.
There are challenges, tricky spots, unmitigated disasters, and then there is Matt Harvey facing Toronto in Camden Yards with game-time temperatures in the low-90s and a 9 to 12 mph breeze blowing out to left-center. Across his last 293 righty/lefty matchups, Harvey has 1.92 homeruns allowed per nine, a 14.7% strikeout rate and a 10.6% walk rate. He does not play favorites either, as he is ceding 2.11 homeruns per nine innings during that same stretch against 317 right-handed hitters. Baltimore has a mediocre bullpen, so there will not be much relief brought by the relievers once Harvey hits the showers. Mix and match the Jays as necessary and as their lofty salaries allow.
Afternoon Slate
Boston Red Sox at LHP Mike Minor — 5.0 implied runs
This has been a solid season for southpaw Mike Minor. He has done a nice job of keeping the bases empty, with a 1.15 WHIP and over a strikeout per inning. However, he has allowed 13 homeruns, and it is going to be in the upper-80s with a 14 to 16 mph wind blowing out to left field this afternoon in Kauffman Stadium.
Over his last 314 matchups against opposite-handed hurlers, J.D. Martinez boasts a .432 wOBA and a .326 ISO. Hunter Renfroe is not too far behind with a .369 wOBA and .311 ISO in his last 270 matchups against lefties. Mix in Xander Bogaerts, who has been scorching hot in his most recent 333 plate appearances against left-handed hurlers, with a .397 wOBA and a .243 ISO. That completes a solid power trio in the middle of the Red Sox order.
Late Slate
Detroit Tigers at RHP Dylan Bundy — 4.3 implied runs
This is going to either be a get-right spot for the Detroit bats or for Dylan Bundy. It has been a debacle of a season for Bundy, who already has allowed 14 homeruns. By comparison, in six more innings last year, he ceded just five long balls. While he is still striking out a batter per inning, he is leaving far too many offerings over the plate. Jonathan Schoop, Eric Haase and Akil Baddoo should be the primary focus. If a full stack is on the menu, then order up Nomar Mazara with a helping of Miguel Cabrera.
Spotlight Pitchers
Top Target: RHP Taijuan Walker at Washington Nationals — 4.2 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $48 | FanDuel $9,400 | DraftKings $9,400
It is going to be a warm one in Nationals Park, with temperatures approaching 90 degrees. However, this is looking like a lost season for the Washington offense. The Nationals bats have been a bottom-five squad, scoring runs 12% less efficiently than league average. While offseason additions Kyle Schwarber and Josh Bell have been solid, budding superstar Juan Soto has taken two steps back and Trea Turner has been relatively pedestrian. Outside of that quartet, the rest of the lineup is barely replacement level, which bodes well for Taijuan Walker.
In his last four starts, spanning 24.0 innings, Walker has struck out 31 hitters while ceding only six walks and a pair of homeruns. He has thrown at least 90 pitches in eight of his last 10 outings, which make him an intriguing top option across all DFS sites and formats Sunday.
Secondary Target: RHP Kenta Maeda at Texas Rangers — 4.4 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $40 | FanDuel $7,000 | DraftKings $6,300
While this seems like a mispricing on the surface, the FanDuel and DraftKings salaries are actually appropriate, and it is Yahoo that is out of line. Kenta Maeda has topped 90 pitches only once this season in 10 starts, and he has failed to close out the fifth inning in half of them. While his 5.01 ERA and 1.48 WHIP seem high, they are inflated by a pair of three-homer games at the end of April. Over his last five starts, spanning 23.1 innings, Maeda has allowed only two home runs while striking out 26 batters. He is unlikely to notch a quality start, but his FanDuel salary has factored that in, and he is a steal of a deal on DraftKings as a second pitcher.
Wild Card: LHP Dallas Keuchel at Houston Astros — 4.5 implied runs
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $29 | FanDuel $7,800 | DraftKings $6,800
While it is always terrifying going against the Astros, particularly with left-handed pitchers, Dallas Keuchel has an appealing salary on the two-pitcher sites. Keep in mind that Alex Bregman was just placed on the injured list and Kyle Tucker is in the health and safety protocol. While Keuchel will have to navigate a gauntlet of former teammates, including Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Yuli Gurriel and Yordan Alvarez, the bottom half of the lineup is not particularly imposing.
Final Thoughts for the Sunday, June 20, MLB DFS Slate
Keep an eye on the weather in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Washington heading towards first pitch, as each game has varying degrees of precipitation risk. As always, be mindful that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a home run play on Yahoo may be a below-average MLB DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel.
