MLB DFS Projections — Best Daily Fantasy Baseball Plays — Thursday, June 18, 2026
Top fantasy points spot: Nick Kurtz
Nick Kurtz (ATH) tops the board at 100, facing RHP Ryan Johnson. The lefty is piling up fantasy points at 2.380 fantasy/PA against righties this year — and 3.150 over the last two weeks, an elite bat worth about 2.31 fantasy points a trip. And Ryan Johnson has been thin against righties lately. The bullpen behind him is roughly average to that side. He's hitting in a spot worth about 4.5 trips, so the volume's there. He's owned Ryan Johnson too — 1.000 across 1 career trips. It all sets up in a neutral park, weather helping.
The rest of the top of the board
- Ben Rice (NYY) (90) vs RHP Sean Burke: an excellent bat at 2.085 into an arm getting lit up by the same side (2.482).
- Randal Grichuk (CWS) (81) vs LHP Ryan Weathers: a strong bat at 2.010 into an arm getting lit up by the same side (2.889).
- Kody Clemens (MIN) (79) vs RHP Jack Leiter: an excellent bat at 2.151 into an arm getting lit up by the same side (2.500).
- Byron Buxton (MIN) (74) vs RHP Jack Leiter: an excellent bat at 2.082 into an arm getting lit up by the same side (3.000), hot bat.
- Chase Meidroth (CWS) (73) vs LHP Ryan Weathers: a solid bat at 1.802 into an arm getting lit up by the same side (2.889).
- J.P. Crawford (SEA) (71) vs RHP Shane Baz: a solid bat at 1.833 into an arm getting lit up by the same side (3.100).
- Bo Bichette (NYM) (70) vs RHP Aaron Nola: a strong bat at 1.859 into an arm getting lit up by the same side (2.429), hot bat.
Arms giving up fantasy points today
- RHP Ryan Johnson has been getting lit up by righties — 2.128 fantasy points per batter faced. Bats to target: Nick Kurtz (ATH), Zack Gelof (ATH), and Tyler Soderstrom (ATH).
- LHP Ryan Weathers has been getting lit up by lefties — 1.914 fantasy points per batter faced. Bats to target: Randal Grichuk (CWS), Chase Meidroth (CWS), and Miguel Vargas (CWS).
- RHP Shane Baz has been vulnerable to righties — 1.874 fantasy points per batter faced. Bats to target: J.P. Crawford (SEA), Dominic Canzone (SEA), and Cal Raleigh (SEA).
- LHP Matthew Liberatore has been vulnerable to lefties — 1.835 fantasy points per batter faced. Bats to target: Bobby Witt Jr. (KC), Jac Caglianone (KC), and Lane Thomas (KC).
Platoon edges to target
- Nick Kurtz (ATH) — lefty bat vs RHP, 2.380 against righties this year.
- Ben Rice (NYY) — lefty bat vs RHP, 2.523 against righties this year.
- Randal Grichuk (CWS) — righty bat vs LHP, 2.413 against lefties this year.
- Kody Clemens (MIN) — lefty bat vs RHP, 1.886 against righties this year.
- Chase Meidroth (CWS) — righty bat vs LHP, 2.125 against lefties this year.
Lineup watch
18 of today's hitters are still on projected lineups, drawn from each team's last game. Batting order drives the score, so these flip the moment official lineups post — usually about two hours before first pitch. Anyone who doesn't make the official card gets flagged "Not starting" and drops to the bottom.
How it played out
5 of the top 10 fantasy points matchups landed at least one fantasy point. Top play Nick Kurtz finished with 7 fantasy points. We post the result next to every projection so you can grade the board yourself — and so the model gets re-tuned against what actually happened.
How to read these fantasy points matchups
Each score (0–100) starts with the hitter's fantasy points per plate appearance against the hand he's facing — weighted toward the last two weeks, then the season, then a two-year baseline. Then it layers in the bullpen, his spot in the order, and park and weather. Higher means more of it points his way. It's context, not a lock — a great spot still goes 0-for-4 sometimes, and a tough one runs into one. The edge is in stacking the odds, and since we grade every board, you can see how often the top of the list delivers.