Covering The Bases: MLB DFS Picks Today for Saturday 7/18

by Justin Van Zuiden (stlcardinals84) Last Updated 2026-07-18 16:51:16 Premium Content Part of the product MLB DFS

Long-time grinder Justin Van Zuiden (aka stlcardinals84) is here to cover the bases for the upcoming MLB DFS slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Whether you are looking for the top pitchers or the best stacks, Justin has you covered with an extensive deep dive into his favorite MLB DFS picks today on July 18, 2026.

Welcome to the weekend, MLB Grinders! I hope you all enjoyed the All-Star Break and are ready to go for the final couple months of the season. This Saturday brings us a weird slate with games spread out all over the place. There are a handful of early afternoon starts with no major DFS slates, and there are just 4 late night games. As such, I will focus the article today on the 7-game “main” slate that starts at 4:05 PM Eastern.

Even though this is only the second day since the break, we have a surprisingly weak slate for pitching. I would expect this to be a slate that leans toward the bats. We also have to monitor the weather in Philadelphia, where there is a decent chance of strong storms this afternoon. That is especially true given that the best pitcher on the slate is pitching there. Boston also has rain and air quality concerns to keep an eye on. Outside of those games, the main slate should be all clear for weather concerns.

If you are playing the 4-game night slate, we’ll have Expert tags and analysis available in our MLB DFS optimizer, LineupHQ, to help get you rolling.

Let’s dig in and see what today has to offer!

Saturday Pitching: MLB DFS Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel

TOP TIER PITCHERS

• Jesus Luzardo vs. Mets
• Max Meyer at Brewers

We have just 2 options that can be considered as potential aces today, but that’s not to discount their production. Both Jesus Luzardo and Max Meyer are having great seasons, and it will show with a look at the 2026 data:

Luzardo – 3.51 ERA, 2.90 xFIP, 29.4% K, 7.6% BB
Meyer – 2.58 ERA, 3.74 xFIP, 26.0% K, 8.5% BB

While Max Meyer has the glitzy 2.58 ERA, his advanced metrics do suggest some regression. He has benefited from a super low .259 opposing BABIP this year, and he has a much higher xFIP, a lower strikeout rate, and a higher walk rate than Luzardo. That makes this decision relatively straightforward on the surface, especially since Luzardo isn’t all that much more expensive than Meyer. However, we need to factor in the matchups as well.

Mets vs. LHP (for Luzardo) – .303 wOBA (24th), .148 ISO (18th), 8.1% BB (21st), 22.3% K (18th)
Brewers vs. RHP (for Meyer) – .331 wOBA (4th), .153 ISO (20th), 10.6% BB (3rd), 21.1% K (22nd)

The matchup cements my point. The Brewers are a much better offense against RHP than the Mets are against LHP, and it’s not particularly close.

The only real concern is the weather in Philadelphia. Assuming the game plays fine, I will be using Jesus Luzardo as my SP1. Meyer is a reasonable pivot if the PHI game has major problems at first pitch, but I might just go cheap if Luzardo is not available.

SECONDARY ARMS

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