MLB DFS Very Early Only FanDuel Lineup - 6/17/2026

3-game FanDuel MLB Very Early Only Slate, first pitch 12:40PM EDT. We're punting the mound to load up on bats: a Nationals trio going at Luinder Avila, a Marlins trio attacking rookie Andrew Painter, and a Royals pair taking aim at Zack Littell — all in hitter-friendly parks.

On the mound, we're rolling with Nick Lodolo (P, $8,400). Lodolo is the punt at pitcher with real strikeout upside — a 7.1 K/9 — and at $8,400 he frees the salary to load up on bats in three hitter-friendly spots. He draws the Mets at Great American Ball Park; the value price is the play here, opening the cap for the offense.

Carter Jensen — C/1B, $2,700

Jensen opens the lineup against Zack Littell at a Nationals Park playing hitter-friendly tonight with the wind blowing out. Littell has been hittable — a 6.36 xERA and a brutal 2.18 HR/9 with an 11.1% Barrel% allowed — and Jensen brings real pop for the price, a .196 ISO and 8 HR vs RHP with a 9% Barrel%. At $2,700, he's a cheap power piece in a launching-pad spot.

Otto Lopez — 2B, $3,300

Lopez draws Andrew Painter at a Citizens Bank Park also playing hitter-friendly with the wind out. Painter is a rookie getting hit hard — a 6.43 ERA and a 1.71 HR/9 with a 1.57 WHIP — and Lopez is a high-contact value bat, hitting .297 with a .755 OPS and a low 16.5% K% vs RHP. He's a steady, cheap piece in a plus spot.

Curtis Mead — 3B, $3,000

Mead leads the Nationals group against Luinder Avila, a righty who can't find the strike zone — a 6.19 BB/9 with a 1.81 WHIP and a 4.82 xERA. Mead brings a .800 OPS with a .228 ISO and a 14.3% walk rate vs RHP, the patient, pop-for-price profile that punishes a pitcher giving away free baserunners.

CJ Abrams — SS, $3,900

Abrams is the best bat in the Nationals group against Avila's command problems — a .917 OPS with a .249 ISO, 12 HR and a .388 OBP vs RHP. In the same wind-out Nationals Park, his blend of speed and pop gives him one of the highest ceilings on the slate.

James Wood — OF, $4,500

Wood is the spend-up among the hitters and earns it — a 1.023 OPS with a .298 ISO and 15 HR vs RHP, backed by elite contact at a 24.2% Barrel% and 58.2% HardHit% that lead the slate. Against Avila's exposed line in a hitter-friendly Nationals Park, he's a top-tier ceiling play.

Jac Caglianone — OF, $2,900

Caglianone is a value piece in the Royals group with massive raw power — a 14.6% Barrel% and 57% HardHit% overall. Against Littell's home-run problem in a wind-out Nationals Park, his pull-side thump gives him real upside at a cheap price.

Kyle Stowers — OF, $2,900

Stowers is a value bat in the Marlins group with real contact quality — a 50.4% HardHit% and a .171 ISO vs RHP. Against Painter's exposed line in a hitter-friendly Citizens Bank, his power gives him a cheap path to a big day.

Xavier Edwards — UTIL, $3,400

In limited AB's vs Andrew Painter — .667 AVG / .667 OBP / 1.667 SLG / 2.333 OPS in 3 AB (2 H, 1 XBH, 1 HR). Edwards rounds out the Marlins group with an elite on-base, low-strikeout profile — a .288 average, a .376 OBP and a tiny 11.6% K% vs RHP — and history against Painter to boot, a high-floor value at the top of the order.

The lineup at a glance — Nick Lodolo is the punt at pitcher with strikeout upside, freeing the cap for three hitter-friendly stacks. The Nationals group of Curtis Mead, CJ Abrams and James Wood attacks Luinder Avila's command problems, the Royals pair of Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone goes after Zack Littell's 2.18 HR/9, and the Marlins trio of Otto Lopez, Kyle Stowers and Xavier Edwards takes on rookie Andrew Painter — all three in wind-out, hitter-friendly parks. One of the eight bats — Edwards — lines up against the exact pitcher he's performed against historically. We're right on the cap.

Let's have a big day! 💰🔥