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Rangers right-hander Jacob deGrom will make his first start with his new club on MLB 2023 Opening Day against Philadelphia, despite dealing with left side tightness early in spring training. The 34-year-old two-time Cy Young winner is going to be on a pitch count, so should you be avoiding him with your 2023 Opening Day MLB DFS lineups? He is facing an elite Phillies lineup, but he is still the most expensive pitcher in the MLB DFS player pool for Opening Day. Veteran starter Max Scherzer is also starting on Thursday afternoon, facing Miami's Sandy Alcantara.

Scherzer and Alcantara are two of the top starters in the league, making their head-to-head matchup an intriguing one to consider on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel. The first games of the season can be some of the toughest to predict, so it is important to get daily Fantasy help from an expert. Before submitting any MLB DFS picks for Opening Day, be sure to check out the MLB DFS advice, strategy and projections from SportsLine daily Fantasy expert Mike McClure.

McClure is a daily Fantasy pro who has won almost $2 million in his career. And when it comes to daily Fantasy baseball, McClure is at his best. Recognized in the book "Fantasy Football (and Baseball) for Smart People: How to Turn Your Hobby into a Fortune" as a top MLB DFS player, McClure's proprietary projection model simulates each game 10,000 times, taking factors such as matchups and recent results into account. This allows him to find the best values on every site.

Now, with the 2023 MLB season nearing its beginning, McClure has locked in his top MLB daily Fantasy picks for Opening Day on Thursday, March 30. Head to SportsLine now to see them

McClure's top MLB DFS picks for Opening Day

One of McClure's top MLB DFS picks for MLB Opening Day is Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich at $4,800 on DraftKings and $3,400 on FanDuel. The 31-year-old is a two-time batting champion, two-time All-Star and won the 2018 NL MVP award. And while he hasn't been quite as productive at the plate over the last three seasons since his back-to-back batting titles, he's still a capable hitter with a solid plate approach that is also a base-stealing threat.

Yelich stole 19 bases last season, and even with his contact rate and power dropping off in recent years, he's had a .358 OBP the last three seasons. In nine career plate appearances against Cubs Opening Day starter Marcus Stroman, Yelich has two singles, two walks and has only struck out once. And with three home runs in 41 plate appearances this spring, the hope is that he'll be able to provide a little more power in 2023.

Part of McClure's Opening Day MLB DFS strategy includes rostering Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. at $5,700 on DraftKings and $3,900 on FanDuel. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2021, but he returned to play 119 games last year, hitting .266 with 15 home runs and 29 stolen bases. Acuna is going to be even healthier entering this season, creating a sky-high ceiling as one of the league's most talented players.

The 25-year-old carries some risks as a long-term Fantasy option due to his injury history, but he is a safe bet in the Opening Day DFS player pool. Acuna is 8 of 29 (.276) with four walks in his career against Washington's Patrick Corbin, and he has hit .271 with 28 home runs and 71 RBI against left-handed pitchers in his career. He is worth spending some extra money on in Thursday's Opening Day DFS contests. 

How to set your MLB DFS lineups for March 30, 2023

McClure is also targeting an undervalued player who is set to explode for huge numbers on Thursday. The stars are aligning for him to return tournament-winning value and he comes at a price that won't break the bank. You can only see who it is here.

So what are the top MLB DFS picks for Thursday? Visit SportsLine now to see DFS millionaire Mike McClure's complete player pool and picks for FanDuel and DraftKings, and cash in big on MLB DFS.