Thursday night's MLB DFS player pool is limited to just three games, but it is still loaded with talent as several of the league's top offenses are in action. The Yankees are getting another crack at the MLB-leading Rays, who are 29-9 heading into Thursday's MLB DFS slate. New York is coming off its first sweep of the season and has star slugger Aaron Judge back in the lineup after returning from a strained hip on Tuesday. Judge had three of New York's 10 hits in an 11-3 win over Oakland on Wednesday, so should you include him in your MLB DFS lineups on Thursday?
Harrison Bader hit a three-run homer for the Yankees on Wednesday and rookie Anthony Volpe blasted his first career grand slam. They are facing Tampa Bay starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen, making them intriguing MLB DFS options on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel. Before submitting any MLB DFS picks for Thursday, 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 more than $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.
On Wednesday, McClure highlighted Mets starting pitcher Justin Verlander as one of his top DFS picks. The result: Verlander threw seven innings of one-run ball and struck out seven in a win over the Reds, returning 29.35 points on DraftKings and 49 points of FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
Now, with the 2023 MLB season in full swing, McClure has locked in his top MLB daily Fantasy picks for Thursday, May 11. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
McClure's top MLB DFS picks for Thursday
One of McClure's top MLB DFS picks for Thursday is Athletics outfielder Brent Rooker ($3,800 on DraftKings and $4,200 on FanDuel). Oakland has put together a disastrous campaign thus far, but that has not stopped Rooker from having a breakout season. He is batting .317 with 10 home runs and 26 RBI, averaging 10.2 Fantasy points per game.
He had two more hits on Wednesday, recording at least one base knock for the sixth time in his last seven outings. Rooker got on base three times against the Yankees on Monday, pushing his on-base percentage to .441 over a stretch of 118 plate appearances. He is batting .301 with six homers and 18 RBI in 90 plate appearances against right-handed pitchers this season.
McClure's MLB DFS strategy also includes rostering Rangers outfielder Robbie Grossman ($2,400 on DraftKings and $2,900 on FanDuel). Grossman went hitless in a pair of games on Sunday and Monday, but he rattled off a 14-game hitting streak before that. He got back on track with a hit and a run against Seattle on Wednesday, and he is a cheap option in Thursday's player pool.
The 33-year-old is facing Oakland pitcher Zach Neal, who was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas to start Thursday's game. Neal last pitched in the majors in 2018 when he made one appearance for the Dodgers, and he had an abysmal 6.87 ERA in 116.2 minor-league innings last year. He has not been much better this season, holding a 5.56 ERA across 11.1 innings with Vegas before getting the big-league opportunity due to Oakland's struggling pitching staff. See who else to pick here.
How to set your MLB DFS lineups for May 11, 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.
