The Tampa Bay Rays have a chance to complete a sweep on Thursday over the team that entered the week with the best record in the National League. But that’s certainly not the team anyone would have guessed on Opening Day. The Rays have won the first two games against the Pittsburgh Pirates, currently with the second-best record in the National League behind the Atlanta Braves after dropping the first two games of the series. The Rays have outscored the Pirates, 12-2, in the series and have provided plenty of key contributors for MLB DFS lineups on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings. Rays shortstop Wander Franco is 3-for-8 with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored in the series.
Will Franco continue his reign over the Pirates on Thursday and serve as a key addition to MLB DFS lineups? Stacking Rays players has been profitable MLB DFS strategy as Tampa Bay has the best record in baseball at 25-6 and leads the sport with 207 runs scored. 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 Tuesday, McClure highlighted Blue Jays C/OF Daulton Varsho as one of his top MLB DFS picks. The result: Varsho went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and three RBI, returning 23 points on DraftKings and 31.7 points on 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 4. 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 Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich ($5,400 on DraftKings and $3,600 on FanDuel). The 31-year-old outfielder may have fallen off from his 2018 NL MVP season followed by a second place finish in the 2019 voting, but he still provides value as an MLB DFS option at a cheaper value. The Brewers wrap up their three-game series at hitter-friendly Coors Field on Thursday and Yelich has reached base three times to begin the series.
Yelich has a slash line of .227/.320/.345 this season with career marks of .285/.375/.463 over his 11-year career. The Rockies send right-hander Connor Seabold to the hill on Thursday and Yelich, a left-handed bat, has posted much better power numbers against right-handers this year. He has all three of his home runs against right-handers with a .705 OPS compared to a .554 OPS against lefties.
McClure’s MLB DFS strategy also includes stacking Brewers first baseman Rowdy Tellez ($5,000 on DraftKings and $3,700 on FanDuel). Tellez enters on a six-game hitting streak and displayed his power with 35 home runs last season. He has showcased that power with three home runs over his last 10 games. He has an .896 OPS this year, well above the league average of .727 this season.
Tellez, a left-handed hitter, has been dominant against right-handed pitching with the Rockies set to send Seabold to the mound. He has seven of his eight long balls against right-handers with a home run in one of every 10.7 at-bats on the year. Factor in playing at Coors Field and the Rockies with the second-worst record (11-20) in the National League and Thursday could be a profitable day for a Brewers stack of left-handed hitters. Seabold is making his first start after seven relief appearances with the Rockies this year and left-handed hitters have a .346/.400/.462 slash line against him this season. See who else to pick here.
How to set your MLB DFS lineups for May 4, 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.