The Cleveland Guardians leading the American League Central and having the third-most wins in the AL nearing the midway point of the season wasn't a popular prediction for many in baseball. However, daily Fantasy baseball players have been taking advantage of Guardians hitters in the MLB DFS player pool this year. Cleveland ranks tied for third in the AL in runs scored with contributors like Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor serving as assets for MLB DFS lineups. Ramirez has been one of the top options for MLB DFS lineups throughout his career, but he can sometimes go under the radar in Cleveland.
The Guardians are set to begin a three-game series with the Blue Jays this weekend. Yariel Rodriguez, a 27-year-old right-handed pitcher, is set to make the fifth start of his rookie season against Cleveland on Friday and he has a 4.11 ERA over his first four starts. Is this another strong opportunity to build MLB DFS stacks around the Guardians when forming MLB DFS lineups on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings? Before locking in any MLB DFS picks for Friday,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 Thursday, McClure identified Royals pitcher Seth Lugo as one of his top starting pitchers in the MLB DFS player pool. The result: Lugo allowed two earned runs on six hits with three walks and eight strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings, returning 42 points on FanDuel and 21.6 points on DraftKings. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
Now, with the 2024 MLB season rolling, McClure has locked in his top MLB daily Fantasy picks for Friday, June 21. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
McClure's top MLB DFS picks for Friday
One of McClure's top MLB DFS picks for Friday is Nationals outfielder Eddie Rosario at $4,300 on DraftKings and $3,200 on FanDuel. Despite a slow start to the season with Rosario batting .180 through 61 games, this could be the matchup to break him out of a skid. Rosario is 3-for-5 with a double in his career against Dakota Hudson, who is the probable starter for the Rockies against the Nationals on Friday. The Nationals are set to begin a three-game series at hitte-friendly Coors Field and Rosario has a career .304 batting average with a 1.161 OPS against Colorado.
Rosario has five home runs in 16 games against the Rockies, resulting in his best home run rate against a single team over his career. His 1.161 OPS against Colorado is also better than against any other franchise. The left-handed hitter is a .263 hitter against RHP over his 10 MLB seasons heading into this matchup against the right-handed Hudson. Rosario's struggles have lowered his MLB DFS price tag and this could be the ideal matchup for him to serve as one of the best values in the MLB DFS player pool.
McClure is also targeting Red Sox 1B/3B Bobby Dalbec ($2,200 on DraftKings and $2,100 on FanDuel). Dalbec, a right-handed hitter, has stronger career statistics against LHPs, batting .259 with an .805 OPS compared to hitting .201 with a .664 OPS against LHPs. The Reds are scheduled to start LHP Andrew Abbott against the Red Sox on Friday and Abbott has a 5.32 ERA over his last four starts and given Dalbec's price, he's a strong option to consider whila allowing money to spend on higher-priced players for MLB DFS lineups.
The Red Sox enter Friday as the hottest team in baseball on a five-game winning streak, the longest active winning streak in the sport. Boston is averaging seven runs per game during that span, so any piece of the Red Sox offense can provide significant value at the moment. Dalbec's price combined with Boston's recent success makes him an attractive addition for McClure in his Friday MLB DFS picks.See McClure's full MLB DFS player pool right here.
How to set your MLB DFS lineups for June 21, 2024
McClure is also targeting an undervalued player who is set to explode for huge numbers on Friday. 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, and get the rest of McClure's MLB DFS picks, here.
So what are the top MLB DFS picks for Friday?Visit SportsLine now to see DFS millionaire Mike McClure's complete player pool and picks for FanDuel and DraftKings, all from the DFS expert who has won more than $2 million.
