MLB DFS: Top DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy baseball picks, lineups, advice, stacks for May 31, 2024
Written by CBS SPORTS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on May 31, 2024
All good things must come to an end and yesterday, that good thing was Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe’s hitting streak. The 23-year-old shortstop was a few games away from surpassing Derek Jeter for the longest hitting streak in Yankees history since 1942. But Volpe went 0-for-4 with a walk to snap his 21-game hitting streak on Thursday and he was unable to reach Jeter’s mark of 25 games set in 2006. Volpe is hitting .326 since his hitting streak began on May 7, so should you continue to use him in MLB DFS lineups on Friday as the Yankees start a series against the Giants on the West Coast?
Although Volpe had the longest hitting streak in baseball until Thursday night, he had the second-best batting average on his own team during that span. Aaron Judge is hitting .364 with 11 home runs, 21 RBI and 22 runs scored over his last 22 games, so should daily Fantasy baseball players find ways to use these Yankees in an MLB DFS strategy? 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 highlighted Tigers pitcher Jack Flaherty as his top-ranked starting pitcher in his MLB DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Flaherty tossed 6 2/3 shutout innings, allowing one hit with one walk and nine strikeouts in a 5-0 win over the Red Sox, returning 57 points on FanDuel and 35.8 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, May 31. 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 Dodgers shortstop/second baseman Mookie Betts at $4,300 on FanDuel and $5,900 on DraftKings. Betts had a six-game hitting streak snapped on Wednesday but he did continue his on-base streak to 16 games after drawing a walk. Betts has the second-best batting average (.332) in baseball with the sixth-best OPS (.952) in the sport. Betts has the best OPS and third-highest slugging percentage among shortstops this season as he has eight home runs and 25 extra-base hits this year.
The Dodgers return home after a six-game road trip and play their first game in Los Angeles since May 22 on Friday. Betts has a .993 OPS with seven of his eight home runs at Dodger Stadium this season. He’s slugging over 100 points higher at home than on the road, so he should be looking forward to returning to the West Coast. The seven-time All-Star has at least 35 home runs with more than 115 runs scored in each of his last two seasons and now with his infield eligibility for MLB DFS lineups, he’s one of the most reliable options for MLB DFS picks.
McClure is also stacking Betts with outfielder/second baseman Miguel Vargas ($2,400 on DraftKings and $2,600 on FanDuel), who went 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored in a 10-3 win over the Mets on Wednesday. Vargas, who played 81 games in the majors last season, started the season in the Triple-A but was recalled to the Dodgers on May 17 after Max Muncy (oblique) was placed on the IL. Vargas had a home run on Tuesday against the Mets for his ninth home run in 316 career at-bats.
The Rockies are scheduled to start Dakota Hudson, who is 1-7 with a 5.54 ERA over 10 starts this season. The Dodgers have scored the second-most runs in baseball and averaged six runs per game in their three-game sweep over the Mets. Vargas has been inserted into one of the best lineups in baseball and his hitting lower in the order can play to his advantage because when he reaches base, Vargas is followed by elite hitters like Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman. He can be one of the best values in the MLB DFS player pool with his cheap price while being in one of the best offenses in baseball. See McClure’s full MLB DFS player pool at SportsLine.
How to set your MLB DFS lineups for May 31, 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.
The post MLB DFS: Top DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy baseball picks, lineups, advice, stacks for May 31, 2024 first appeared on CBS Sports.