The 2022 MLB season is underway and after no games produced more than nine runs on Opening Day, we saw seven games reach double-digit run totals on Friday. So should MLB daily Fantasy players be preparing for another high-scoring day and seeking out power for their MLB DFS lineups, or will pitching and other categories like stolen bases and walks be key like on Thursday? The Saturday MLB DFS player pool is full of big stars like Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Mookie Betts and Mike Trout.
However, making those players a part of your MLB DFS strategy means that you’ll have to make sacrifices elsewhere to stay under the salary cap. So which matchups can you exploit to find cheap players and MLB DFS stacks to build around the backbone of your lineups? Before submitting any MLB DFS picks for Saturday, 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.
On Friday, McClure had Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker in his pool on both FanDuel and DraftKings. The result: Tucker went 2-for-5 with two home runs and four RBIs. Anybody that included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
Now, with the 2022 MLB season rolling, McClure has locked in his top MLB daily Fantasy picks for Saturday, April 9. Head to SportsLine now to see them.Â
McClure’s top MLB DFS picks for April 9, 2022
One of McClure’s top MLB DFS picks for Saturday is Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman at $4,800 on DraftKings and $4,300 on FanDuel. The 2020 NL MVP and five-time NL all-star left Atlanta after 12 seasons with the Braves, signing a six-year, $162 million deal with the Dodgers this offseason that takes him from one perennial NL pennant contender to another.
Freeman is 32 now but he’s showing no signs of slowing down, posting his two highest average exit velocities and hard-hit contact rates of the Statcast era the last two seasons. He went 1-for-3, drew a walk and scored a run in his Dodgers debut on Friday and now he’ll take on Rockies starter German Marquez in Coors Field, where Freeman has a career .931 OPS.
McClure is also recommending stacking Freeman with Dodgers catcher Will Smith at $4,200 on DraftKings and $3,900 on FanDuel. The 27-year-old is now in his fourth MLB season and he’s quickly developed into one of the most prolific offensive players the position has to offer. In two short stints with the Dodgers in 2019 and 2020, Smith combined to hit 25 home runs and drive in 67 over just 333 plate appearances.
In his first full season, Smith proved that his success wasn’t simply the byproduct of good luck over a small sample size. He belted 25 more home and drove in 76 while slashing .258/.365/.495 over 501 plate appearances all while playing above-average defense at a premium position. Smith has a staggering 1.140 OPS with 16 RBIs in 13 games at Coors Field in his short career and he should be a staple in your MLB DFS lineups at a position that lacks offensive production as a whole.
How to set your MLB DFS lineups for April 9, 2022Â
McClure is also targeting an undervalued player who is set to explode for huge numbers on Saturday. 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 Saturday? 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.
