Starting pitching is always critical in MLB daily Fantasy, but when you scan the MLB DFS player pool and notice a dearth of options, there is an opportunity to be had. On Saturday evening, there aren’t a large number of household names to be found at starting pitcher. Joe Musgrove, Cristian Javier and Spencer Strider are among the most expensive options, but with more value to be found with position players, playing the matchups might be advantageous.
Dakota Hudson threw six innings of one-hit ball against the Diamondbacks back in April, but he’s only priced at $6,100 on DraftKings and $7,300 on FanDuel in a rematch on Saturday. So should you put Hudson in your MLB DFS lineups and free up useful salary cap space to spend elsewhere? Before making 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 over $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 highlighted Giants outfielder Joc Pederson in his MLB DFS player pool on DraftKings and FanDuel. The result: Pederson went 2-for-4 with a home run to return 17 Fantasy points on DraftKings and 21.7 points on FanDuel. Anybody that included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
Now, as the 2022 MLB season continues, McClure has locked in his top MLB daily Fantasy picks for Saturday, August 20. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
McClure’s top MLB DFS picks for Saturday, August 20, 2022
For Saturday, one of McClure’s top MLB DFS picks is Pederson again, who is listed at $4,300 on DraftKings and $3,400 on FanDuel. After a difficult season with the Dodgers in 2020 and then an up-and-down season with the Braves and Cubs in 2021, Pederson has been a useful piece offensively for the Giants so far this season.
He’s slashing .254/.328/.500 with 18 home runs and 47 RBI and made his second All-Star appearance. Like most hitters who have spent the majority of their careers in the NL West, Pederson has experienced plenty of success in Coors Field with nine home runs there in 158 at-bats. That includes a home run on Friday night and on Saturday he’ll take on right-hander Ryan Feltner, who has a 6.39 ERA on the season.
Another part of McClure’s optimal MLB DFS strategy includes rostering Cardinals outfielder Tyler O’Neill ($4,700 on DraftKings and $3,000 on FanDuel). O’Neill finished eighth in National League MVP voting last season after posting a .912 OPS with 34 home runs, 80 RBI and 15 stolen bases.
His follow-up in 2022 has been disappointing, as O’Neill has battled injuries and enters Saturday with a .650 OPS with eight home runs and seven steals through 70 games. However, he’s posted a .979 OPS over the last seven days and has a .357 OBP against left-handed pitching on the year. On Saturday, he’ll take on the Diamondbacks and Madison Bumgarner, who has given up four earned runs or more in five of his last six outings.
How to set your MLB DFS lineups for Saturday, August 20, 2022
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? And which player is a must-roster? 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.
