After a miserable last few weeks dealing with various injuries, Philadelphia catcher J.T. Realmuto looks to shake things off and help push for an NL crown against Colorado on Thursday. In Philadelphia's only other series against the Rockies this season, he hit .400 with two runs, a triple and a stolen base over three games. He gets his latest chance to slide into MLB DFS lineups and across the plate against Colorado at home tonight, at 7:05 p.m. ET.
Rockies starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela has been solid, but Realmuto has hit .300 against him, and has been a reliable batter in the final month of the season throughout his career. Does Realmuto return enough value to make it into the top MLB DFS picks for Thursday? Or are other options like Salvador Perez and Travis D'Arnaud better options from a relatively light MLB DFS player pool? Before making any tough decisions, make sure you 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 Wednesday, McClure recommended Royals outfielder Andrew Benintendi as one of his top MLB DFS picks. The result: Benintendi went 3-for-5 from the plate with a double, home run, and five RBI as part of a monster day that yielded 41.7 points on FanDuel and 30 on DraftKings. Those that included him in their lineup were well on the way to a profitable day.
Now, with the 2021 MLB season rolling on, McClure has locked in his top MLB daily Fantasy picks for Thursday. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
McClure's top MLB DFS picks for September 9, 2021
One of McClure's top MLB DFS picks for Thursday is Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies at $4,200 on FanDuel and $5,400 on DraftKings. Albies came away empty-handed in the batters box on Wednesday against Washington, but he had been on a tear before that, including a 2-for-3 night on Tuesday that included a home run and four RBI.
Albies has been on fire over his last 10 games, with batting splits of .293/.302/.707. Against Washington's Thursday night probable starter, Erick Fedde, Albies is a career .333 hitter, with a couple of RBI. Fedde has been especially bad against Atlanta throughout his career, and is 0-4 against the Braves with an 11.92 ERA in seven career appearances against them. Fedde's also allowed nine earned runs over his last two starts, so he's not in particularly good form overall lately.
Part of McClure's MLB DFS strategy also includes rostering Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner ($2,300 on both FanDuel and DraftKings). He offers great value as a bargain option and hit a home run in the Yankees' 6-3 loss to Toronto on Wednesday.
Gardner has been hitting well above his 2021 averages over his last four games, and has four hits and three RBI in addition to his homer last night. Against Toronto probable starter José Berrios, Gardner has hit .444 with three RBI in nine career at bats. In the second half of the season, Gardner has found the remedy for some of his issues at the plate, and already has more home runs (4) and RBI (16) than he did in twice as many starts during the first half.
How to set your MLB DFS lineups for September 9, 2021
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.
