SportsLine’s Mike McClure, a daily Fantasy pro with over $2 million in winnings, gives optimal MLB DFS lineup advice for Thursday, April 17
The Yankees may be the road team on Thursday, but their players will be extremely familiar with their surroundings. The Yankees play the Rays for the first time this season in Tampa Bay at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees’ spring training site, and home to the Rays this season following the damage to Tropicana Field from Hurricane Milton. George M. Steinbrenner Field has the same dimensions as Yankee Stadium, but should you build MLB DFS lineups around Yankees in the MLB DFS player pool like Aaron Judge, Ben Rice and Anthony Volpe? The Rays are expected to start right-hander Taj Bradley, who’s 2-0 with a 3.71 ERA this season.
The Yankees and their torpedo bats dominated baseball conversations at the start of the season, but their high-profile torpedo bat users like Volpe and Jazz Chisholm Jr. haven’t been as productive over recent weeks. How should that alter forming a Thursday MLB DFS strategy, especially if playing a night-slate with only five games starting after 6:30 p.m. ET? Before locking in any MLB DFS picks for Thursday, be sure to check out the MLB DFS advice, strategy and projections from SportsLine’s 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 Wednesday, McClure identified Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh as one of his top MLB DFS picks on both sites. The result: Raleigh went 2-for-5 with two home runs, returning 28 points on DraftKings and 37.4 points on FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups could have been well on the way to a profitable day.
Now, with the 2025 MLB continuing on Thursday, McClure has locked in his top MLB daily Fantasy picks for April 17. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.
McClure’s top MLB DFS picks for Thursday, April 17
One of McClure’s top MLB DFS picks for Thursday is Judge at $6,500 on DraftKings and $4,600 on FanDuel. McClure expects the familiarity of George M. Steinbrenner Field to favor Judge, as well as the exact dimensions of Yankee Stadium to play to his advantage. The reigning American League MVP is off to another dominant start as he leads baseball in batting average (.409) and OPS (1.322) while ranking tied for second in home runs (seven) and RBI (21).
Judge went 3-for-3 with a home run against the Royals, and he went 7-for-11 in the three-game series for a .636 batting average. The 32-year-old outfielder has won two of the last three AL MVP awards while leading baseball in home runs, RBI and OPS in each of those years. McClure expects Judge’s incredible start to continue in Tampa on Thursday.
McClure is also rostering Angels outfielder Mike Trout ($5,900 on DraftKings and $4,000 on FanDuel). Trout is hitting just .191, but when he connects, the ball often goes a long way as he’s tied for fourth in baseball in home runs (six). The three-time AL MVP has struggled to remain healthy over the last five years, but he’s healthy at the moment, and even at 33 years old and after multiple injuries, a healthy Trout is dangerous at the plate.
The Angels are capping off a three-game series with the Rangers on Thursday, and Texas is scheduled to start 25-year-old RHP Kumar Rocker, who has a 7.94 ERA over his first three starts this season. Rocker is making just his seventh MLB start and will face Trout for the first time. That can be intimidating for a young pitcher, and given Trout’s immense power and presence, McClure likes this matchup for the future Hall of Fame outfielder on Thursday. See McClure’s full MLB DFS player pool right here.
How to set your MLB DFS lineups for April 17, 2025
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, and get the rest of McClure’s MLB DFS picks, 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, all from the DFS expert who has won more than $2 million.
