MLB DFS, 2026: Top FanDuel, DraftKings picks, lineups, advice for Thursday, May 21, from a daily Fantasy pro

Seven games highlight Thursday's Major League Baseball schedule, which begins at 1:10 p.m. ET, with the last first pitch set for 9:40 p.m. ET. Among the top options in the MLB DFS player pool include Spencer Strider, Jose Soriano, Carlos Rodon, Eduardo Rodriguez, Spencer Miles, Aaron Judge, Luis Severino, Sandy Alcantara, Corbin Carroll, Mike Trout, Cody Bellinger and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Among those not available and on the injured list include Carlos Santana (groin), Jacob Wilson (shoulder), Drake Baldwin (oblique), Sean Murphy (finger), Gabriel Arias (hamstring), Brenton Doyle (oblique), Tarik Skubal (elbow), Travis d'Arnaud (foot), Luis Robert Jr. (back), Jose Caballero (finger), Joey Bart (foot), Jesus Sanchez (shoulder) and Ramon Urias (elbow).

Before making any MLB DFS picks on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel for this slate, you need to see what Mike McClure has to say.

McClure is a DFS professional with over $2 million in career winnings. He's also a predictive data engineer at SportsLine who uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times, taking factors like matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account.

This allows him to find the best MLB DFS values and create optimal lineups that he shares only at SportsLine. They're a must-see for any MLB DFS player.

For Thursday, one of McClure's top MLB DFS picks is Arizona third baseman Nolan Arenado ($3,300 DraftKings, 3,100 FanDuel). He's also building around Arizona outfielder Corbin Carroll ($5,400 DraftKings, $3,900 FanDuel). He has been red hot. Carroll has hits in eight consecutive games, including a 2-for-4 performance with two homers, three RBI and one walk in an 8-6 win at Colorado on Sunday. He is hitting .285 with 11 doubles, six triples, seven homers and 24 RBI in 45 games this season.

McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Thursday! This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You absolutely need to see who it is before locking in any lineups.

What are the top MLB DFS picks for Thursday? ... Join SportsLine now to see DFS pro Mike McClure's top picks, stacks, and player pools for FanDuel and DraftKings, and cash in BIG on MLB DFS!