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Major League Baseball is introducing "Rivalry Weekend" as a new concept this year by having some of the best rivalries in the sport go head-to-head at the same time. Friday marks the beginning of the inaugural Rivalry Weekend that includes interleague contests like the Cubs vs. White Sox, Yankees vs. Mets and Dodgers vs. Angels, as well as rivalries within the leagues like the Phillies vs. Pirates and Astros vs. Rangers. Ten of the 15 games feature teams from the same state going head-to-head in a geographical rivalry, so could this bring stronger performances from stars in the MLB DFS player pool such as Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Bryce Harper for daily Fantasy baseball players to consider when a Friday MLB DFS strategy? 

Soto makes his return to Yankee Stadium after one season in the Bronx, and despite helping the Yankees reach the World Series, he likely won't be met with many cheers after signing with the crosstown Mets. Should this situation make you feel more or less confident about using Soto in Friday MLB lineups? Before locking in any MLB DFS picks for Friday, 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 (when McClure last made MLB DFS picks), McClure identified Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia as one of his top MLB DFS picks on both sites. The result: Garcia went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a walk and two runs scored, returning 23 points on DraftKings and 31.4 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 season continuing on Friday, McClure has locked in his top MLB daily Fantasy picks for May 16. You can head to SportsLine now to see them.

McClure's top MLB DFS picks for Friday, May 16

One of McClure's top MLB DFS picks for Friday is Ohtani, who is $6,500 on DraftKings and $4,600 on FanDuel for MLB DFS lineups. Ohtani had a home run in three of his four games against his former team last season, as the Dodgers begin their three-game series against the Angels in the Freeway Series on Friday. He had a home run in both games at Dodger Stadium, where they'll play on Friday night, and he reached base safely in 5-of-10 plate appearances against the Angels at Dodger Stadium last year.

Ohtani had two home runs and six RBI on Thursday to move to a tie for the MLB lead in home runs (15). His 1.082 OPS is third in baseball and his .310 batting average ranks 16th. He's hit a home run in back-to-back games. The Angels are starting right-handed pitcher Jack Kochanowicz, who has a 5.23 ERA this season, and McClure expects another big performance from Ohtani against his former squad. 

McClure is also rostering Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll ($6,000 on DraftKings and $4,500 on FanDuel). Carroll is coming off a dominant series against the Giants, where he went 5-for-14 with three home runs and five runs scored over three games. He's fourth in baseball in home runs (14), seventh in OPS (.970) and tied for 12th in RBI (31) this season.

The Diamondbacks host the Rockies, whose struggles have been well-documented this season. Colorado is 7-36, including 1-11 over its last 12 games, and has allowed 6.4 runs per game. The Rockies are 2-20 on the road and Carroll had a .295 batting average and .961 OPS in 28 career games against the Rockies. Colorado is starting right-handed pitcher Tanner Gordon, who has an 8.19 ERA in nine career starts and allowed seven runs (four earned) on nine hits in 6 1/3 innings against the Tigers on May 8 in his last start. See McClure's full MLB DFS player pool right here.

How to set your MLB DFS lineups for May 16, 2025

McClure is also targeting an undervalued player who is set to explode for huge numbers on Friday. 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 Friday? 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.