MLB Daily Fantasy Picks For Thursday, June 3: Double Down On NL Central Stars

Thursday’s lineup of MLB games is headlined by a pitcher’s duel between Yu Darvish and Taijuan Walker. For daily fantasy, there are eight games in the featured evening slate.

Here are Benzinga’s MLB daily fantasy picks for Thursday, June 3. All salaries courtesy of DraftKings.

Pitcher- Yu Darvish, San Diego Padres vs. New York Mets ($10,700)

Darvish, the top option on Thursday, faces the struggling Mets offense. New York averages the second-fewest runs per game in the league.

Darvish wasn’t at his best last time out against Houston, but gave up two or fewer earned runs in his previous nine starts. Tonight could very well be one of Darvish’s best outings of the season and he is well worth the price in daily fantasy.

Pitcher- Vladimir Gutierrez, Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals ($5,000)

Opposed to Darvish, Gutierrez is the cheapest daily fantasy option of the day. He took the loss in his Major League debut, but went five innings and surrendered just one run. This pick is more for value than anything, but a similar start with a handful of strikeouts is a fine tradeoff for higher-priced hitters.

C- Carson Kelly, Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Milwaukee Brewers ($4,000)

Kelly is batting close to .300 on the season for the Diamondbacks, providing consistent play at the catcher position. As with every DFS lineup, catcher should be a lower priority, and salary should be focused elsewhere, but Kelly is a decent contributor with his .431 on-base percentage.

1B- Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs vs. San Francisco Giants ($5,300)

Rizzo only hit one home run in May, but has started off June ⅝ with two runs batted in. With a strong supporting cast around him, Rizzo has plenty of opportunities to contribute even with diminished power. It's only a matter of time before he regains his stroke, but on a day where several top first basemen aren't on the slate, he's a good option.

2B- Adam Frazier, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Miami Marlins ($4,000)

Frazier has emerged as a quality player this season for the Pirates. He's batting .335 through 53 games. While he doesn't offer much in terms of power, he gets on base and provides consistency each time out at second base. He is a high-floor, low-ceiling target and fills out lineups nicely.

SS- Javier Baez, Chicago Cubs vs. San Francisco Giants ($4,100)

Baez holds one of the highest strikeout rates in the league, but also is one of the best offensive fantasy shortstops in the game. He has double-digit home runs, eight stolen bases, and a lot of RBIs, making him a go-to daily fantasy target. He hit another home run last night after homering twice on May 31, bringing his season total up to 14.

3B- Eugenio Suarez, Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals ($3,900)

Suarez is batting a dismal .162, but has shown good power with 12 home runs. His season is beginning to turn around, however, with hits in six of his last eight games. He is a boom-or-bust play until he can start getting on base more, but the potential boom is worth the risk.

OF- Tyler O’Neill, St. Louis Cardinals vs. Cincinnati Reds ($4,000)

O’Neill is emerging as a breakout star in the Cardinals’ outfield. He has 12 homers and five stolen bases and is on a 10-game hitting streak. He's producing in every important statistical category for fantasy purposes, giving any DFS lineup a chance to break out.

OF- Jesse Winker, Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals ($4,300)

Winker hasn't homered in seven games and faces off against a Cardinals team that has allowed the second-fewest homers in the league. However, Winker can produce outside of his power. With a batting average of .341 and OBP of .403, Winker gets on base plenty and contributes across the board in fantasy.

OF- Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Miami Marlins ($3,300)

Reynolds now has seven home runs on the season, including three in a six-game stretch to end May. He's batting a strong .283 with a .382 OBP, which in turn gets him across home plate more often than not. At this salary, Reynolds is severely undervalued given his production. Stuck on the poor Pirates offense, his RBI chances are limited, but he's a good pick to round out any lineup.