3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on 6/4/19
Just like in other sports, the focal point of your daily fantasy baseball lineups will be your high-priced studs. These guys take up by far the biggest chunk of your cap space, but they also offer the highest ceiling, and in the case of pitcher, by far the highest floors for production.
For hitters, we're looking for guys with big numbers, strong matchups, and with players around them that are likely to produce well too, increasing our chances for runs and RBI. For pitchers we want big strikeout numbers, while the ability to go deep in a game and pick up a win is also valuable.
Taking up so much salary, and playing such a big role in your lineup's ceiling, you're not going to want to whiff on these guys, so lets take a look at a few top-end options that you can count on to anchor your lineup today.
Stephen Strasburg, P, Washington Nationals ($11,500)
15-game slates always bring us plenty of pitching options, but this one is especially loaded. There are nine arms priced at $9,000 or above, with three eclipsing $11,000. Strasburg is priced at the top of the group at $11,500, with nobody else checking in above $11,200.
His numbers, while elite, don't all stack up as the class of the slate. His 31.3% strikeout rate is second behind Blake Snell's 34.9%, and his 3.20 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) also falls behind Snell (2.98). Oddsmakers like the two pretty equally tonight too, with both facing down 3.33-run implied totals and sitting as -270 favorites on the moneyline.
Both have pitched better at home over their careers (2.86 home xFIP versus 2.99 on the road for Stras, and 3.66 at home and 3.78 on the road for Snell), and Snell will be on the road in Detroit while Strasburg plays host to the Chicago White Sox.
The White Sox haven't been totally egregious against righties this season, sitting 18th with a 92 wRC+, but they have been incredible as a fantasy matchup, with a 26.4% strikeout rate in the split that is tied for the second-highest in the majors.
Our models give Strasburg a slight edge tonight as well, projecting him as the top-scoring hurler on the slate.
Cody Bellinger, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers ($4,600)
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks had a low-scoring meeting on Monday night, but that's not likely to be the case again in today's game, which has a 9.5-run over/under. The Dodgers are heavy favorites in this one and boast the third-highest implied total (5.59 runs) on the slate against Arizona righty Taylor Clarke.
Clarke started seven Triple-A games this year, struggling to the tune of an egregious 6.16 xFIP, before coming up to the majors and posting a 5.02 xFIP over four games. He has no real track record of strong minor league numbers, having finished 2018 with a 4.43 xFIP through 27 Triple-A starts and posting a 5.07 xFIP in his six 2017 starts at the level, so there's no reason to expect any kind of a bounce-back moving forward, either.
Cody Bellinger can absolutely mash against righties, with a career .397 wOBA and .294 ISO on a 43.6% hard-hit and 42.4% fly-ball rate over 959 plate appearances, and he's likely to make this a long (or possibly very short, in terms of innings pitched) night for Clarke.
Christian Yelich, OF, Milwaukee Brewers ($4,800)
The Miami Marlins pitching staff is showing some promise this year, but the Milwaukee Brewers are still showing a hefty 5.02-run implied total tonight against right-hander Pablo Lopez.
Lopez has shown some improved strikeout stuff this year, but he's also giving up bigger contact, with 34.1% hard-hit, 18.0% soft-hit and 30.1% fly-ball rates that are all more hitter-friendly than he allowed in 2018. For as much improvement as he's made this year, he's also still having a tough time with lefty bats, allowing a 4.13 xFIP.
Yelich is in the midst of his second phenomenal season in a row from the dish, with a .450 wOBA and .406 ISO after posting a .422 wOBA and .272 ISO last year, and in those two seasons combined he has rocked right-handed hurlers for a massive .439 wOBA and .323 ISO.
Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
