MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on 8/22/19

Michael Brantley has been on fire this season, and he's got a great matchup tonight with Jordan Zimmermann on the hill. What other great plays should we be targeting?

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 let,s take a look at a few top-end options that you can count on to anchor your lineup today.

Noah Syndergaard, P, New York Mets ($10,000)

It wasn't that long ago that we were wondering what the heck was wrong with Noah Syndergaard of the New York Mets -- thankfully, all of those concerns are now in the rearview mirror.

Thor has been part of a brilliant stretch run recently; over his last seven starts, spanning 48 1/3 innings pitched, the ace righty has helped the Mets surge back into the playoff race with a 2.05 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and absurd 50 whiffs.

His 23.7% strikeout rate may seem fairly pedestrian at first, but that ignores a 25.9% strikeout surge in the second half.

Pay up for Syndergaard, and take advantage of his recent run of form.

Will Smith, C, Los Angeles Dodgers ($3,900)

With 88 at-bats to his name, is there a limit to what backstop Will Smith can do?

After swatting 12 home runs and eight doubles so far, recording 1.210 OPS and .818 slugging percentage, the rookie is certainly earning his stay at the major league level.

Tonight, he takes aim at Jacob Waguespack, who has been getting bombed by righties. So far this season, in 103 batters faced, Waguespack has been lit up for 12 extra-base hits and a 48.1% hard-hit rate.

For a reasonably discounted top-tier hitter, peep Smith as a great option.

Michael Brantley, OF, Houston Astros ($4,000)

When he signed this offseason with the Houston Astros, there may have been no better fit for Michael Brantley than this juggernaut lineup, and his outstanding season certainly reflects.

Among qualified hitters, Brantley clocks in 16th in wOBA (.388), eclipsing the 70-plus run and runs-batted-in mark, and hitting a cool .334, tops in the major leagues.

He looks to add to those impressive totals tonight against Jordan Zimmermann, who has been tattooed by left-handed batters this year. In 170 plate appearances, lefties have ripped him for a .526 slugging percentage and .386 wOBA, including a 44.1% hard-hit rate.

With a healthy implied team total of 5.43 runs, Astros will be in high demand, especially lefties like Brantley.


Matt Kupferle is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Matt Kupferle also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username MKupferle. 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.