MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on 4/8/21

Just like in other sports, the focal point of your daily fantasy baseball lineups will be your high-salary 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 pitchers, the high-salary options typically come with the highest floors, too.

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.

With your high-salary picks playing such a big role in your lineup, you need to be right on these guys, so let's take a look at a few top-end options you can count on to anchor your lineup today.

Corbin Burnes, SP, Milwaukee Brewers ($9,400)

Look, fam, it's Corbin Burnes' world, and we are all just living in it.

The reliever-turned-starter was absolutely magnificent a season ago, and he picked up right where he left off in his first start of 2021, striking out 11 hitters in 6 1/3 frames in an Opening Day duel with Jose Berrios.

Today's opponent? The poor offense of the St. Louis Cardinals, who struck out nine times against the Miami Marlins and Pablo Lopez. We can expect another big day from Burnes, who our model ranks as the main slate's top pitcher.

Xander Bogaerts, SS, Boston Red Sox ($3,300)

I highly doubt that the Boston Red Sox were expecting to be swept by the Baltimore Orioles to start the 2021 season. Certainly they'll be hoping that is their nadir for the year.

After mustering only five runs in three games, the bats in Boston have woken up, as evidenced by a 26-run outburst in three contests against the Tampa Bay Rays. At the center of that offense was none other than Xander Bogaerts, who totaled eight hits in the series.

Today, the Red Sox take aim at Matt Harvey -- yes, that Matt Harvey. Camden Yards is a band box, and Harvey has stunk in recent seasons. It may be the last chance that you get to roster Bogaerts at a salary this low.

Ryan McMahon, 2B, Colorado Rockies ($3,700)

We get another game in Denver with warm weather, so we should be ready to target the Colorado Rockies and their slew of juicy hitters. Today, let's focus on Ryan McMahon and his powerful bat with the platoon advantage against Merrill Kelly.

The park needs no introduction, and McMahon provided plenty of fireworks the other evening with three homers, so let's pivot our focus to Kelly. While the right-hander was solid a season ago, he owns a career 4.63 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA), which shows he's prone to a few blow-ups.

With an implied team total of 5.94 runs for the Rockies, you'll likely want some exposure to this contest, and McMahon makes for a solid play.


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.