MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Thursday 4/22/21

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.

Walker Buehler, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers ($9,800)

In a slate bereft of outstanding pitching options, Walker Buehler of the Los Angeles Dodgers really stands out.

Some DFS players may shy away from Buehler given that he hasn't been his usual self and is facing the San Diego Padres. But peep this -- San Diego is only 19th in runs scored, and Fernando Tatis Jr. is really struggling at the dish since his return from his shoulder injury. Plus, there just aren't any other high-upside options to pivot to if you aren't into Buehler.

We have Buehler projected for 33.9 FanDuel points, and he's the lone hurler with a projection above 26.6.

Willson Contreras, C, Chicago Cubs ($3,600)

After a slow start offensively this season, the Chicago Cubs broke out in a big way Wednesday, racking up 16 runs in a monster win.

While much of the offense has struggled, Willson Contreras has now. So far this season, he's smashed his way to five homers and has even chipped in two steals.

Contreras will be taking aim at southpaw Joey Lucchesi. Since 2019, the Cubs' catcher has logged nearly a .900 OPS in this split. On top of all that, the wind is blowing out today at Wrigley.

J.D. Martinez, OF, Boston Red Sox ($4,500)

We all thought there could be a resurgence this season for the offense of the Boston Red Sox, but I don't think anyone in the fantasy community quite expected this.

Boston now ranks second in baseball in run differential, and while their pitching leaves a little bit to be desired, J.D. Martinez and the offense is red-hot. Martinez is averaging 17.5 FanDuel points per game, slugging his way to a .368 batting average and six long balls.

On the hill, righty Justin Dunn takes the ball for the Seattle Mariners, and he has been pretty mediocre this season. If he continues allowing nearly 1.5 runners per inning, like he has over his first 9 2/3 frames of 2021, Martinez and the Sox should have plenty of run scoring opportunities.



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.