MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Monday 5/3/21

Walker Buehler has been strong to begin the season, and he's got a great matchup tonight. Which other top plays stand out?

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 ($10,200)

There are a few juicy choices at starting pitcher on Monday's main slate, but I've definitely got my eye on Walker Buehler of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Buehler has been brilliant so far this season, and what makes him stand out this evening is a poor Chicago Cubs offense (27.4% strikeout rate). While they put up 12 runs yesterday, I wouldn't expect that to continue as they leave Great American Smallpark.

What makes him different than the highest salaried arm on the slate, Tyler Glasnow ($10,800), is the opponent. Glasnow faces a Los Angeles Angels team that's very tough to whiff (22.1%), and they have been finding their stride with a .326 wOBA.

The salary is up there, but we expect a monster night out of Buehler the tune of 32.3 FanDuel points that's near the top of the main slate. Pay up and enjoy. Just be sure to double-check the weather in Chicago as we get closer to lock.

Trevor Story, SS, Colorado Rockies ($3,800)

With a game in the friendly hitting environment of Coors Field, and Trevor Story returning to past form by bopping a few long balls, I am not sure we will get the luxury of rostering the star shortstop for under $4,000 much longer.

Now, fire a matchup in against Aaron Sanchez of the San Francisco Giants? Oh baby. To be fair, Sanchez has been solid this season, but with him returning to baseball after missing all of 2020, we aren't exactly witnessing the return of Cy Young to the fold.

And if they can knock Sanchez out early, they will attack a Giants bullpen that ranks 19th in team ERA (4.30) and has also allowed 1.61 home runs per nine (HR/9).

With Story rounding into shape and a slate-best 4.97 implied team total, he is the slate's top bat, per our model.

Byron Buxton, OF, Minnesota Twins ($4,500)

Are we finally getting the Byron Buxton breakout that we all have dreamed of?

After another stolen base over the weekend, the do-it-all outfielder now owns eight home runs and three steals to his name, in addition to playing Gold Glove caliber defense out in center field.

Tonight, returning home, he takes on Dane Dunning. Now, Dunning has been pretty darn good this season, but his 1.32 WHIP does leave a little bit more to be desired. If he gets in trouble with this tough Minnesota Twins offense, Buxton is liable to pop one deep.


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.