3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Tuesday 5/11/21
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 ($10,800)
It's odd looking at the MLB standings and seeing the Dodgers in third in the National League West, but if there's an arm who can get them back on track, Walker Buehler could be that guy.
He's been brilliant this season, but an even bigger reason to roster him tonight for DFS purposes is his matchup. Buehler faces the Seattle Mariners, and this Seattle offense has holes. They clock in with the sixth-highest strikeout rate (26.5%) along with an ugly .291 wOBA.
Buehler tops our projections and is a pitcher to build around tonight.
Bryce Harper, OF, Philadelphia Phillies ($4,100)
With a Coors slate on tap (weather permitting), the easy button is to look at the hitters in that game and jam them into your rosters. And that's a totally logical move. But let's look at some other high-end hitters who may not be as popular as they should be if the masses flock to Coors.
Bryce Harper of the Phillies is taking on struggling young hurler Erick Fedde. Fedde has run into trouble recently, allowing too many free passes to the tune of a 10.9% walk rate. Left-handed batters have smacked Fedde for a .454 slugging percentage in his career.
Harper is the slate's seventh-best bat, per our model.
Trea Turner, SS, Washington Nationals ($4,000)
Another bat you should check out in the Phillies-Nationals game is Trea Turner. The Nats are facing Chase Anderson, which is no daunting task. Not only does Anderson sport a 5.30 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) this season, the Philly bullpen has logged an unsightly 7.06 ERA, worst in the majors.
You could just as easily target a Washington hitter like Juan Soto, as well, but given Soto's throwing ailments and Turner's power/speed upside, I land on Turner. The Washington shortstop owns a .373 wOBA, seven homers and seven swipes in 2021.
Our projections slot Turner as the slate's third-ranked hitter, and with Fernando Tatis Jr. likely to be very popular, Turner could slip through the cracks a bit.
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.