MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Friday 5/14/21

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle May 14th, 2021
After an off year, J.D. Martinez is pounding the baseball and terrorizing opposing pitchers. Which other high-salary plays should you consider?

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.

Clayton Kershaw, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers ($10,500)

Death, taxes, and Clayton Kershaw excellence -- there are few things as consistent in life, and the left-hander being a great pitcher is certainly one of those things. While the 2021 season is in its infancy, Kershaw is off to a great start, pitching to a 3.30 SIERA and 26.1% strikeout rate.

But for DFS purposes, it's about the here and now, and despite top options like Max Scherzer and Tyler Glasnow being available, the matchup Kershaw has tonight sets him apart. The Miami Marlins, Kershaw's opponent, are rocking a 26.0% strikeout rate and .296 wOBA, making the Los Angeles Dodgers' lefty a clear-cut choice at the top end of pitching options. Miami's 2.65 implied total is the lowest of the night.

Kershaw leads our projections (41.9 FanDuel points) and is a pitcher to build around on this slate.

J.D. Martinez, OF, Boston Red Sox ($4,100)

The offense of the Boston Red Sox continues to hum along at a prodigious clip, and one hitter who has been a big part of their offensive party is J.D. Martinez.

Surging back to his prior form -- making the shortened 2020 season looks like an aberration -- Martinez has bopped opposing pitching for 10 long balls, and he's already topped 30 runs and 30 RBI this season.

He may add to those totals even tonight versus Griffin Canning. The Los Angeles Angels' pitcher has been a bit rocky this year, as evidenced by his 5.19 ERA and 1.38 WHIP in 26 innings pitched.

The Red Sox have a 4.93 implied total and are a good offense to stack. We peg Martinez as a top-10 bat on the slate, per our model.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr, 1B/3B, Toronto Blue Jays ($4,000)

Slowing down a bit recently (and who could expect him to maintain the pace of his insane season-starting tear), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has a prime matchup tonight.

Vincent Velasquez of the Philadelphia Phillies will toe the slab, and he's been the Velasquez we have all come to know and love. Over 23 2/3 innings pitched, he continues to walk way too many hitters, as evidenced by his 1.52 WHIP, and that's led to a less-than-desirable 4.18 ERA.

Guerrero ranks in the top 10 in batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS, and he's slugged righties at a far better clip this year. The Toronto Blue Jays' 5.45 implied total is a slate-high mark, and Vlad is a great way to get exposure it.


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.