3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Friday 7/23/21
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.
Zack Wheeler, SP, Philadelphia Phillies ($10,200)
There's a lot of interesting high-priced arms on Friday's main slate, but the one that we like the most is Zack Wheeler tonight.
The Atlanta Braves offense has started back-sliding, and quickly, with Ronald Acuna out of the lineup. They now have sunk to 10th in team wOBA, and in the last 14 days, they have sunk to 15th with a .318 wOBA mark.
Wheeler provides plenty of juice on his own -- he's recorded a 30.6% strikeout rate this season -- and his 49.5% ground-ball rate limits the damage that can be inflicted. Consider rostering the veteran arm tonight.
Chris Taylor, 2B/OF, Los Angeles Dodgers ($3,600)
The Los Angeles Dodgers are likely to be a heavily owned stack, and for good reason -- Chi Chi Gonzalez takes the ball for the Colorado Rockies, and he's really gotten rocked so far in 2021. On the season, he's posted a 5.12 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA), and he's been popped by lefties for a .367 wOBA mark, and righties have logged an even better .378 wOBA.
With those factors in play, Chris Taylor makes for an outstanding opportunity on the slate. He's rocked all pitchers this year, as indicated by his .370 wOBA mark this season, and his double-digit walk rate shows that he's likely to be a terror on the base paths.
For all those factors, get Taylor in your lineup.
Jose Altuve, 2B, Houston Astros ($4,000)
The Houston Astros are the league's best offense -- they have clocked everyone that has stood in their way this season -- and with southpaw Kolby Allard on the bump tonight, it could be an early shower.
While there are some pretty affordable options that make a lot of sense today, the pricey Jose Altuve seems like a no-brainer. Against lefties, he's crushed the baseball to the tune of a 129 wRC+.
With a hefty 4.95 implied team total, the Astros will definitely be a trendy choice.
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.
