MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Tuesday 8/31/21

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Aug 31st, 2021
Teoscar Hernandez has been incredible this season, and he's got an outstanding matchup tonight. Which other top plays should you think about?

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.

Lucas Giolito, P, Chicago White Sox ($10,200)

There are some outstanding options on the bump tonight, and Lucas Giolito is my favorite of the bunch.

With eight arms salaried at $9,000 or more, there's not a shortage of big-time pitchers, but here's why Giolito makes for a great play. The veteran right-hander is rocking a 28.3% strikeout rate this season, and his control and command have been better than ever with only a 7.0% walk rate.

His opponent, the Pittsburgh Pirates, have been terrible at the plate this season. They've logged only a .272 wOBA and .122 isolated power (ISO), and they make for a popular choice to target.

Giolito is near the top of our projections (37.8 points) and is a guy I'll be locking in.

Charlie Blackmon, OF, Colorado Rockies ($3,500)

Normally, we target the Colorado Rockies when they are at Coors Field. Tonight, they aren't. However, the Rox are facing Jordan Lyles, so they make for a very tantalizing option.

Lyles has struggled through a very difficult 2021 season, putting up an ugly 5.63 FIP. He's giving up too many home runs (2.09 per nine) thanks to a lowly 34.2% ground-ball rate.

There are many different ways to get exposure to Rockies, and one of them who is particularly interesting is Charlie Blackmon. His 36.4% hard-hit rate against righties shows he's still got some pop, and the matchup with Lyles is one we can thrive in.

Teoscar Hernandez, OF, Toronto Blue Jays ($3,700)

Let's target one of the highest implied team totals of the day -- the Toronto Blue Jays. They own a 5.88 total, and middle-of-the-order thumper Teoscar Hernandez is a very strong play.

The Baltimore Orioles have won only one of Keegan Akin's starts this season as he's been pretty brutal on the year. He's allowing 1.66 homers per nine along with a 43.3% fly-ball rate. His FIP is 5.04.

You'll want some kind of exposure to the Jays, and Hernandez with the platoon advantage makes a pile of sense. He's got a .458 wOBA and 46.3% fly-ball rate in the split.


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.