3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Tuesday 4/12/22
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, as well, 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.
Yu Darvish, SP, San Diego Padres ($9,700)
It was certainly an interesting first start for Yu Darvish of the San Diego Padres.
A year after logging a 29.2% strikeout rate over 166 1/3 innings pitched, Darvish took the hill on Opening Day and struck out only three batters over six innings. But let's look at the bigger picture -- he also didn't allow a single base hit spanning those six scoreless innings.
His 10.9% swinging-strike rate was still solid in that first start, and he's pegged as a top-3 arm per our model. We project the Padres' righty for 27.8 FanDuel points, making him a great play even facing a tricky San Francisco Giants offense in his second start.
Ozzie Albies, 2B, Atlanta Braves ($3,900)
The switch-hitting Ozzie Albies will look to get the Atlanta Braves offense unlocked, and against Patrick Corbin, he could be ready for a monster night.
In 171 2/3 innings pitched, Corbin allowed a whopping 1.94 home runs per nine (HR/9) for the season. While he really battled against same-sided bats, right-handed hitters popped him for 2.40 HR/9.
Albies had a monstrous 144 wRC+ against lefties last year. It's definitely the better side of the plate for him.
There's a good reason we have Albies pegged as the best hitter on the slate, and that could lead to a big run for all Atlanta hitters.
Tyler O'Neill, OF, St. Louis Cardinals ($3,800)
The Kansas City Royals have a rebuilding squad they are rolling out. With the call-up of prospect Bobby Witt Jr., the Royals seem all in with young players like Kris Bubic and tonight's starter, Daniel Lynch, taking the mound.
Unfortunately for Lynch, the super talented southpaw will have to deal with bopping slugger Tyler O'Neill. While his 31.3% strikeout rate leaves a little bit to be desired, the aptly nicknamed TON also smashed opposing pitchers in 2021 for a .274 isolated power (ISO), including 34 long balls.
The Cardinals boast an implied team total of 4.97 runs, making them a lineup we certainly need to target. Keep an eye on the weather; the birds were rained out on Monday but should be ready to play tonight.
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.
