MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Friday 5/20/22

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.

Nestor Cortes, SP, New York Yankees ($10,200)

If you aren't ready to fully embrace Nasty Nestor Cortes of the New York Yankees, I am not sure I can help you.

But, here is what I can do to help you -- I am recommending that you absolutely start him today against a Chicago White Sox offense that ain't exactly cookin' with gas at the plate. Let's peep this -- the Sox sport a .121 isolated power (ISO) mark that clocks in sixth-worst, a .287 wOBA that is third-worst, and a 6.3% walk rate, the lowest mark in the league. Expert opinion here: that is not good.

And the underrated Yankees southpaw? In 40 1/3 innings in the 2022 season, he's rocking a delightful 25.2% K-BB% rate, allowing only 0.68 HR/9 this season. All of this adds up to a ton of fantasy goodness, especially with a rockin' matchup tonight.

Nick Castellanos, OF, Philadelphia Phillies ($3,600)

If Julio Urias continues his struggles, the Philadelphia Phillies could be putting up some crooked numbers at the dish, with Nick Castellanos front and center.

Urias is coming off a season where he was absolutely dominant -- but hasn't been so great this year. He's sporting a strikeout rate below 20%, and a lot of damage has been done by opposing right-handed hitters. They've blasted him this season for a .436 slugging percentage, including 1.38 HR/9 and a 39.3% fly-ball rate.

Meanwhile, Castellanos is absolutely salivating at this matchup. He's torching southpaws to the tune of a 183 wRC+, including a .993 OPS mark. Expect big things from the outfielder tonight.

Giancarlo Stanton, OF, New York Yankees ($3,700)

For the love of all that is holy, please play Giancarlo Stanton tonight.

First, let's discuss how absolutely torrid Stanton has been at the dish. May has been one of those downright silly Stanton months where everything in sight is being absolutely bashed. In 67 plate appearances, the right-hander has logged a 229 wRC+, including a 1.155 OPS. He added another dinger to his tally yesterday.


Poor Dallas Keuchel gets the assignment of shutting down the Yankees, and it's a pretty unenviable task. The veteran lefty has been brutal this season, and opposing right-handed batters have smashed him for a 5.10 FIP, including a .444 slugging percentage and 1.26 HR/9.

The Yankees will be popular tonight (and for good reason), and Stanton is likely to be in the mix.


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.