MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Tuesday 5/24/22

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle May 24th, 2022
We have a slew of fantastic options on Tuesday's large slate. Which players should you prioritize?

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.

Corbin Burnes, SP, Milwaukee Brewers ($10,600)

After a brilliant Cy Young campaign last season, Corbin Burnes is at it again in 2022.

So far this year, he's pitched to his ace-like status. Spanning 51 2/3 innings, Burnes has recorded a 2.63 xFIP and 31.5% strikeout rate while allowing only a 32.5% hard-hit rate.

Burnes will take all of those sparkling marks into a very tempting matchup. The San Diego Padres are an attackable offense despite the proclivity of Manny Machado. They rank in the bottom 10 in both wOBA and isolated power (ISO).

We project Burnes for an electric 39.3 FanDuel points, tops on the slate, and the Padres' 3.32 implied total is a number we can feel good about targeting.

Mookie Betts, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers ($4,400)

We have recently highlighted that the Los Angeles Dodgers' offense hasn't exactly been clicking this season. Betts hasn't been the issue.

In 182 plate appearances this season, Betts has walloped opposing hurlers for a 159 wRC+, .535 slugging percentage and 10 dingers.

Betts and the Dodgers will face Josiah Gray of the Washington Nationals. In 43 1/3 innings pitched this year, Gray has struck out 25.3% of hitters, but he's also allowed 1.87 HR/9. A 50.4% fly-ball rate this year simply isn't going to get it done.

We are projecting Mookie to be the second-best hitter on the slate, forecasting him for 16.1 FanDuel points. There are a lot of reasons to be excited about Betts tonight.

Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees ($4,400)

With Aaron Judge getting to play in his home digs against a very smashable southpaw, should he be in your lineups? Heck yes, he should.

For his career, Judge's numbers at home against lefties read like they are out of a video game. Covering 344 plate appearances in the split, Judge has terrorized southpaws for a 1.024 OPS and .290 ISO. He's homering nearly once every 10 at-bats in this split.

While Bruce Zimmermann of the Baltimore Orioles has pitched far better this season, he still possesses elevated marks against righties. This season, right-handed bats have bopped him for a 41.8% fly-ball rate and .443 slugging percentage. It could be a long night for Zimmermann against the Yankees.

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.