MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Thursday 6/23/22

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Jun 23rd, 2022
Trea Turner has been shifted to the leadoff spot entering this tantalizing matchup. Which other stars should be on our radar?

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.

Robbie Ray, SP, Seattle Mariners ($10,000)

With a funky main slate like we have on Thursday, it can be a bit perplexing to parse through pitching options that make sense. But, for an upside shot with tons of potential, Seattle's Robbie Ray seems to check a lot of boxes.

Ray hasn't been exactly at the peak of his Cy Young powers this season, but over his last seven starts, he may have turned a corner. He's whiffing 10.77 batters per nine innings and he's found a way to curb the walks, allowing under three per nine innings. He's only walked more than three batters once in this time frame.

And, as we saw in his last start, the swing-and-miss ability is still top of the charts, striking out 10 batters.

Ray also seems to have the best option as far as the matchup. The Oakland Athletics are the league's worst offense in terms of wOBA (.268), and they rank second-worst in isolated power (.121 ISO).

There's a reason we project Ray for 30.5 FanDuel points, and he could have plenty of room for additional upside.

Trea Turner, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers ($3,900)

Placed into the Dodgers' leadoff spot with teammate Mookie Betts injured, Trea Turner could be ready to explode on Thursday against the Cincinnati Reds.

Hunter Greene has really had a hard-time getting same-sided bats out this season. In 2022 spanning 142 total batters faced in this split, Greene has allowed a whopping .612 slugging percentage, including 3.73 HR/9. Greene has also allowed a 56.0% fly-ball rate this season. Not great, Bob!

Turner has been excellent throughout his career against same-sided arms, and 2022 is no different. He's logged a 136 wRC+ mark against righties in 2022, including a .480 slugging percentage.

All of this has Turner projected as our second-best overall hitter on the day.

Jose Ramirez, 3B, Cleveland Guardians ($3,900)

I don't think anyone would say that the AL Central has exactly gone as planned. Everyone's favorite, the Chicago White Sox, currently sit in third place.

The Cleveland Guardians and the Minnesota Twins are the top two teams in the division, which is a surprise to many.

Part of the reasons those Guardians have been so adept is a pretty stellar offense. They clock in as part of the upper half in team wOBA and are the league's hardest offense in the league to strike out.

Jose Ramirez has been excellent per the usual to lead them. The stud thumper already has 16 long balls and 62 RBI in his name, and he's swiped 12 bags to boot.

Those gaudy totals could look even better with Devin Smeltzer on the bump for the Twins. Smeltzer has allowed 1.64 HR/9 this season, and righties have socked him for a .459 slugging percentage and a 46.4% fly-ball rate.

If you can afford his lofty salary, Ramirez should be well worth the cost.


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.