MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Wednesday 7/6/22

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Jul 6th, 2022
Freddie Freeman has been on fire at the plate again this season, and he's locked into a great matchup. Which other plays should we 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, 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.

Cristian Javier, SP, Houston Astros ($9,700)

Perhaps one of baseball's most underrated pitchers this season has been Cristian Javier of the Houston Astros. It's quietly a sleeper for the Cy Young -- yes, he's been that good.

So far, his 34.3% strikeout rate over 69 2/3 innings ranks him alongside the league's best pitchers. His 31.4% hard-hit rate shows he's been hard to square up, and his 3.00 SIERA is among the league's best marks for starters.

The Kansas City Royals may have tagged the ball pretty well the last time out, but they are not a good offense. Their .301 wOBA and .137 isolated power (ISO) are among the league's worst marks.

We project Javier as the second-best hurler of the day, and there is plenty of upside for more.

Freddie Freeman, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers ($4,200)

With far and away the highest implied team total of the day, the Los Angeles Dodgers are likely to be a popular stack that many DFS players are going to want roster. A quick peek into the opposing pitcher makes us very bullish on riding a guy like Freddie Freeman tonight.

Jose Urena may not be long for this one, as his numbers have been pretty darn ugly. Pitching for the Milwaukee Brewers earlier this season, Urena walked more batters (8.3%) than he struck out (13.9%) in April, and he struggled with a 14.7% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk rate in Detroit last year. It's never great working backwards like this.

While Urena hasn't given up a pile of homers in his life, he has been hammered by left-handed batters. For his career, he's allowed a .481 slugging percentage, including a 36.6% hard-hit rate.

Freeman's 144 wRC+ places him among the league's best hitters once again, and he is a sizzling option we need to roster.

Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees ($4,000)

Having a superstar season for the New York Yankees, Aaron Judge has thrust himself firmly into the AL MVP conversation. Judge owns a .972 OPS and 170 wRC+ this season, and his 29 home runs far and away lead the league.

Mitch Keller takes the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and he's been a bit up and down in his career. His 18.9% strikeout today is in line with career norms -- and that's not a good thing -- and his 55.4% first-pitch strike rate is among the league's worst marks among qualified starters.

With a 4.89 implied team total, the Yankees are certainly well-liked by oddsmakers. I'd expect Judge and crew to go off 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.