MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Monday 8/8/22

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.

Zac Gallen, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks ($9,600)

While our projections have Chris Bassitt as the night's top arm and Blake Snell always has upside, I think Zac Gallen is actually the slate's best play.

Gallen's matchup with the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates gives him the edge for me. They rank third-worst in team wOBA (.288), strike out at a 25.4% clip, and sport a .132 ISO. All of those numbers are worse than what the Cincinnati Reds, Bassitt's opponent, have to offer. The Pirates' 3.25 implied total is the lowest of the slate.

It's not like Gallen is a scrub, either. He owns a 3.68 FIP in 111 1/3 innings pitched this campaign -- supported by a 23.3% strikeout rate and 29.3% fly-ball rate.

Gallen is where I'm going tonight.

Francisco Lindor, SS, New York Mets ($3,900)

Justin Dunn has a tall task in front of him today against the New York Mets, and oddsmakers have given the Mets a slate-leading 5.61 implied total.

Dunn has really struggled with walks this season. He's giving out more than five walks per nine innings, and lefties have really slammed him with the platoon advantage, sporting a .389 slugging percentage and 1.71 HR/9.

Francisco Lindor will be smack in the middle of a surging New York Mets offense, and he can be a core building block in Mets stacks.

Willson Contreras, C, Chicago Cubs ($3,200)

Widely expected to be moved at the trade deadline, Willson Contreras stayed in Chicago, and that's great news for DFS players tonight.

Veteran right-hander Anibal Sanchez takes the bump for the Washington Nationals, and while it's certainly a small sample size (20 innings pitched), 2022 hasn't been kind to Sanchez. He's allowed 2.70 HR/9 this season via a 38.1% hard-hit rate and 46.0% fly-ball rate.

Contreras is in a good spot. He's logged a 126 wRC+ against righties this year with a 43.1% hard-hit rate.

Get yourself some Contreras exposure on a tricky main slate tonight, and the Cubs -- holders of a 4.53 implied total -- are on the stacking radar.



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.