3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Wednesday 9/7/22
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.
Yu Darvish, SP, San Diego Padres ($10,800)
We highlighted yesterday that picking on the Arizona Diamondbacks may be not as easy as anticipated lately, as they have been really strong at the plate. In the last 30 days, they rank seventh in team wOBA (.320). While that's an improvement on their season-long wOBA of .308, their .158 isolated power (ISO) and 21.8% strikeout rate during that time isn't anything to brag about.
That's why I'm picking Yu Darvish of the San Diego Padres.
In the second half of the season, the right-hander has been brilliant. Over 54 1/3 innings pitched in the split, he's allowed mere .255 wOBA while recording a 28.8% strikeout rate.
We project Darvish as the runaway best arm on the slate (41.4 FanDuel points), and he's someone worth prioritizing tonight.
Jose Altuve, 2B, Houston Astros ($4,100)
When an opposing pitcher sports a 6.60 FIP, you take notice. That's what we are working with as Cole Ragans takes the mound in a Texas showdown between the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers.
Ragans has some very ugly peripherals. He's walked more batters than he's struck out, has allowed 1.96 HR/9, and has permitted a 46.0% fly-ball rate. He's going to be in trouble against Houston's high-octane lineup.
That points me to Jose Altuve, who is the table-setter and gets the engine going for the team. We have him pegged as a top-10 hitter tonight, and with a 207 wRC+ mark against southpaws, he has the upside to be the top play of the day.
Nolan Arenado, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals ($4,400)
Even though he's likely to finish runner-up to teammate Paul Goldschmidt in the MVP race, Nolan Arenado has been pretty dang impressive in his own right.
In 533 plate appearances this season, Arenado has slammed his way to a 157 wRC+, .255 ISO, and a career-best 49.4% fly-ball rate. Those numbers should all play very well against right-hander Cory Abbott, who has given up a 51.4% fly-ball rate to righties this year.
The Cardinals boast an impressive team total of 4.64 runs, leading to some likely heavy draft percentages for Arenado and the Birds. They look like good chalk, though.
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.
