MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Tuesday 9/20/22

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Sep 20th, 2022
Austin Riley can feast in a matchup with Patrick Corbin. Which other high-salary players do you need to plug in?

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.

Luis Castillo, SP, Seattle Mariners ($9,700)

The Seattle Mariners are going to hand the ball to Luis Castillo, and he has been straight ballin' this year.

Castillo has recorded some fine seasons, but this may be at the top of the charts for him. Over 134 1/3 innings pitched, he has logged a 2.99 FIP and 20.3% K-BB% rate while giving up only 0.74 HR/9.

And the Oakland Athletics, Castillo's opponent, have been straight up dirt at the dish. They rank in the bottom five of the league in all of wOBA (.277), ISO (.130) and strikeout rate (23.9%).

We project Castillo for 38.2 FanDuel points, second-best on the slate tonight, but he's my go-to hurler.

Gunnar Henderson, SS, Baltimore Orioles ($3,400)

OK, hear me out on a quirky play I want to utilize tonight with Gunnar Henderson of the Baltimore Orioles.

Normally, lefty-on-lefty crime is something I am not an advocate of. But, we gotta consider it tonight against Joey Wentz of the Detroit Tigers. Although it's a tiny sample, Wentz has allowed a whopping 2.20 HR/9 this season against same-sided bats. He's also permitted a silly .500 slugging percentage in the split.

The Orioles' 4.80 implied total is one of the night's best, and Henderson is a great way to get exposure to what could be a big night for the O's. The rookie has logged a 154 wRC+ so far in 2022, and he's a play we need to think about.

Austin Riley, 3B, Atlanta Braves ($3,800)

The bopping Atlanta Braves' third baseman almost always makes sense, but what makes me particularly bullish about Austin Riley today?

For starters, Patrick Corbin has been a virtual pitching machine so far this season. He's allowed 1.65 HR/9 and has been giving up way too much hard contact -- a 39.7% hard-hit rate just isn't going to get it done.

Riley has been absolutely incredible this campaign. He's tallied 37 bombs and a 146 wRC+. He's got a career-best .270 ISO, as well.

Atlanta's 5.41 implied total is the top non-Coors clip, and Riley can be a high-upside core piece to Braves stacks.


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.