3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on 8/12/19

Just like in other sports, the focal point of your daily fantasy baseball lineups will be your high-priced 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 pitcher, by far the highest floors for production.

For hitters, we're looking for guys with big numbers, strong matchups, and with players around them that are likely to produce well too, 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.

Taking up so much salary, and playing such a big role in your lineup's ceiling, you're not going to want to whiff on these guys, so lets take a look at a few top-end options that you can count on to anchor your lineup today.

Zack Greinke, P, Houston Astros ($10,700)

Small main slates like today's -- where there are only eight games -- make your pitching choice a particularly challenging exercise. It's especially tough when you take a peek at tonight's options and notice that there's only one pitcher above $9,000 and 12 arms at a cost of $7,900 or less.

If you want to make life simpler on yourself, go with Zack Greinke -- not only does he possess a dope matchup, he's been really good in 2019.

First, his opponent, the Chicago White Sox -- they are one of the worst offensive attacks in Major League Baseball, ranking near the bottom of the league in key statistical categories like wOBA (.300) and team strikeout rate (25.8%).

Pair in Greinke's excellence, including a 23.3% strikeout rate and career-low 3.9% walk rate, and the right-hander could post a big score.

Charlie Blackmon, OF, Colorado Rockies ($4,700)

The Colorado Rockies may be limping their way to the finish line of the 2019 season, but Charlie Blackmon has showed no signs of slowing down. Returning to Coors Field tonight against a righty, Blackmon is primed for a big night.

Blackmond slugged his 24th home run in the last series against the San Diego Padres, and the outfielder owns a cool .958 OPS and a massive .588 slugging percentage with the platoon advantage this year. But that's the tip of the iceberg. This season in 118 home plate appearances against righties, those numbers are upped to a 1.295 OPS and .829 slugging percentage.

Now, fold in hurler Merrill Kelly of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who has posted just a 16.3% strikeout rate and 46.2% hard-hit rate against lefties, and we are cooking with some napalm.

There's no shock when Blackmon is listed as the second-most expensive hitter on the slate, so if you can fit in the stud outfielder, take advantage of the plus matchup.

Mookie Betts, OF, Boston Red Sox ($4,200)

With only a .721 OPS in the month of August, Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox certainly doesn't look ready to match last year's numbers. But if we look at the numbers of Zach Plesac's, tonight's opposing starter for the Cleveland Indians, Mookie could be ready to rock.

First and foremost, Plesac has really struggled against righty bats this year. While lefties have had their troubles, righties have bombed him for a .453 slugging percentage, 43.3% hard-hit rate, and 38.1% fly-ball rate in 2019.

And while Betts was a boss against southpaws a year ago, he has fared much better against righties this year, which ain't great news for Plesac. Over 401 plate appearances, Betts owns a .939 OPS, .535 slugging percentage, and 16 of his 20 home runs have come against righty arms.

While it may not be quite as juicy as the matchup in Colorado, the Red Sox 5.31 implied team total shouldn't be ignored, either. Consider Betts at a lower-than-usual price point 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.