MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on 9/12/19

Stuck in a home run drought, Cody Bellinger could get off the skid with a big fly against Dylan Bundy in Baltimore. Which other high-priced studs should we be thinking about?

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 let's take a look at a few top-end options that you can count on to anchor your lineup today.

Justin Verlander, SP, Houston Astros ($12,000)

In the wacky year that has become baseball in 2019, has there been a more impressive season put on by veteran arm Justin Verlander?

On the season, the righty owns a 2.52 ERA and a career-best 0.77 WHIP. On tonight's main slate, he has recorded a slate-best 34.9% strikeout rate, and his team is a heavy favorite on the moneyline (-270).

While the Oakland Athletics have posted back-to-back wins over their AL West rivals, look for Verlander to get the 'Stros back on track tonight with a win.

Cody Bellinger, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers ($4,500)

Stuck on 44 home runs for quite some time now, a trip to the hitter-friendly confines of Camden Yards could be the magic elixir for the slugging Cody Bellinger.

Ranked second in home run factor in 2019, Bellinger will face off against Dylan Bundy, who has a slate-worst implied allowed run total of 5.88 runs. Bundy's fly-ball heavy approach (career rate of 43.5%) has been an issue, and it's no surprise he has allowed 1.75 home runs per nine innings (HR/9) this year.

Bellinger has enjoyed the platoon advantage so far in 2019. He has slammed righties for a .650 slugging percentage and 1.059 OPS, so pay up for the outfielder.

Yordan Alvarez, OF, Houston Astros ($4,400)

The Houston Astros have an embarrassment of riches in this lineup, and tonight, it could be Yordan Alvarez's turn to go ham against Homer Bailey.

Since the calendar flipped over to July, one could argue that Alvarez has been the game's best hitter, and the stats certainly back it up. He ranks eighth in wOBA (.423), and the precocious young slugger has made a living feasting on righties, logging a .687 slugging percentage and 1.114 OPS while hitting 17 long balls.

Bailey has been strong in an A's uniform, but the overall profile reveals some serious concerns -- a mediocre 20.9% strikeout rate paired with a 44.2% hard-hit rate could mean that Alvarez is ready to soar 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.