3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on 4/16/21
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 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.
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.
Steven Matz, SP, Toronto Blue Jays ($9,800)
With superstar Jacob deGrom's outing postponed due to snow -- yup, you can cross off snow on deGrom bingo in 2021 -- Max Scherzer becomes the obvious stud play at pitcher. While I could write up Max, I think it would serve you better to highlight another high-salary option, since you don't need me to tell you Scherzer is a good choice.
The problem is there aren't many other high-upside options on the slate despite a whopping 13 games. I am going to tentatively recommend Steven Matz of the Toronto Blue Jays. Nervous? Me too, but let's take the journey together.
Matz has been downright brilliant this season, although the sample size is just two starts and 12 1/3 innings pitched, Matz has logged 13 whiffs and a microscopic 1.46 ERA and 0.92 WHIP so far.
And Kansas City used to be a team that was tough to whiff, but so far this season, they've logged a 28.5% strikeout rate. Matz likely profiles better as a GPP pivot away from Scherzer, but if you're searching for a high-salary alternative to the Washington Nationals' ace, Matz is worth a look.
DJ Lemahieu, 2B, New York Yankees ($3,500)
The Tampa Bay Rays have some talent in the rotation, but one guy who has really struggled tossing the baseball in 2021 is Michael Wacha. As a result, we definitely want to pick on him for stacking purposes.
Let's start with this -- the New York Yankees have stunk so far. Unquestionably. A lineup with this many boppers, it's difficult to fathom that they could have such a tiny isolated power (ISO) mark of .140. But the Rays' pitching staff has gotten bombed this season to the tune of a 5.70 ERA, and DJ LeMahieu has owned a 141 wRC+ through 51 plate appearances.
Expect DJ to be the tablesetter today in a game where the Yanks' offense could get back on track.
Eugenio Suarez, 3B, Cincinnati Reds ($3,100)
Look, southpaw Logan Allen has been really good so far this season for the Cleveland Indians. And he's done a great job in keeping the ball on the ground. But let's make one thing clear -- this is a smash spot for Eugenio Suarez.
When Suarez has played games at Great American Smallpark across the 2018 and 2019 seasons, the right-handed bopper has slammed his way to a 181 wRC+ and 1.104 OPS against lefties. Yes, please.
Suarez's salary is very modest compared to the upsie he offers, and he slots in well alongside Scherzer or a high-salaried stack.
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.
