MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Wednesday 4/21/21

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Apr 21st, 2021
Locked into a sweet matchup with Corey Kluber, Freddie Freeman could be due for a big night. Which other top dollar plays are appealing?

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.

Tyler Mahle, SP, Cincinnati Reds ($8,800)

On a bit of a funky main slate, the top arm on the day is Tyler Mahle, and he could be in a spot to explode for the Cincinnati Reds.

If you're unfamiliar with the exploits of Mahle, he's been quietly brilliant so far this season. Over 14 innings pitched, he's recorded a whopping 22 strikeouts this year, including a 1.93 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.

He's projected on our slate as the second-highest scorer, and with that strikeout upside against an Arizona Diamondbacks offense that is missing Christian Walker and Ketel Marte, he could be a major scorer.

Freddie Freeman, 1B, Atlanta Braves ($4,100)

Facing the New York Yankees and Corey Kluber, Freddie Freeman could be ready to smack some dingers, and there are some major reasons why.

First, let's peek under the hood at Kluber, who missed most of last season. With diminished fastball velocity, over 10 1/3 innings pitched, Kluber has been rocked for a 6.10 ERA and 2.30 WHIP. That ain't good.

While Freeman has only hit for a .233 batting average with five home runs, he may be adding to those totals today.

Rafael Devers, 3B, Boston Red Sox ($3,400)

Coming off yet another victory (and now on pace, as we all expected, for 105 team wins), the Boston Red Sox just keep churning along. It's a bit of a surprise that they are second-best in run differential, but it's no surprise this offense just keeps clicking.

The big reason? Rafael Devers just keeps on cooking. He owns a .271 batting average and five home runs, and he has slugged his way to 15 runs batted in.

That's even nicer as he faces Trent Thornton, who has been mediocre at best for the Toronto Blue Jays and gives up quite a bit of hard contact. Peep Devers to continue rocking opposing pitchers tonight.

Note that there is rain in the forecast, though, so be sure to double-check the latest before lock.

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.