MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Monday 6/7/21

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Jun 7th, 2021
After struggling for a few seasons, Kris Bryant has returned as an offensive force for the Cubs in 2021. What other top plays should be on our radar?

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.

Nick Pivetta, SP, Boston Red Sox ($9,300)

With such a limited slate, the options at starting pitcher aren't necessarily outstanding. However, Nick Pivetta has given the Boston Red Sox rotation a major shot in the arm, and he could go off for a big night against a woeful Miami Marlins attack.

While an 11.3% walk rate leaves a little bit to be desired, Pivetta sports a fantastic 27.4% strikeout rate in 59 2/3 innings pitched. The Marlins' .290 wOBA and 26.5% strikeout rate are some of the league's worst marks.

There's not a lot of great pitching options on such a small slate, but Pivetta stands out far and away.

Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs ($4,300)

After a few seasons of disappointing offensive production, Kris Bryant has been on fire to start the 2021 season for the Chicago Cubs, and he's in a good spot to add to those impressive totals on Monday.

After popping 13 home runs this season already (he hit only four a season ago), Bryant's .976 OPS is one of the top marks in all of baseball -- and he's even fired in three stolen bases to boot. While sometimes platoon advantages can be a bit overblown (Bryant will face southpaw Ryan Weathers tonight), for his career, he's performed well in this split -- he's recorded a very solid 167 wRC+ that we can't simply ignore.

With the platoon advantage providing a bit of a tailwind, look for Bryant to smash.

Andrew Benintendi, OF, Kansas City Royals ($3,300)

This small of a slate gets us to expand our picks a bit, but one I'm very bullish on is Kansas City Royals outfielder Andrew Benintendi.

Benintendi has been absolute fire at the dish as of late -- over his last seven games, he's logged 2 jacks and 13 (not a typo) RBI. That'll play.

And with Dylan Bundy reverting back to the previous version of himself and having an issue with the long ball, Benintendi could have a monster evening.


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.