MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Friday 8/6/21

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.

Chris Bassitt, SP, Oakland Athletics ($9,800)

On tonight's main slate, which is chock full of options, Chris Bassitt is the slate's top arm, per our model.

On the season, Bassitt has been quietly one of the league's best. He has maintained his heavy ground-ball approach, posting a 42.9% ground-ball rate, and he's upped his strikeout rate to a career-best 24.9% mark.

A benefit Bassitt gets tonight is a dream date against the lowly Texas Rangers. Over the last week, Texas has recorded a lowly .262 wOBA and 23.9% strikeout rate.

Bassitt leads the pack in our projections -- and not by a small margin. His projected score of 39.8 points is three full ticks above Adam Wainwright's projection. Roster Bassitt with confidence.

Jose Ramirez, 3B, Cleveland Indians ($3,900)

Assuming he's back in the lineup, Jose Ramirez could be locked in for a monster night against rookie Matt Manning of the Detroit Tigers.

Manning has been getting good results lately, but the underlying numbers aren't there at all. For the year, he owns a 5.54 SIERA and an ugly 11.6% strikeout rate. Lefties are striking out just 9.8% of the time against him. Yikes.

Look for Ramirez and the rest of the Cleveland Indians' offense to have a big day. Cleveland's 5.07 implied total puts them on the stacking radar.

Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees ($3,800)

Are the New York Yankees finally showing up at the dish?

Recent numbers show there may be some signs of life here. They've cut down on the whiffs in the last week, recording a pretty gorgeous 19.8% strikeout rate, and their .325 wOBA is improving, as well.

Tonight, fly-baller Marco Gonzales takes the hill inside Yankee Stadium, and his 31.6% ground-ball rate is on pace to be the lowest of his career. He's also been tagged for 2.09 home runs per nine innings in 2021. He should be in a lot of trouble, and New York's slate-high 5.83 implied total tells us as much.

Judge carries a .415 expected wOBA, and he's mauled lefties for a .418 wOBA. He's the slate's top bat, according to our algorithm.



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.