3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Thursday 8/19/21
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.
Luis Castillo, SP, Cincinnati Reds ($9,700)
There's a few big time arms on the main slate -- which normally, you wouldn't expect with only four games on tap. Jameson Taillon pitches in Yankee Stadium, and the Minnesota Twins have been okay at the plate. Brandon Woodruff has a great opportunity against a struggling St. Louis Cardinals offense, so he could be a strong option.
One option to strongly consider is Luis Castillo of the Cincinnati Reds, who's engineered a serious second-half turnaround. The Miami Marlins, Castillo's opponent, have been dreadful over the last month, logging a .312 wOBA and 24.9% strikeout rate.
On a small slate, Castillo and Woodruff are both great options, but I'm riding with Castillo.
Justin Turner, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers ($3,800)
Boasting the second-highest implied team total (5.31 runs), the Los Angeles Dodgers will likely be a popular play.
And the reason for the high implied team total? Taijuan Walker has been getting roasted by the long ball in recent starts. In his last five outings, he's allowed a whopping 11 home runs. Yikes.
And uniquely, same-sided bats have hammered Walker. Righties have blasted him this year for a .434 slugging percentage this season -- and we know Justin Turner can swing the stick. Play Turner with confidence.
Joey Gallo, OF, New York Yankees ($3,800)
The New York Yankees are staying inside of their friendly home confines tonight, and they get to face John Gant of the Minnesota Twins.
Gant has really struggled this season, and nothing highlights that more than an 18.1% strikeout rate and 15.2% walk rate. What makes this even worse is a 40.4% hard-hit rate, leading to some scary metrics.
Gant has really struggled against lefty hitters -- he's logged a 5.74 FIP, including 1.18 HR/9 this year. All in all, Joey Gallo makes for a great play.
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.
