3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Friday 9/3/21

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.

Freddy Peralta, P, Milwaukee Brewers ($10,200)

It's a big main slate, but a lot of the high-end pitching options have some risk to them.

Let's start with Nathan Eovaldi of the Boston Red Sox. While the Cleveland Indians have been an offense we have quite typically targeted, they have been red-hot as of late. Over the last month, they've recorded a .335 wOBA and .187 isolated power (ISO) with only a 21.2% strikeout rate on the season. The same goes for Alek Manoah. He faces a challenging Oakland Athletics attack that boasts a .328 wOBA and .180 ISO over that same time.

Freddy Peralta has some risk, too, but I think his upside makes him worth a stab.

The risk with Peralta is that this is his first start off the injured list, and with the Milwaukee Brewers 10 games ahead in the NL Central, Peralta could get eased back into things. That's what our model projects as we forecast him to go fewer than four innings. But if the leash is longer, Peralta could have a huge day.

For the season, Peralta sports a 3.45 SIERA, 34.0% strikeout rate and 14.3% swinging-strike rate. That gives him tantalizing upside every time out. The St. Louis Cardinals have been swinging it better of late, but their 3.25 implied total is the second-lowest on the slate.

Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees ($4,100)

The New York Yankees are surging, and at the forefront for that move up the standings has been bopper Aaron Judge.

Judge has been absolutely on fire at the dish. In the last month, he's slugged eight home runs, and he's tacked on a surprising four stolen bases, to boot. He's managed to log a .445 OBP during that span.

John Means just hasn't been the same lately, and he's really been damaged by the long ball. This year, he's allowed 1.81 homers per nine, and Judge could pop him for a long one tonight. The Yanks' 5.28 implied total is third-best on the slate.

Jonathan India, 2B/3B, Cincinnati Reds ($3,600)

The Cincinnati Reds carry a 5.38 implied total -- the second-highest -- for their clash with Tyler Alexander of the Detroit Tigers.

Shuffling back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen, Alexander has been pretty mediocre this year. He's posted a 4.59 FIP, but he's a pitch-to-contact guy who has only a 19.3% strikeout rate. He's also allowed 1.57 dingers per nine this season.

Great American Ball Park ranks third in home run factor this season, and Jonathan India is the table-setter for the Reds. He's logged an impressive .905 OPS against southpaws, and he'll likely be a key cog if the Reds' have a big night.

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.