MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Friday 8/5/22

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Aug 5th, 2022
Rafael Devers is in the midst of a stellar campaign, and his matchup tonight is a delight. Who else should we consider?

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, as well, 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.

Dylan Cease, SP, Chicago White Sox ($10,900)

There are some interesting options at the top end of Friday's main slate. Robbie Ray ($9,400) is sure to garner a pile of attention as he faces a Los Angeles Angels team that strikes out a ton. Framber Valdez ($10,400) has been brilliant but faces a Cleveland Guardians team that is the league's hardest to strike out.

So, I am rolling with Dylan Cease as my top pick. He faces a Texas Rangers team that, even with a surging Marcus Semien, ranks in the bottom half of the league in team wOBA (.303) and has a 23.4% strikeout rate and .159 isolated power (ISO).

Cease has been out-of-this-world good this season. In 116 2/3 innings pitched, he's logged a 33.3% strikeout rate and allowed only 0.69 HR/9 this season.

Cease is our top projected arm today at 36.0 FanDuel points, so he makes for a great option.

Kyle Schwarber, OF, Philadelphia Phillies ($3,500)

Okay, I swear this isn't just a super spicy hot take because I recommended Kyle Schwarber yesterday, but I desperately need to get the Philly lefty into my lineups tonight.

Look, you may not see a bigger Josiah Gray stan than me. The young right-hander has really enjoyed a very nice first full big league season.

But one thing is very obvious, and that's him struggling against lefty bats. In 198 batters faced in this split this year, he's allowed a whopping .598 slugging percentage, including 3.19 HR/9. Yes, that's a true statement.

Gray's 7.60 FIP is one of the worst-handedness splits in the league, and the batted-ball profile reveals a 58.6% fly-ball rate to lefties. Fire Schwarber up.

Rafael Devers, 3B, Boston Red Sox ($4,100)

It's really a shame when you see pitchers in the twilight of their career. It's obvious that their stuff isn't as crisp as it used to be, and that's a pretty apt summation for Zack Greinke in 2022.

In 87 2/3 innings, Greinke is on pace to deliver a 13.4% strikeout rate -- the worst mark of his career by far -- while simultaneously allowing a 36.4% fly-ball rate. If it holds, that would be the highest fly-ball rate for Greinke since the 2009 season.

Our model gives a lean to Boston Red Sox lefties like Rafael Devers, and for good reason. Greinke has allowed a .397 slugging percentage and is striking out lefties at only a 10.0% clip.

With Devers projecting as a top-10 hitter, he could make some noise tonight.


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.