MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Tuesday 8/9/22

Austin Riley has a monster matchup on tap, and he will look to hit dinger number 30 tonight. 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.

Zack Wheeler, SP, Philadelphia Phillies ($10,700)

Many folks were scared off by ace Zack Wheeler's minor shoulder ailment that plagued him to begin the year, but that's in the rearview mirror as we take a long look at his 2022 numbers.

After a brilliant 2021 season, Wheeler has picked up right where he left off, firing 120 2/3 innings with better than a strikeout per inning (27.0% rate) and a 2.69 ERA, 3.10 xFIP, and 1.01 WHIP. He's been the workhorse nearly everyone expected him to be.

And his matchup tonight is just as juicy, facing a Miami Marlins offense that's really struggled at the plate (.295 wOBA, 23.5% strikeout rate, .131 ISO). Expect some big numbers on Tuesday night.

Austin Riley, 3B, Atlanta Braves ($3,800)

Targeting aging veterans isn't exactly an exercise that I love, but Rich Hill, the 42-year-old southpaw, takes the bump tonight, and he's really struggled this season.

Hill currently sports a career-worst 18.8% strikeout rate, and he's been tagged for a .475 slugging percentage by right-handed batters. A 38.1% fly-ball rate isn't doing him any favors, either.

After nabbing a monster extension, Austin Riley of the Atlanta Braves looks like a great play. He's absolutely destroyed left-handed pitching this season to the tune of a .362 batting average, 221 wRC+, and .290 ISO.

Get him in your lineups if you can.

Nolan Gorman, 2B, St. Louis Cardinals ($3,200)

An under-salaried Nolan Gorman feels like an absolute steal on tonight's main slate.

Ryan Feltner takes the hill for the Colorado Rockies, and he's been absolutely demolished by left-handed batters this season. So far in eight starts, Feltner has been tagged for a .593 slugging percentage, 2.79 HR/9, and a 40.9% hard-hit rate.

While Gorman has struggled mightily against same-sided arms, has really smacked around righties this year. He owns a .220 ISO in the split, and he's hit all 12 homers against righties.

With a matchup in Coors Field and the highest implied team total on the main slate, make sure to get yourself some Nolan Gorman.



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.