3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Tuesday 9/6/22
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.
Gerrit Cole, SP, New York Yankees ($11,200)
This is a mega slate for arms, which is both fun and challenging at the same time. There are eight pitchers salaried at $9,800 or above, so we have more than a few quality options.
While we have been picking on the Arizona Diamondbacks a lot this season, they have actually been really strong at the plate of late. In the last 30 days, they rank seventh in team wOBA (.320), which eliminates Joe Musgrove for me. Framber Valdez facing the Texas Rangers is very similar as Texas has been a top-10 offense recently.
Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees seems like a safe bet. Over the last month, the Minnesota Twins rank 20th in wOBA (.296) with only a .296 ISO. Minnesota's 2.78 implied total is the night's lowest.
With a 2.84 SIERA and 31.3% strikeout rate, Cole has the ability to crush it in this spot.
We project Cole as the second-best arm on the slate (39.0 FanDuel points) -- just narrowly behind Musgrove (39.5) -- and he's someone worth prioritizing tonight.
*Editors Note: Twins at Yankees has been postponed due to inclement weather.*
Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals ($4,700)
It feels like Paul Goldschmidt may be battling teammate Nolan Arenado for the NL MVP award, and he's in the running for the Triple Crown as he's been absolutely white-hot this season.
With Paolo Espino on the bump, Goldschmidt may catch Kyle Schwarber today in the home run race. Espino has been slammed by same-sided right-handed bats to the tune of a .512 slugging percentage, 2.26 HR/9, and a 45.7% fly-ball rate. Yes, please.
We have Goldy as a top-five hitter on tonight's main slate.
Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees ($4,800)
Can Aaron Judge break the 60-homer barrier? At the pace he is going, it sure seems like he's got a good chance.
With 54 home runs and a 202 wRC+, Judge is clearly having a season for the ages. And quite honestly, he may be having the greatest fantasy baseball season of all time -- he's already scored and driven in more than 100 runs apiece, and he's stolen 15 bases, too. Whew.
Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins provides an opportunity for Judge to add to those ridiculous numbers. Ryan has actually struggled more against same-sided bats, including a .443 slugging percentage and 1.63 HR/9 in the split this season.
Judge is far and away our top hitter of the night, and he is worthy of the lofty salary.
*Editors Note: Twins at Yankees has been postponed due to inclement weather.*
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.
