MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Wednesday 9/21/22

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Sep 21st, 2022
Blake Snell has been outstanding this year, and he's got a wonderful matchup on his hands tonight. Who else should we think about?

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.

Blake Snell, SP, San Diego Padres ($9,400)

Despite likely having a playoff berth locked up, the St. Louis Cardinals better get rid of that bad juju surrounding their bats and get it in gear.

Over the last two weeks, St. Louis has been one of the worst offenses in baseball -- try a .292 wOBA and .135 isolated power (ISO) on for size.

While the Birds don't whiff a ton, Blake Snell can provide plenty of juice there. On the season, spanning 110 innings, Snell has logged a 2.92 FIP, working a 31.1% strikeout rate to much success.

We project Snell for a slate-best 35.4 FanDuel points, and against this struggling offense, he's my go-to hurler.

Marcus Semien, 2B, Texas Rangers ($3,900)

Tucker Davidson is slated to start tonight for the Los Angeles Angels, and the brass in the front office of LA has to be hoping for some improved success.

Covering 10 appearances (9 starts), Davidson sports a ghastly 13.4% strikeout rate and 14.9% walk rate. A 36.4% fly-ball rate does not help the profile, as well, and it's all led to a 5.99 FIP this season.

Righties possess a strong profile against Davidson this season, including 1.08 HR/9 and a 36.4% hard-hit rate.

Marcus Semien, the table-setter for this Texas Rangers offense, can't be ignored in this spot. His .438 slugging percentage is a bit down from last season, but spanning 658 plate appearances, he's still nearing a 25-25 power/speed fantasy baseball season.

All of that means that we need the keystone player in our lineups tonight.

Trea Turner, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers ($4,100)

If this is the twilight or end of Madison Bumgarner, it's a shame to remember this version of him.

The veteran left-hander was brilliant as a member of the San Francisco Giants, but his time in Arizona has admittedly been a bit regrettable. Looking at his 2022 numbers, in 152 2/3 innings pitched, he's struck out only 15.8% of batters while allowed 1.41 HR/9 and a 41.3% fly-ball rate.

Trea Turner of the Los Angeles Dodgers has been brilliant yet again in LA. He's posted a 132 wRC+, a .481 slugging percentage, 20 long balls, and 25 steals.

We peg him as a top-three hitter tonight, and he should be worth his pricey salary.


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.