3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on 4/24/19

Justin Verlander, P, Houston Astros

Price: $11,000

It's been an up-and-down fantasy season so far for Justin Verlander, but he's topped 50 FanDuel points in three of his five starts, including each of his last two.

His numbers are down just about across the board relative to last season, but considering 2018 saw him post a stellar 2.63 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) and 34.8% strikeout rate, there's room for him to decline and also remain a top fantasy pitcher.

In a still small five-game sample in 2019, we've seen him post a 3.40 SIERA and a 30.9% strikeout rate, which comes on a decreased but still excellent 13.5% swinging-strike rate. His velocity is also down slightly on his fastball, but at 94.4 miles per hour, he still ranks 16th in that category among the 91 pitchers that have thrown at least 200 fastballs this year.

The Minnesota Twins make for a tough matchup, but it's also not quite as bad a spot as you might think when looking at their fourth-ranked wRC+ or paltry 18.8% strikeout rate (3rd-lowest in the majors). The contact they're making isn't anything special, sitting 15th in hard-hit rate and just below average in soft-hit rate, and their swinging-strike rate also ranks in the middle of the pack. Their active roster also struck out at an above-average rate (21.3%) against right-handed pitching in 2018.

There's a big gap in salary from Verlander to any of the other pitchers on the slate, but his strikeout upside gives him both a floor and ceiling that are well worth paying up for.