MLB

MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Monday 7/19/21

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Jul 19th, 2021
Blessed with a healthy matchup against Jake Woodford, the Cubs and Javier Baez stand out. Which other high-end plays 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 well, too, 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.

Javier Baez, SS, Chicago Cubs ($4,100)

One team that may not get a lot of love tonight is the Chicago Cubs -- they are only 18th in team wOBA this year, but with Jake Woodford on the mound, it's time to eat for Javier Baez and crew.

The Cardinals are starting Woodford out of pure desperation tonight thanks to a banged-up rotation -- the righty, primarily working out of the bullpen, has logged an ugly 6.57 FIP, and that's driven by a ridiculously high 1.78 HR/9 in 2021.

Baez has bounced back in fine form this year -- the .780 OPS may look a little ugly, but the 21 home runs and 12 steals certainly arekn not. A Cubs stack could make a lot of sense Monday.

Nick Castellanos, OF, Cincinnati Reds ($3,600)

Assuming he is back in business to play after getting nicked up over the weekend (I swear there was no pun intended there), Nick Castellanos of the Cincinnati Reds makes for a monster play.

First, peep that the Reds boast a slate-best 5.61 implied team total, and Castellanos will almost certainly be at the forefront. Why is that total so high? Well, with uber-ace Jacob deGrom getting scratched due to forearm tightness, Jerad Eickhoff takes the mound, and the dude has been brutal. He's allowed 4.26 HR/9 and only sports a woeful 10.3% strikeout rate this year.

If you want exposure to this team, and Castellanos is a go, it's hard not to play him.

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.