3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Tuesday 5/10/22
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.
Jesus Luzardo, SP, Miami Marlins ($10,000)
After struggling last year between Oakland and Miami, Jesus Luzardo has been scorching to start the year.
Luzardo has a sporty 33.3% strikeout rate this season, and his 2.89 xFIP is out of this world. He's posted at least five strikeouts in all but one of his starts this season -- an early-season meeting with the Cardinals on a pitch count.
The Diamondbacks stink against lefties. They have just a 66 wRC+, which is the worst mark in the league. They have just a .186 batting average against them, and Luzardo's stuff can post the upside their 22.8% strikeout rate (which isn't bad) may not seem to bring.
With a 4.01 implied team total that seems way too high for an Arizona squad that struggles with southpaws, Luzardo is worth peeping as an under-the-radar pivot off of Justin Verlander, Lucas Giolito, or Aaron Nola.
Nick Castellanos, OF, Philadelphia Phillies ($3,400)
After winning the AL Cy Young award last season, Robbie Ray jumped to the West Coast and signed a monster contract with the Seattle Mariners. But, let's dive a little bit deeper into some struggles Ray is exhibiting.
While he still has been certain death to same-sided batters (.154 wOBA), righties have tagged him pretty darn good. Spanning 138 total batters faced, opposite-handed bats have popped him for a .432 slugging percentage, including just a 19.6% K rate. He has a 4.51 FIP against them.
For his career, Nick Castellanos has absolutely slammed lefties to the tune of a 136 wRC+ and .235 ISO mark. Castellanos is a high-upside way to get a piece of the Phillies.
Wander Franco, SS, Tampa Bay Rays ($3,800)
The sample size is still small as Wander Franco of the Tampa Bay Rays is still creating a resume for himself. But, it's certainly an impressive resume that he's in the process of creating.
In his career, the switch-hitting Franco has slammed southpaws, and he may have to consider giving up hitting from the left side. While he's been impressive with a 109 wRC+ as a lefty, his 194 wRC+ mark as a righty has been pretty boss. That includes a 1.044 OPS. Yowzas.
He faces a lefty tonight in fellow youngster Reid Detmers, who's really struggled with righties. They've torched him for a .504 slugging percentage, a 1.72 HR/9 mark, and an 11.5% walk rate. Get Franco into your lineups.
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.
