3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Monday 10/3/22
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.
Brandon Woodruff, SP, Milwaukee Brewers ($10,700)
Brandon Woodruff of the Milwaukee Brewers looks like he could be an outstanding play tonight.
The right-hander has been surging exactly when the Brew Crew has needed him most as they try to catch the Philadelphia Phillies for the final Wild Card spot. In 38 2/3 innings pitched in September, he's allowed a .260 wOBA while recording a 2.67 FIP and a 27.5% K-BB% rate.
His matchup is a good one. In the last two weeks, the Arizona Diamondbacks have really struggled against the plate, logging a .288 wOBA, .118 isolated power (ISO) and 24.8% strikeout rate.
Woodruff is my jam tonight, and we have him popping off for 42.0 FanDuel points -- 6.9 more than anyone else.
Francisco Lindor, SS, New York Mets ($3,700)
The New York Mets no longer control their own destiny, as they were swept by the Atlanta Braves over the weekend. But with a small sliver of NL East title hopes, they stay inside their division tonight and take aim at Cory Abbott of the Washington Nationals.
Abbott almost exclusively lives by getting fly-ball outs, as evidenced by a 27.1% ground-ball rate. He owns a 6.30 FIP over 44 innings pitched, and he's been bombed for 2.25 HR/9 this year. Abbott has had a particularly tough time with left-handed batters this season. He's allowed a .536 slugging percentage, 2.53 HR/9 and a 67.7% fly-ball rate to lefties.
That's where the switch-hitting Francisco Lindor comes into play.
We rank Lindor inside of our top-10 hitters tonight, and as a lefty, he's blasted his way to a 128 wRC+ and 38.5% fly-ball rate. Get him in your lineups if you can.
Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels ($4,300)
For me, the 2022 season of Mike Trout is full of "what could have been."
In only 116 games played and 485 plate appearances, Trout now sits at 39 home runs with a 175 wRC+ on the year. His .345 ISO and 56.7% fly-ball rate are excellent marks. He has a gaudy 210 wRC+ this month.
Spanning 53 1/3 innings this season, Adrian Martinez has been mediocre. He's pitched to a 5.61 FIP while surrendering 2.19 HR/9.
Trout can feast in this matchup, and he's our top-projected bat.
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.
