3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on 4/29/19

Justin Verlander, P, Houston Astros

Price: $11,300

The Houston Astros are tied as Monday's biggest favorites (-162 moneyline) as they take on the Minnesota Twins. The Twins' 3.83 implied total is the third-lowest on the slate, and Justin Verlander's strikeout upside more than makes up for the gap of about 0.4 runs between that mark and the slate's lowest implied total.

The Twins have been all kinds of dangerous to start the year, ranking third in the majors with a 120 wRC+, but considering their active roster only posted a 100 wRC+ last year, we can probably expect some regression to hit them. They also struck out at an above-average rate (21.8%) against right-handed pitching in 2018, and while they're striking out at a below-average rate this year, their swinging-strike rate still sits in the middle of the pack, tied for the 14th-highest in the majors.

Verlander is good enough that even though most of his numbers are down from where they were in 2018, he's still putting up elite stats across the board, and remains a top fantasy arm. His 3.32 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) is down from last year's league-leading 2.63, but still would have finished top-12 in 2018. His strikeout rate also remains north of 30% (30.5%) and is backed up by a 13.3% swinging-strike rate, which is the second-highest of his career.

He's eclipsed 50 FanDuel points in four of his six starts this season, including each of his last three, and even a matchup with the Twins shouldn't scare you off Verlander right now.