3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on 8/13/19

Just like in other sports, the focal point of your daily fantasy baseball lineups will be your high-priced 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 pitcher, by far the highest floors for production.

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.

Taking up so much salary, and playing such a big role in your lineup's ceiling, you're not going to want to whiff on these guys, so lets take a look at a few top-end options that you can count on to anchor your lineup today.

Lance Lynn, P, Texas Rangers ($10,300)

After blasting the Texas Rangers staff yesterday, the Toronto Blue Jays are certainly appearing to be a formidable bunch that we want to steer clear of. Is today time for another redux?

Let's examine this offense in a little more detail. They provide that strikeout upside that we so desperately desire, ranking seventh-worst with a mark of 24.3%. And while they can certainly go off, as we saw yesterday, they also rank only 23rd in team wOBA (.309).

And the Jays don't square up on fastballs well -- per the numbers over at FanGraphs, they actually rank fifth-worst in all of the league against heaters. Not good against Lynn, who is throwing fastballs at greater than a 71% clip.

For my money, Lynn is a great option at the top of the pitching pool.

Aaron Judge, OF, New York Yankees ($4,000)

Singles hitter Aaron Judge -- it has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

If you drafted Judge with the hope of a ton of pop -- like I did -- this year's season with only an .860 OPS and 12 home runs to his name certainly isn't what you banked on.

But take solace -- he is still absolutely destroying left-handed pitching in 2019. This season, he owns a 1.040 OPS and .565 slugging percentage in this split, and he returns to Yankee Stadium, where he has mashed 57 home runs the last three years.

While All-Star John Means was certainly a great first half story, the wheels have fallen off a bit as of late. In his last four starts, spanning 19 innings, he's been tattooed for 23 hits, 14 earned runs, and six homers.

Tonight looks to be a good night that Judge gets back on track, so get him on the cheap.

Yordan Alvarez, OF, Houston Astros ($4,600)

Can we officially coin 2019 as the year of the rookie?

Guys like Yordan Alvarez, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Pete Alonso, to just name a quick few, have shown that there is no rookie wall or slump coming.

Take Alvarez for example -- he has added some additional thump to an already outstanding Houston Astros lineup, bopping 17 home runs and a silly .733 slugging percentage so far this season. And right-handed pitchers have stood zero chance -- he's clocked 12 homers and a 1.143 OPS in the same split.

Tonight's opponent, Dylan Cease, has also struggled with lefty bats. Over 64 total batters faced, he's been hammered for a .554 slugging percentage, .403 wOBA, and 15.6% strikeout rate.

The Astros are poised for another massive night, and expecting Alvarez to be front and center is a safe bet.

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.