3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on 8/19/19
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.
Trevor Bauer, P, Cincinnati Reds ($10,200)
Can Trevor Bauer recapture his 2018 form, or is 2019 just a lost season for the right-handed ace?
In a broader sense, it is easy to get confused here. In nearly all metrics, this bouncy baseball has certainly seemed to impact Bauer -- his FIP and skill-interactive ERA are up significantly, along with his walk rate, and his whiff rate is down.
But analyzing it only in that lens is a bit misleading -- his overall numbers are very strong still, including a 12.0% swinging-strike rate, 27.6% strikeout rate, and only a.222 batting average allowed.
Bauer's stuff also translated well against a San Diego Padres offense that showcases some upside for the pitcher -- they rank second-worst in team strikeout rate (25.8%), and clock in fourth-worst in the league against sliders.
Expect Bauer to bounce back in a monster way tonight.
Alex Bregman, 3B, Houston Astros ($4,400)
If there was one hitter you needed to consider jamming in, Alex Bregman would be your man. Look, Bregman is a stud and worthy of rostering in nearly any scenario. But tonight? Ooh mama, he's likely to do some damage.
The opposing hurler tonight, Edwin Jackson, has hit the 100 batters faced mark against righties this year. Peep these numbers: .513 wOBA, .824 slugging percentage, and a 43.4% hard-hit rate.
Bregman is adept in this situation, too -- he owns a .937 OPS and .526 slugging percentage over 312 at-bats in 2018.
Lock in Bregman and be prepared for a crooked score.
Hunter Dozier, OF, Kansas City Royals ($3,800)
Three starts in a row, All-Star (not a typo) John Means of the Baltimore Orioles has failed to finish four innings pitched. Tonight could be another long night, and Hunter Dozier could be at the center of the attack.
Over 105 1/3 innings pitched, Means sports a 19.1% strikeout rate and a 48.6% fly-ball rate. While lefties have struggled against him, righties have slammed him for a .445 slugging percentage and 47.8% fly-ball rate.
That music to the ears of Dozier, who has hammered lefties this season for eight homers in 91 plate appearances, good for a cool .582 slugging percentage and .947 OPS.
Need a harder nudge? Per ESPN Park Factors in 2019, Camden Yards clocks in third-best in home run factor. Spend up for Dozier and be ready for him to explode.
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.
