MLB

3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on 9/26/19

Matt Kupferle  —  @MKupferle Sep 26th, 2019
George Springer has performed like a boss for Houston this year, and with a righty on the mound for the opposing Astros, he's ready for a big night. What other expensive options are on our radar?

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 let's take a look at a few top-end options that you can count on to anchor your lineup today.

Zack Wheeler, SP, New York Mets ($10,500)

For season-long owners, 2019 was not what we had hoped for out of righty Zack Wheeler with his middling 3.99 ERA and 1.29 WHIP, a season after a brilliant 3.31 ERA and 1.12 WHIP. But, we can take solace in the fact that he has really turned the noise all the way up in recent starts.

Over his last three starts, all seven innings in duration and quality in nature, Wheeler has allowed just three earned runs combined with 22 strikeouts against just three walks. That'll play.

Now factor in the tepid Miami Marlins offense, which ranks second-worst in baseball with only 600 runs scored, and Wheeler should score big.

George Springer, OF, Houston Astros ($4,500)

The Houston Astros are one step closer to securing home field advantage, and with Jaime Barria pitching tonight for the Los Angeles Angels, it's George Springer-time.

First, peep Barria's numbers, which are average at best. He has clocked a 20.5% strikeout rate this year over 78 1/3 innings pitched, and his ugly batted-ball profile reveals a 41.9% hard-hit rate and 46.3% fly-ball rate.

Springer, meanwhile, has battered right-handed pitching, per the usual. He owns a .626 slugging percentage and 1.001 OPS against same-sided arms, so expect Springer to add to his 38 home run total tonight.

Marcus Semien, SS, Oakland Athletics ($4,000)

One of fantasy baseball's best surprises this year has been Marcus Semien of the Oakland Athletics. Currently holding onto a slim lead in the AL Wild Card race, they will need him at his best tonight.

Semien has been ripping the cover off the ball this year with 50 extra-base hits, including 32 home runs, a career-best mark. Similar to Springer, Semien has done work against righty pitching, logging a .524 slugging percentage.

That helps when you consider he is facing aging hurler Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners, who's a shell of his former ace self. Spanning 66 1/3 innings pitched this year, King Felix owns a dreadful 6.51 ERA, 18.1% strikeout rate, and a 40.1% hard-hit rate.

Expect the A's, who sport a hefty implied team total of 5.70 runs, to be touching home plate quite a bit.

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.