3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Tuesday 5/4/21
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 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.
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.
(Editor's note: Jacob deGrom has been scratched with side tightness. Be sure to remove him from your lineups.)
Jacob deGrom, SP, New York Mets ($12,500)
It's starting to get pretty simple -- whatever salary Jacob deGrom is at, he's worth it.
While he may not provide same point-per-dollar returns of Aaron Nola ($9,200), deGrom has a floor/ceiling combination that is unmatched. He also has a friendly matchup against the St. Louis Cardinals, who have a 24.6% strikeout rate, .294 wOBA, and .157 isolated power (ISO).
The salary is up there, but we expect a monster night out of deGrom the tune of 43.2 FanDuel points -- which is 7.1 more than any other hurler. Just be sure to double-check the weather in St. Louis as we get closer to lock, as rain is in the forecast.
Fernando Tatis Jr, SS, San Diego Padres ($4,400)
Despite a balky shoulder, Fernando Tatis Jr. is still slamming home runs at a prodigious clip. He now owns eight long balls and five swipes on the season.
On top of that, Mitch Keller, tonight's starter for the Pittsburgh Pirates, has been horrendous over his first 18 2/3 innings pitched. Keller owns a grotesque 8.20 ERA and 2.06 WHIP, making the San Diego Padres a team to stack tonight.
Tatis the slate's number-three bat, per our model.
J.D. Martinez, OF, Boston Red Sox ($4,200)
We are getting a J.D. Martinez renaissance, and I am here for it.
Owning the slate's top implied team total at 5.06 runs, the Boston Red Sox have an outstanding opportunity tonight against Michael Fulmer of the Detroit Tigers. Fulmer has a 4.85 SIERA in 48 2/3 frames since the start of 2020.
Martinez is scorching the ball this year, posting a .477 wOBA with nine jacks. He's a top-shelf play on this slate.
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.
