3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target on Wednesday 9/22/21

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.

Zack Wheeler, SP, Philadelphia Phillies ($10,700)

On this main slate, if you can afford him, Zack Wheeler is an utter no-brainer tonight.

With the Philadelphia Phillies owning a dramatic victory last night, they turn the ball to their ace -- and this matchup is spicy. While the Baltimore Orioles have been hitting well as of late, posting a .323 wOBA in the last 30 days, they also own an egregious 25.3% strikeout rate over the same period, which is third-worst in the league.

And Wheeler barely needs any introduction. He blows away the competition per our projections tonight, and his 28.9% strikeout rate and 49.9% ground-ball rate in 200 1/3 innings this year show he could be the DFS monster we need in our lineups.

Giancarlo Stanton, OF, New York Yankees ($3,900)

Known for his mammoth homers, playing in the Bronx isn't too ambiguous -- but Giancarlo Stanton's late season surge has certainly put him back on the map. Since the beginning of August, Stanton has posted a .294 ISO with 15 dingers.

And he could help the Yankees in their wild card surge tonight as they take on Taylor Hearn of the Texas Rangers. The southpaw has allowed a 34.8% hard-hit rate and 41.3% fly-ball rate this season, and in Yankee Stadium, that could turn into a real issue.

For a bit of an interesting non-Denver play, Stanton could provide some big-time juice.

Jean Segura, 2B/3B/SS, Philadelphia Phillies ($3,400)

This game is an absolute smash spot for the Philadelphia Phillies. We already highlighted why we expect teammate Wheeler to cook on the mound, but the exploits of Keegan Akin make this even more advantageous.

While the Baltimore Orioles have given the Phillies all they can handle in the first two games, this stat is utterly perplexing: Akin has pitched in 23 games this season, and the Orioles have won exactly two of those starts. His performance has been a big reason why, as he's allowed a whopping 1.71 HR/9 this season off a 44.6% fly-ball rate.

Philadelphia's 5.34 implied team total is one of the strongest of the day, and with Jean Segura occupying a premium lineup spot, he also makes for a great non-Coors option.

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.