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, as well, 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.
Frankie Montas, SP, Oakland Athletics ($8,800)
After leaving his last start early due to a comebacker knocking him on the hand, Frankie Montas is set to pitch tonight against the Texas Rangers, and we have him projected for a slate-best 35.3 FanDuel points.
Part of it is the impressive pitching profile that Montas has built up during the 2022 season. He's been outstanding by more traditional metrics (1.01 WHIP and 55 strikeouts in 50 2/3 innings pitched), and he checks the boxes in the advanced ones, as well (3.31 FIP and 27.4% strikeout rate).
His matchup is a good one. Texas has struggled all year and sits fourth-worst in team wOBA (.288).
All of it means Montas could be primed for a big night.
Xander Bogaerts, SS, Boston Red Sox ($3,700)
The Boston Red Sox have started cookin' at the dish a little bit, and at the heart of their order is shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
Bogaerts, yet again, is enjoying another Xander Bogaerts-esque type of season. He's recorded a .373 wOBA on the year, and while the pop has been a little bit down (.133 ISO), his .456 slugging percentage and 146 wRC+ is right in line with his career norms.
The matchup tonight is a mouth-watering one versus aging southpaw Dallas Keuchel, who's gotten absolutely torched this season. Keuchel has been particularly smacked around by righties this year, giving up a .462 slugging percentage and 1.48 HR/9 in the spllt.
Bogaerts is a high-upside way to get a piece of a Boston lineup that profiles as one of the top stacks.
Trea Turner, 2B/SS, Los Angeles Dodgers ($4,000)
Boasting the highest implied team total (5.35) on the main slate, the Los Angeles Dodgers make for a really good play. Tonight, with a matchup against Humberto Castellanos of the Arizona Diamondbacks, they might go nuts.
Trea Turner could be particularly primed to rock in this one. In 188 plate appearances this year, Turner has a .363 expected wOBA and has swiped 10 bags.
Where Castellanos has really struggled is with righty bats. They've poked him for 1.50 HR/9 and a .443 slugging percentage. Righties have also enjoyed a 41.1% fly-ball rate against him.
We project Turner as a top-10 hitter tonight, and he can be a huge part of an LA explosion.
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.