3 FanDuel MLB Studs to Target for Friday 7/14/23

In daily fantasy baseball on FanDuel, rostering the right high-salaried studs is an important aspect of building lineups.

For hitters, we're looking for guys with big numbers, strong matchups, and players around them who 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 these high-salary picks playing such a big role in your lineup, you can't afford to miss on these guys, so let's take a look at a few top high-salary plays for today's main slate.

Luis Castillo, SP, Seattle Mariners ($9,700)

In his first full season with the Seattle Mariners in the American League, Luis Castillo has adjusted to the new league fairly well, and he'll get a great matchup tonight that should allow him to thrive.

Castillo has a 26.9% strikeout rate, slightly down from where it was last season. He's lowered his walk rate to 6.4%, the lowest of his career. He has been living in the strike zone perhaps a bit too much as he's allowing more home runs and hard contact, but that shouldn't be a problem in today's game.

The Mariners are taking on the Detroit Tigers at home tonight. The Tigers are not an offense to fear, especially against right-handed pitching. They rank 26th in weighted runs created plus (wRC+) against righties while also striking out at the sixth-highest rate in the split.

Castillo is projected for the most points of the slate by numberFire's model, and he makes for a great ace to add to lineups for $9,700.

Matt Olson, 1B, Atlanta Braves ($4,400)

Matt Olson leads the National League in home runs and is one of the most dangerous hitters in one of the best lineups in the league.

Olson has vastly improved in his second season with the Atlanta Braves. His weighted on-base average (wOBA) has gone from .344 to .390 -- that's the highest clip of his career in a season in which he's played more than 60 games. He's also seen a jump up in isolated slugging percentage (ISO) from .237 to .315.

He'll face Michael Kopech of the Chicago White Sox today. Kopech struggles to keep the ball in the yard, permitting 1.78 home runs per nine innings, and he also allows opponents to barrel the ball 14.2% of the time.

The Braves have an implied team total of 5.74 runs tonight, and it wouldn't be a huge surprise if Olson was a part of the damage they did.

Corey Seager, SS, Texas Rangers ($4,200)

The Texas Rangers have been able to put their talent together this season and lead the American League West. A big reason for that is Corey Seager, who has been on fire with the bat in his hands.

Seager has one of the best triple-slash lines in baseball, with a .353 batting average, .413 on-base percentage and .613 slugging percentage. Looking at more advanced numbers, he has career-highs in wOBA (.430) and wRC+ (181).

Seager will face the Cleveland Guardians, who will have Aaron Civale on the mound. Civale is not the worst pitcher in the MLB, but he doesn't get many strikeouts and has an expected fielding independent pitching of 4.39. Civale also should be due for some negative regression, as he's giving up nearly as many fly-balls as last season but way fewer home runs.

At $4,200, Seager is a solid addition to any lineup with the way he's been hitting the ball this year, and he can come through in this matchup.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.