3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target for Monday 9/11/23

Hitting on value plays in MLB DFS on FanDuel can make or break a lineup on any given day, but locking in strong performances with some of baseball's star players provides the backbone for any good DFS lineup.

These stars rightly come with high salaries as they usually live up to expectations and have the ability to outclass their peers at their position.

Here are three studs to target for Monday's main slate.

All advanced statistics come from FanGraphs. All projections via numberFire.

Framber Valdez, SP, Houston Astros ($10,800)

In his sixth major-league campaign, Framber Valdez of the Houston Astros has stayed quite effective. At the prime age of 29, the southpaw is displaying a 3.74 SIERA (with 168 Ks) at the moment. Making his 28th start of 2023, Valdez is ready go against the Oakland Athletics on Monday.

In three head-to-head outings versus Oakland this year, Valdez has earned the win in every game, averaging 39.7 points on FanDuel. If nothing else, the lefty is entering a matchup he has comfortable familiarity in.

Among all arms tonight, Valdez shows the pinnacle projection on numberFire: 39.7 FanDuel points. Additionally, numberFire sees the opposing A's as a low-offensive threat, yielding the second-lowest run projection of the main slate (3.49).

Piggybacking of that line of thinking, the A's have the worst team OPS (.675) in all of baseball right now. Seemingly, I cannot generate enough reasons to not take Valdez at home tonight.

Cody Bellinger, OF/1B, Chicago Cubs ($4,600)

The Chicago Cubs' lineup cooled off over the weekend in Arizona, but they'll have every opportunity to reignite the offensive flame when visiting the Colorado Rockies on Monday. Of the bunch from Chicago, Cody Bellinger appears in an advantageous position to thrive.

For the Rox, southpaw Kyle Freeland is scheduled to toe the rubber in the series opener. In regards to the lefty-swinging Bellinger, this actually works fantastically; Bellinger's OPS in 2023 has been better against left-handed pitching (1.003) compared to versus righties (.865). Facing Freeland head-to-head (23 total at-bats), Bellinger has a lifetime .348 batting average.

In his current form, Belli playing at the lofty confines of Coors Field is like pouring gasoline on a lit match. Expect a boom. At numberFire, his FanDuel DFS projection for Monday is at 15.7 points, which is the top figure throughout all available hitters.

When surveying numberFire's game projections tonight, the Cubbies naturally have the largest estimated run total of any ball club (7.08). I would expect Bellinger -- who currently shows the second-best wOBA (.381) of his career -- to be involved with the scoring early and often.

Juan Soto, OF, San Diego Padres ($3,600)

In what is the media's favorite National League-rivalry at the moment, Southern California adversaries will be pitted against one another. Tonight, the San Diego Padres will make the short trip north to Chavez Ravine to battle the Los Angeles Dodgers. With a rookie right-hander on the mound for L.A., I see Juan Soto as a stud with considerable upside.

Making just his fourth career start in MLB, Gavin Stone will get the baseball for the Dodgers. Stone's SIERA is currently at 5.62 through 18 total innings pitched. This could translate favorably for a patient hitter like Soto, who already yields a platoon advantage over young Stone.

As one of two players with over 100 walks right now, Soto has walked more than any batter in baseball (18.9% BB-rate). His wOBA has been better in previous campaigns but is still impressive at .378 currently. When facing right-handed pitching in 2023, Soto has crushed the baseball for a .930 OPS. Also, 78.6% of Soto's home runs this season have been hit off righties.

According to numberFire, Soto is projected to produce 13.3 FanDuel points in Los Angeles this evening. When looking at the 2023 figures on Baseball Savant, Dodger Stadium has been the fifth-most prolific venue for homers this season. Considering it will be a warmer evening out west on Monday, the baseball should also have quality carry.

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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.