3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target for Tuesday 6/20/23

In daily fantasy baseball on FanDuel, finding and utilizing productive high-salary players is integral to building a successful lineup.

In terms of hitters, we're looking for individuals with big numbers, favorable matchups, and fellow players around them who are likely to produce, as well, increasing our chances for runs and RBI. For pitchers, we want high strikeout totals. Still, the ability to labor deep into a game while earning a win is also valuable.

With high-salary picks playing such a crucial 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.

Gerrit Cole, SP, New York Yankees ($10,600)

Gerrit Cole has been one of baseball's best this season, and that shouldn't change Tuesday night.

The New York Yankees have leaned on Cole as their unquestionable ace, and a matchup with the Seattle Mariners is an enticing one for DFS players.

The Yankees' starter brings in a 26.4% strikeout rate, which is actually lower than his typical numbers over the last five seasons -- all been over 30.0% -- but pairs well with the Mariners, who have the second-highest strikeout rate in baseball at 25.9%. That should lead to Cole earning himself a big strikeout number on the night.

Seattle enters the clash with the night's worst implied total, per numberFire's heat map, sitting at 3.31.

Going by numberFire's model, Cole is projected to finish with 36.0 FanDuel points -- the second-highest clip among all pitchers.

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals ($3,700)

There are few better options on the offensive side on Tuesday night than Paul Goldschmidt.

While the St. Louis Cardinals are sitting at the bottom of the NL Central, there's no denying that the reigning NL MVP has still managed to deliver offensively. Goldschmidt's surface statistics remain solid (13 home runs and 37 RBIs), but his output should be even better than that.

His .380 weighted on-base average (wOBA) is lower than his .419 number from a season ago, but Goldschmidt's expected wOBA (xwOBA) of .394 is much higher than his .367 xwOBA from 2022.

With a matchup against the Washington Nationals' MacKenzie Gore, Goldschmidt should be able to turn the lefty around for some big offensive numbers. Hitters are able to drive the ball off of Gore, who has a 34.5% hard-hit rate that will pair well with the first baseman's 45.7% hard-hit rate.

The Red Birds boast a 4.87 implied total, the third-highest of Tuesday's slate.

Goldschmidt is projected to finish with the second-most FanDuel points among all batters (15.5), per numberFire's model.

Corbin Carroll, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks ($4,300)

At this point, it's difficult to keep the dynamic Corbin Carroll out of DFS lineups.

The five-tool player continues to dazzle for the NL West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks. Much of the success for Carroll has come from his improved strikeout rate (19.2%), which has led to him putting the ball in play more and making things happen.

Out of Carroll's 16 home runs, 14 of them have come against righties, which could lead to Carroll having some pop tonight against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Diamondbacks' outfielder also carries a .415 wOBA, which is second-best in baseball behind Shohei Ohtani. He's making a difference and should do the same for DFS lineups.

The matchup with Brewers starter Colin Rea will be one that Carroll can take advantage of. Rea owns a 4.45 skill-interactive ERA, giving the red-hot Diamondbacks a chance to shine and create opportunities all throughout the lineup. Stacking the Diamondbacks with the likes of Carroll, Ketel Marte, and Lourdes Gurriel is a good way to get exposure to Arizona's 4.41 implied total.

Carroll is projected for 15.3 FanDuel points, per numberFire, the third-most among hitters.

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.