3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target for Tuesday 7/25/23

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.

All advanced statistics via FanGraphs.

Pablo Lopez, SP, Minnesota Twins, ($10,000)

The matchup for Kenta Maeda last night as a righty against the Seattle Mariners went well, so tonight we can attack the same matchup with a better pitcher.

Pablo Lopez has seen his strikeout rate shoot up to 30.2% this season. His peripheral numbers look great as well, with an expected ERA (xERA) at 3.22, a full run lower than his actual ERA of 4.22. He also is sporting the second-lowest SIERA (3.39) of any pitcher on this slate.

The matchup against the Mariners should lead to more strikeouts, as they whiff at the second-highest rate against right-handed pitching. They also have just a .310 wOBA in this split, which ranks 21st in baseball.

Lopez comes in at $10,000, which is a high salary but doesn't make the most cost-prohibitive pitcher on the slate. He is projected for the most points in numberFire's model however, making him a top option to roster today.

Freddie Freeman, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers ($4,500)

Freddie Freeman is having a monster season in his second year with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He currently has the second-best wRC+ of his career, only trailing his shortened 2020 season, and it's also the second-highest in the MLB behind only Shohei Ohtani. He's barrelling the ball at a 12.5% clip as well, setting him up nicely to hit home runs. He's also been sneaky on the basepaths, swiping 12 bags already this season. That gives an elite hitter even more fantasy value.

Freeman will face Chris Bassitt of the Toronto Blue Jays tonight. Bassit hasn't been terrible this season overall, but he's really struggled against lefties. He has allowed a .379 wOBA and a .259 ISO to left-handed hitters, including 14 home runs in 54.2 innings pitched.

That's great news for the left-handed hitting Freeman, who has punished righties to the tune of a .405 wOBA this season. He's definitely a hitter we'll want to target in lineups with this great platoon matchup.

Kyle Tucker, OF, Houston Astros ($4,000)

A player that maybe goes a bit under the radar, Kyle Tucker's recent three-homer game might help put him on the map a bit more.

Tucker is sporting a very solid .380 wOBA and a 146 wRC+. His ISO is down from his previous two seasons, but is still an above-average .211. He also has 18 stolen bases this season, so he really provides upside in lots of different ways.

Tucker will get the platoon advantage tonight against Yerry Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers. Rodriguez has only pitched 10.2 innings in the MLB this season, but had a 5.07 expected FIP (xFIP) in triple-A this season. In both places, he had a fly-ball rate above 40%, meaning he should be ripe for allowing homers.

The Houston Astros should be able to do damage, as their implied team total is a healthy 4.79 runs. Tucker has been their best offensive player over the last month, and should be at the heart of an eruption game from this lineup if it was to occur.

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.