3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target for Tuesday 9/19/23

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 today's main slate.

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

Blake Snell, P, San Diego Padres ($11,300)

When the National League Cy Young Award front-runner has a soft matchup, you're probably going to want that guy in your daily fantasy baseball lineups. That's what we're getting tonight when San Diego Padres ace Blake Snell faces the Colorado Rockies at home in San Diego.

Snell, whose -900 MLB odds to take home the NL Cy Young make him the heavy favorite, is projected for the most FanDuel points of any pitcher on tonight's slate with 41.3 points. He's been on an absolute heater and has an MLB-best 2.43 ERA on the season.

Before we dig into why he's a fantastic play tonight, we should note that his underlying metrics look a little rougher around the edges. His 4.10 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA) is closer to the middle of the pack than his league-best ERA would usually imply, and his 1.22 WHIP ranks outside the top 20 starting pitchers.

Back to the good stuff. Even with those marks, he's been great at things that earn FanDuel points. His 11.69 K/9 ranks second in the Majors, and he is only allowing homers at a 0.81 per 9 rate (fourth-lowest). He's already up to 14 wins on the season -- the second-best mark of his career.

The Rockies have been the worst offense in baseball this year. Their 78 wRC+ ranks dead last and trails the 29th-place Chicago White Sox by 6 points -- the same distance between 29th and 24th.

Snell should face little resistance tonight while he keeps his foes off the scoreboard and should get enough run support to score his 15th win of the year.

Matt Olson, 1B, Atlanta Braves ($4,500)

Tonight's tilt between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves could be the most exciting game of the evening, and the Braves have a chance to even up the score after last night's tough 7-1 loss.

Per their implied team total, Atlanta is expected to score the second-most points (5.22) runs of any team tonight, putting them in line for explosive fantasy production. That means you're going to want to consider Matt Olson in your FanDuel lineups.

It's hard to undersell just how dominant Olson has been this season. He's leading MLB in homers (52) and RBI (129) and ranks sixth-best among all batters with his whopping 161 wRC+. He has only gotten better as the season has progressed, too, as he has a slugging percentage of .674 in the second half.

Tonight, he'll take on Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez, who has allowed a 1.44 HR/9 rate this season. The third-year breakout pitcher has already pitched 82.1 innings this season, more than the 52.2 he tossed in his previous two seasons combined, so we could start to see the 26-year-old falter down the stretch, as well.

numberFire's model projects Olson for the most FanDuel points (15.2) of any batter on tonight's slate -- almost a full point more than Luis Robert's second-best projection. We'll be rooting for Olson to become the 21st player in professional baseball history to hit at least 53 home runs in a season tonight.

Marcus Semien, 2B, Texas Rangers ($3,600)

The Texas Rangers desperately need a win as they fight to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2016.

They have a decent chance of securing it tonight against Boston Red Sox right-hander Tanner Houck and have the fourth-best implied team total (4.97). And fortunately, they're getting healthier with the returns of Josh Jung and Adolis Garcia from the injured list.

That ought to help break the Rangers out of their late-summer slump, and Marcus Semien should resume padding the stat sheet. The veteran has scored the fifth-most runs (113) this year and will benefit from the team's bolstered depth in the batting lineup.

The Rangers' relatively slower second half has somewhat masked that Semien has improved his batting average from .271 in the first half to .289 down the stretch and that he has been hitting home runs at a higher rate in the hotter months.

Opposite Semien tonight, Houck has had a rocky transition to being a full-time starter this season. He's throwing for a sub-par 4.26 SIERA and has maintained a 1.33 WHIP. He's walking too many batters and not striking out enough. His numbers have begun to slip since his return from the injured list in August, as well, as opposing batters have posted a strong .833 OPS against him in those outings.

In other words, he'll make for a get-right spot for the Rangers as they mount their playoff push, and Semien should be a big beneficiary of that bounceback.

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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.