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.

Gerrit Cole, P, New York Yankees ($11,100)

The New York Yankees might be having a rough campaign this season -- they're in last place in the AL East and nearly out of playoff contention -- but ace pitcher Gerrit Cole has been a rock for the team this year. His 2.96 ERA currently leads the American League, and he is projected to score a slate-high 38.8 FanDuel points tonight, per numberFire. No other hurler has a projection above 31.6 FanDuel points.

His skill-interactive ERA (SIERA), which tries to measure ERA while excluding factors the pitcher can't control, isn't as amazing -- his 3.68 SIERA ranks 14th-best in baseball. That falls a little short of "best in the American League" but is still a fantastic mark.

It's also great to see Cole shutting down the long ball this year. After leading the majors with 33 home runs allowed last season (one per start, essentially), he has slashed his HR/9 rate down to a respectable 0.96, which ranks 16th among qualified starters. Paired with his 10th-best 27.0% strikeout rate, Cole has once again been one of the most effective pitchers in all of baseball.

Today he'll square off against the Detroit Tigers, who, even with a spiked .423 SLG over the last month, rank just about league-average in wRC+ (97) in August. They're hitting home runs, but those dingers aren't producing too many runs as they work through plate discipline issues -- they're striking out at a 26.5% rate (fifth-highest) while walking at a 6.6% rate (fourth-lowest) in August. The Tigers shouldn't put up much resistance against one of the league's best pitchers tonight.

Ronald Acuna Jr., OF, Atlanta Braves ($5,200)

The best offense in baseball is playing at Coors Field again tonight. You're going to want at least one member of the Atlanta Braves in your FanDuel lineups, so why not go with superstar Ronald Acuna Jr..

Acuna is entering rarified territory this season, becoming the fourth player in league history to log at least 20 home runs with 60 or more stolen bases. He's already up to 29 homers and 61 stolen bases on the season and will try to hit his 30th dinger before the Braves depart from Denver.

Tonight, Acuna Jr. and the Braves will try to tee off on Colorado Rockies starter Kyle Freeland, whose 13 losses this season lead the league (excluding pitchers on the Kansas City Royals, that is). Freeland has struggled to the fourth-worst SIERA (5.18) and the sixth-highest HR/9 rate (1.67) in 2023 and, unfortunately for him, a matchup against the Braves isn't likely to improve things.

numberFire's projections have Acuna feasting in this matchup, finishing the night with 17.9 FanDuel points -- the most of any batter on the slate. We saw him go off in the first game of the series, going 4-for-5 at the plate with 4 runs, 5 RBI, a home run and 2 stolen bases. He's got that kind of slate-breaking upside versus Freeland.

Mookie Betts, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers ($4,500)

Mookie Betts has been on fire this month. The Los Angeles Dodgers' star, who was already having a fantastic season, is playing out of his mind in the month of August. Even with Julio Rodriguez going on an insane hitting streak, Betts' 256 wRC+ still significantly leads Rodriguez's impressive second-place 225 wRC+ on the month. Mookie has been that good.

His production over the last month has been outrageous. Over 116 plate appearances, he has notched 9 homers, 31 runs, 26 RBI, and 3 stolen bases. He's fourth in the majors in homers and RBI in August, and Betts leads the league in runs scored. In other words, you've probably had a good time when you've had him in your FanDuel lineups.

Betts should have no problems against rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt tonight as LA takes on the Arizona Diamondbacks. The promising rookie has given up 2.01 homers per 9 innings this season, and while his ERA over last month has settled down to a solid 3.03 mark, he's still pitching to a 4.59 SIERA on the season.

numberFire projects Betts to put up 14.9 FanDuel points tonight, the most of any non-Coors bat.

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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.