3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target for Monday 6/5/23

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.

Aaron Nola, SP, Philadelphia Phillies, ($10,000)

The pitcher with the highest salary on the board tonight also looks like the best option out there.

Aaron Nola will take the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies, one day after his 30th birthday. The lineup he will be facing today is certainly a nice gift, even if it's a day late.

The Phillies welcome the Detroit Tigers to town to begin a series tonight. Detroit has a 23.4% strikeout rate against right-handed pitchers. They are also dead last in weighted on base average (wOBA) and weighted runs created plus (wRC+) against righties.

Nola isn't having his best season but is due for some regression. His expected ERA (xERA) is nearly a full run lower than his actual ERA.

He's the biggest favorite on the slate, according to the MLB odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, and faces off against the team with the lowest implied team total.

Yordan Alvarez, OF, Houston Astros ($4,300)

Switching gears to a hitter, we can look at a player who's fun to watch whenever he steps into the batter's box. Yordan Alvarez is one of the game's best young sluggers, and he's having another fantastic season. He has the highest salary for any hitter tonight but also comes in with the highest projection, per numberFire's model, by some distance.

Alvarez currently ranks fourth in wOBA among all hitters. This is no fluke, as his hard-hit rate is 44.0%, good for sixth-best. He's in a Houston Astros lineup that is implied to score 4.96 runs and will face a pitcher who has struggled mightily this season.

The 'Stros will be on the road against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday. Alek Manoah will be on the hill for Toronto. He was an All-Star last season but hasn't been able to find his way in 2023. His ERA is a whopping 5.46, and his advanced metrics are even worse, including a 6.44 xERA and 15.0% walk rate.

Alvarez is a dangerous hitter against nearly any pitcher, but he's especially lethal versus right-handers, sporting a .402 wOBA in the split. He's an elite play tonight and can be a core piece of Houston stacks.

Blake Snell, SP, San Diego Padres ($9,500)

We'll round out Monday's studs with another starting pitcher who isn't quite having the best year of his career -- Blake Snell. But Snell can get things going in the right direction tonight in what is a solid get-right spot.

Snell's strikeout rate has fallen this season, but he's still averaging over one punchout per inning. He's pitched better of late, giving up just one run in his last two starts while striking out 13 batters. Only Nola is projected for more strikeouts than him on this slate, per numberFire.

Snell and the San Diego Padres are at home in Petco Park, a venue that is traditionally friendly for pitchers. He'll have the chance to continue his recent strikeout surge in this matchup against the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs have the third-highest strikeout rate against lefties this season.

If you can't get Nola into your lineup or you want to be a little different, Snell is an intriguing option.

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.